Receiving Contributions from The Point in New York City

The Point Knitting Salon is a sweet knitting haven nestled on Bedford Street in the West Village section of New York City. They feature sweets for the sweet, coffees and teas and some of the most scrumptious yarns you could set your eyes on. The Point recently had an event "Go Green". Part of the event included asking their customers to bring in their unwanted yarn for donation to charity.

The Point selected Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. as their designated charity.

I arrived there on Wednesday, September 19 to receive the huge box and many bags of contributed yarns. These will go a long way in helping a woman make it through her transition.

And this all for the sake of asking......

The Point Knitting Cafe

37a Bedford Street

New York, NY 10014

212 929-0800

877 60-POINT

On the Web at: http://www.thepointnyc.com/

STORE/CAFE HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 12-8pm Thursday: 12-9pm Friday: 12-7pm Saturday: 10am-6pm Sunday: 12-5pm

Let's do it again!! SROE, Inc gets ready for Domestic Violence Awareness month, October 2007

Starting up the volunteer/yarn request for October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I can not believe that we are in our third year of donating volunteer created items to survivors of domestic violence living in transitional housing. This Fall we will be making contributions to Sanctuary for Families. From their website:

We are dedicated to the safety, healing, and self-sufficiency of battered women and their children. To that end, we offer a broad range of high-quality services including shelter, legal assistance, and counseling. We work to end domestic violence and its far-reaching impact through outreach, education, and advocacy, and to create a world where every woman and child lives with dignity.

If you are interested in volunteer your time or skills to our effort - please contact me, Sue Rock, at suerockoriginals@yahoo.com with your name, address, contact number and best times to meet with you to discuss our program.

Always the best!

Sue Rock

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

January
Starting the year with a fresh outlook. Covington and Burling has accepted sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! as a client and will be processing our paperwork for 501(c)3 status. There is a tingling in my chesk and flutter all around just thinking about it. I just focus on the tasks at hand which are, reviewing the last year’s deliveries, the relationships developed (or lost) and the plans for this year, not necessarily in that order.

After the past two years, I think that the concept of a craft charity is a good one – longevity is definitely key. I find a few things disheartening, thought, that I will be focusing on learning how to handle better.

VOLUNTEERS WHO DISAPPEAR……

Of the cases of yarn I have received over the past five years, I would say one full case has been lost to people who basically fell of the face of the planet. Whether it was the concept to free high end yarn for the taking, or the “oops I just forgot” – I realized rather early on that I had a misperception of some sort of knitters/crocheters code. Though many people show up, email, call and write – mostly everything is created by a core group of around six to seven volunteers – with me picking up the rear when things get close to the wire. Now it may not be the same six to seven people, but that seems to be the core number. I’ll have to develop a way to entrust the “good Yarns” to my tried and true volunteers and allow people to run rampant on the Red Heart Pink Rainbow One Pounders!

Which leads me to my next topic.

MAKE SURE VOLUNTEERS GET CREDIT

During the summer of last year, I received a number of requests for interviews around sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! A small newspaper, I assumed that distribution would be small, however was excited at the prospect of being in the press. The writer of the piece requested photos and some print copy about what we do – I immediately sent out two of my best photos, items that had been designed and created by a volunteer. I forgot to give the writer the artist’s name.

You can imagine the look on my face when my volunteer contacted me on the voicemail, wanting to know why her name had not been mentioned in the article at all. Unfortunately, double injury had been made, due to the fact that she and I had met THROUGH the writer of the article. After profuse apologies, retractions and clumsy explanations, I was able to smooth things over (barely). New relationships are something which I treasure developing, however the combination of talent, representation, publicity and interpretation of experience all got jumbled together. It was a great lesson. Everyone deserves their due, and I am always admiring the work of my volunteers as phenomenal. This year I look forward to framing the organization in such a way as to feature the volunteers and the organization as a whole, for if it was not for them, this organization would not be successful.

