Target Store in Crystal, MN supports “Don’t Cry…I’m Here” with a Gift Card
A HUGE thank you to the Crystal, Minnesota Target store for supporting our charity. They sent us a gift card that we can use to purchase items we need to complete our Doll Gift Tote Bags.
Target has been very supportive of our charity. This is the second Target store in the Minneapolis/St Paul area that has donated to “Don’t Cry…I’m Here”.
Arrive Ministries in Minneapolis receive 5 Doll Gift Tote Bags from “Don’t Cry…I’m Here” to “Welcome” Refugee Children
I would like to share with you some photos of today’s delivery of Doll Gift Tote Bags to Arrive Ministries. This is a very, very beautiful charity that works with the refugee families which begins by meeting the families at the airport….through helping them adapt to this country by providing a volunteer host family that helps them through their first months in the United States. They try to find them a place to live before they arrive in the States…but said sometimes that is difficult because they don’t get much notice of when they will arrive so sometimes employees of Arrive Ministries or volunteer families welcome them into their homes until housing is established.
So we have 5 more Doll Gift Tote Bags (4 girls and 1 boy) delivered….and will be with their new mommy’s or daddy shortly. One of the resettlement workers said they have a family of 5 arriving from Afghanistan tomorrow night and they have a little girl. So….one of the dolls will go out to this girl after they get a chance to rest after a very exhausting and stressful journey to the United States.
Thank you to everyone that is helping to make this work a reality. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize this charity IS INDEED doing what we are hoping to do.
Somali boy doll in in Traditional Somali male clothing.
African girl doll in Traditional African clothing.
African Muslim girl doll in Traditional Hijab and clothing.
Karen doll in Traditional Karen clothing.
Middle Eastern Muslim doll in Traditional Muslim Hijab and clothing.
Our Mission at Don’t Cry…I’m Here is all About Smiles….and Smiles We See
Here is a special treat for you! These 3 beautiful little girls received a “Don’t Cry…I’m Here” Doll Gift Tote Bags. Leah from Lutheran Social Service-Refugee Services sent me this photo this morning and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to see these 3 girls with such HUGE smiles on their faces holding their dolls. How wonderful it must feel for the girls to have a doll that looks like they do and that wears clothing that matches their culture. It validates their culture and allows them to be proud of their culture. So….here is another success story. Let’s keep all of this great work going. Thanks everyone!!
Permission was given by Leah at Lutheran Social Service and the parents of the girls to share this photo with our group. Thanks so much Leah.
Don’t Cry…I’m Here delivered Doll Gift Tote Bags to The Center for Victims of Torture Healing Center in St. Paul, MN
Here are a few photos from 10-10-17 of our delivery of Doll Gift Tote Bags to The Center for Victims of Torture — the Yellow House. It is a beautiful house down a quiet street…perfect place for finding comfort and support after a very difficult journey to the United States. It is called the CVT Healing Center. It’s atmosphere felt like a Healing Center…..calm and quiet….with kind and caring people.
Target Store on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis donates a Gift Card to Don’t Cry…I’m Here
NEWS!!! Today we received a very generous donation in the form of a gift card from our Minneapolis, MN Nicollet Mall Target store to be used to purchase dolls and doll related items for our Doll Gift Tote Bags. This is part of Targets way of supporting local charities. I just HAD to take a picture of this gift card from this wonderful company donation. Hey everyone….we are going to make this project as big as we can….and reach as many little girls as we can!! Let’s work hard and make this happen!! A HUGE Thank You to Target!!
Little Anfa reunites with family after refugee camp and receives a Don’t Cry…I’m Here Doll Gift Tote Bag
Little Anfa was not allowed to come to the United States when her family came a few years ago because she was an infant and was not able to speak for herself to the immigration people. So her parents had to make a difficult decision and she was left in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya with her grandparents until things could be straightened out. 3 years later she is finally reunited with her parents in Minneapolis, MN and Farrah Fazal from KSTP tells the story on one of our major news stations in Minneapolis.
Gail Harvey from Don’t Cry…I’m Here said, “I was just watching our local Minneapolis KSTP news broadcast tonight and they had a report on a newly arrived little refugee girl from Kenya that caught my attention. As I watched the story I was frantically writing down information to contact KSTP to get one of our Doll Gift Tote Bags to this little girl. All of a sudden….I saw her and she was holding one of our dolls. The link below shows Anfa holding her doll and hugging it tightly. Click on the link below to watch this story and at 5 minutes 46 seconds little Anfa is holding one of our dolls. I have confirmed that this is one of the dolls that Don’t Cry…I’m Here gave to Lutheran Social Service–Refugee Services. Anfa received her doll when she arrived to her new home.
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Beautiful Refugee Girls Receive Dolls from Don’t Cry…I’m Here
We, at Don’t Cry…I’m Here, were over-the-top excited to receive 2 photos of 4 little refugee girls that received our Doll Gift Tote Bags. Our Doll Gift Tote Bags include an ethnically-sensitive 18″ doll, doll outfits and accessories for the doll, quilt and pillow set and a tote bag to put all of their little doll goodies into.
After a very dangerous and difficult process to get to safety … and then a lengthy process to get to the United States….these 4 girls are settling into their new homes and living a life of freedom. And their dolls will be at their sides as they adjust to this new life.
These photos were taken and shared with us from one of the Refugee Resettlement organizations that we work with…..Lutheran Social Service-Refugee Services. Permission was given by the parents of the girls and Lutheran Social Service-Refugee Services to share these photos.
The Center for Victims of Torture blogs about Don’t Cry…I’m Here
We at Don’t Cry…I’m Here have developed a very important connection with The Center for Victims of Torture. We have made 2 deliveries of Doll Gift Tote Bags to CVT. We KNOW that the families of the little refugee girls that CVT works with have gone through such horrible and unthinkable times and these little refugee girls NEED a doll to love and care for. And we will do everything we can to donate as many dolls as they need to reach the hurting hearts of the little girls.
Below is the CVT blog featuring Don’t Cry…I’m Here
http://www.cvt.org/blog/culturally-sensitive-dolls-welcome-refugee-children-us
Donation to The Center for Victims of Torture
On August 23, 2017 we delivered 8 more Asian Doll Gift Tote Bags to “The Center for Victims of Torture”. These Asian Doll Gift Tote Bags will be given to our little Karen refugee girls.
This is our second delivery to CVT and it was nice to meet with the people that we had met a month ago when we made our first delivery to them. A couple of people from the CVT communication team were there to ask me a few question and take some photos. They plan to write a blog about Don’t Cry…I’m Here. How cool is that??? Below are photos of the 8 Doll Gift Tote Bags that we delivered.
Making a delivery to The Center for Victims of Torture is the highlight of doing this charity work. It means that our dolls are one step closer to getting into the hands of our little refugee girls.
Don't Cry...I'm Here 