Hoosier Looser Welcome Bags....(Linda Kay..need your input...please..)

Tania wrote: HI sherri and Linda, Can we start a new topic and explain a little more about what is needed and how it works. How do you get the stuff? What kind of time commitment? Tania ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tania, I will put (what little ) I know and ask Linda to fill in the rest (or correct anything I get wrong which may very well be the case). Items for the bags includes a variety of objects that a new post-op may want or need while in the hospital or upon returning home. These items MAY include: small cologne/purfumes, small deoderants,crystal light packets, CIB, instant oatmeal, sf hot chocolate mix, pads of paper, pens, candles,journals, stationary, protein bars, aqua drops, chap stick, etc, etc, etc Basically, any little thing that you think you would have liked to have gotten, so would othes. Where do these items come from? From everyone. If Linda needed more stuff, she'd put out a note and at the next clothing exchange or other activity, people would bring in bags of goodies. Linda tried to cover all the area hospitals. I would recommend that we try to have at least 1 volunteer for each hospital. Gas is too expensive and time too rare to expect one person to try to make it all over the Indy area. The hospitals included (again, Linda, correct me here!): St. Francis, St. Vincent, IU, Methodist, Community North, Wishard, any other local bariatric centers. We didn't do state-wide. If people in Ft. Wayne, Bloomington, etc. would like to start their own Hoosier Looser Welcoming commitees, that would be fantastic! The recipients were mainly people that are members here, although, if we know of someone who isn't on OH yet, we may ask whoever to deliver a bag to them also. Surgeries aren't performed every day and you certainly wouldn't be expected to run up to the hospital every day. Another constraint is space. You would need space in your home to store all the bags & goodies. You would also need the time to fill the bags so that they are ready to be delivered. I think that about covers it. I probably just caused everyone to shy away from it, didn't I? I wish I had the time to do this or lived near one of the bariatric hospitals/centers because I think it's a very good cause. It's an excellent way to meet new friends and to let the new post-ops know that you individually, and OH_IN as a group, care about them and their welfare. Volunteers? If so, please put a note on here and state for which hospital(s)/bariatric center(s) you'd be able to be responsable for. If someone volunteers for your place of choice, feel free to drop them a note and offer to go with them to visit the new post-ops or to be there back-up person. Linda..please add anything I left out (which I'm sure was alot). Also, anyone who volunteers, please drop them a note and let them know any ins and out of it..ok? Thanks hon...and we all very much appreciated all the wonderful baskets & bags that you delivered...as well as the 'someone cares' feeling that came with them. Sherri

It really IS rewarding!!! The first time I met Dan was during a delivery... and Lisa too.. several people.. most tell me that I needed to change my picture.. You only need to visit about 5-`0 minutes.. drop off the bag tell people there are people online that are thinking of them and that are there for them if they are needed. Letting people know that they are not alone and that this surgery really CAN work!! Letting people see the new improved you gives them hope for their future too. DONATIONS.. dollar store items.. clippers nail, files, gift items nick n acs lotions, protien samples, cream of wheat, oatmeal carnation.. anything so people can try it before they buy it.. when we were doing chewable calcium chews they were donated and passed oput at 5 in a bag so people could taste them before they bought them.. Deb and me and a few others would buy the bags after a holiday at 75% off and stuff them.. we started out with baskets but I ran out of them and couldnt afford good will any more.. I will cover Johnson County & Community South and even St Francis if there is noone else that can do it because I know the bvack roadss to those hospitals. The biggest th ing is getting people to post they surgery date.. we should have a weekly thread going.. so we just look on it and say hey I can cover that one.. More later.. Linda

Good Morning, Thank you Sherri and Linda. I would be happy to help cover the South side. Linda, do you want a partner to help cover? I think it's a great idea. I know I would have loved to have gotten a visit and a bag. Tania

I would love to help as well. I have visited patients at Wishard.

I could cover Clarian North. I would love to help out and this would be a great way to 'give back'. Let me know what to do! Thanks, Janet