DELIVERING TO THE WOMEN

Domestic Violence services are generally delivered though a social service organization. As such they are often overwhelmed, understaffed and underfunded. The women they are assisting may or may not leave the abuser, may or may not press charges, heck – they may or may not be abused! The process of working with revolving door administrators and directors with WAY too much on their plate to be concerned with what was going on was very challenging – emotionally.

This year, as my status becomes legally binding, I will be looking a reaching out to a broader range of agencies, making my current associations stronger and most of all

Keep on Keepin on!!!

Love to you all and look forward to meeting you this year

HAPPY 2007!!!

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month

as you look at the extraordinary artistry of the volunteers of sue rock originals EVERYONE!!!...
remember that all of this came
just for the sake
of asking......

VOLUNTEER FOCUS - RAMONA KEARNS

The charity had the wonderful opportunity to be featured in Calabar Magazine. If you don't know about it Calabar Imports is a magnificent business located in Brooklyn in the newly declared "Heart of Brooklyn" section - a stone's throw from the Brooklyn Museum. CALABAR Imports is a trendy, specialty retail and gift store for discerning, quality-conscious buyers of home furnishings, unique crafted jewelry, fashion and brand cosmetics sold at moderate prices.

Well back to Calabar Magazine - the fashion/culture conscious newspaper produced by Calabar Imports - they featured us in their September Socially Conscious Fashion Article by Bonny Sandy Sterling.



















The pieces featured were created by Ramona Kearns. Noted writer and poet and original member of Neema Barnette's theatre group "Live Theatre Gang", Ms. Kearn's love has always been crochet. Using intuitive crochet (the ability to create designs ideas while crocheting without patterns) she creates bold rich fashion forward designs that are appealing to every figure.

Ms. Kearns is currently on the board of Bailey's Cafe, a Crown Heights based non-profit that connects young people with senior citizens for joint work on cultural projects such as oral history, murals, and protection of community gardens.

FINALLY - I have an Apartment again!!!

YAAAAAY I AM SOOOOO HAPPY!

There were books, big books, small books, big hardcover books, small science fiction books, big splashy poetry BOOOOOOOOOOKS - from one side of my one bedroom apartment to another.....Then there were bags, bags full of clothes and bags full of hats and bags full of sweaters and bags full of ..........well ...................BAGS !!!-

but today at 3:45pm two mainenance workers from Safe Horizon's living center came and pick up everything - the van kept filling and filling and filling - until finally they asked - "is that all? - PHEW!"

at final count?
innumerable children's hats
a car coat and hat
a dress jacket
two poncho and hat sets
seven ponchos
seven adult hats
five scarves
one fuscia head wrap
and three gorgeous shrugs

add to that a box of audio books and exercise videos
a box of R&B CDs
a bag of clothing (children and adults)
and over 500 children's books from 2nd - 8th grade
and you have a brilliant tribute to Safe Horizon and
families who are making a commitment
to creating a way
out of no way........

.........with a little help :))

Thank you All!

I want to take this time to thank Sheila from Sheila Crochetz, Tamiko Beyer, Amy Griffin Otterberg, Jennifer May and the wonderful crew up in New Paltz (SUNY ROCKS!) and Lisa Mullings.

Of course I wouldn't have any peace if not for the love and patience of my husband Ifasina Akinsegun who is just as intense about creativity as I am and allows me to fill the apartment with infinite amounts of "potential" goodies with relatively little complaint ("just as long as I can get two yards of this - I mean you know how I feel about gabardine.......)

Love you all - more tomorrow when I go to the space and do the distribution

WOO HOOO!!!

Yep, that's an illustration of how we look now - after all that knitting and crocheting, our heads have just SWOLLEN to phenomenal proportions.....we simplly sit with our pattern books in our hands and wait for the swelling to recede.....alas!

Well with the beautiful items you have made, your heads SHOULD be swollen!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! AND THANK YOU to all the volunteers that have come through to create clothing and accessories for survivors of domestic violence for OCTOBER - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

Please come out on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 to Brooklyn - 1069 BERGEN STREET, between ROGERS AND NOSTRAND AVENUES at 3:00 PM.

(Travel Directions: Take the A or C trains to Nostrand Avenue. Exit the train to your right and walk in the direction of traffic along Nostrand Avenue to BERGEN STREET. Turn right and 1069 Bergen Street is on the left side.)

Bring the wonderful clothing you have created and any leftover yarns. We will be taking pictures, having food and sharing just how great this experience has been for all of us.The contact number in Brooklyn is (718) 771-3687

WE WILL ALSO ACCEPT YARN, FABRIC AND SEWING DONATIONS!!!

Thank you so much and see you then!!!

Sue Rock Originals gets our Safe Horizon Shelter - *********** House!

Safe Horizon has presented sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! a transitional shelter to receive our handcrafted items - ********** House has agreed to accept our donations for the third week of October (20, 21 or 22). So volunteers, we have a deadline!!

sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! will plan for a get together on October 14/15 - with a location to be decided. We will less entertainment than our last get together (those who were there know what I mean) and we will take a final count of all the donated items….

If you are wondering about the **********s, part of the contribution parameters require extreme confidentiality regarding the location of the survivors. Digesting this fact gave me great pause, gave me the depth of understanding of how great this gift really is!

Call me at 212.574-1422 if you need more yarn or tips on what to make -

I will be hearing from the director soon to get more feedback on specific items that are needed, however I do know this - There are at least 20 families - meaning at least 60 people ages baby to 48!

Love to you all for your tremendous support and commitment to this project -

HUGZ
Sue Rock

sue rock originals calls on volunteers for their fall crochet/knitting drive

it is amazing in New York today - grey and cool, the weather shifts to September. And so we are revving up again for October - Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Last week's get together of volunteers was really great. In planning for volunteer activities, it was really difficult finding a free location and also figuring out a way to get all of the fabric and yarns there. I finally decied to keep things simple for myself and do the get togethers at my home. However, living in New York, I have a small apartment. The lobby would have to do, and so I set up the bins of yarn in the lobby waiting patiently for volunteers to arrive. I had sent out Evites to folks throughout the New York area and was prepared to be there from 1:00 - 6:00 pm.

At 2:30 on a rainy Sunday, I began to face the daunting possibility of having to create all the items this season myself, when all of a sudden Sheila from Sheila Crochetz came, cell phone in hand, making sure she had the correct address. After that the volunteers kept coming.

All in all we have a group of eight people, knitters and crocheters alike. They used wools, wool blends, silk and cotton skeins and much more to create for the next month.

We could use more volunteers so if you are interested, please contact me at suerockoriginals@yahoo.com to come by and pick up some yarn to work on!

Mother's Day Collection for Sue Rock Originals EVERYONE!!!

These photos are a sample of the wonderful items donated to my organization. Ponchos, Handbags, Purses, Wraps and Hats all handmade by people who had the skill, ability and dedication to make someone else's life a little brighter.

Mother's Day Brings Beauty on all Fronts

Simply said - A picture is worth a thousand words

VERBA LYNETTE PRESENTS SUE ROCK ORIGINALS

Host Verba Lynette will present Sue Rock of sue rock originals
on her weekly Tuesday evening talk show TONITE at 9:00 pmON BCAT.
On the show, Verba will discuss with Sue how she got started, how to develop connections to African craft cooperatives and Sue's unique use of fashion in serving the community with her knitting charity which uses volunteers to design and create clothing for survivors of domestic violence. A variety of knit and crocheted items will be featured as you get an in depth look at this 21st century entrepreneur.
You can watch BCAT on Cablevision Channel 68 or Time Warner Channel 35
Or if you are outside the Brooklyn, New York area
Log on here - http://www.brooklynx.org/bcat/ and click where it says
WATCH BCAT LIVE to broadcast on your computer.
ENJOY!!

if you call them they WILL come.....

- amazing amazing amazing - this process has healed my hope for humanity. Well I just sent out a bunch of request letters to yarn stores for contributions and the first contributors have come through brilliantly!!

My first thank you goes to The Wool Gathering a wonderful store located on the upper east side in New York City. On receiving my letter, the owner called to say that this was the first time she had received a request letter she actually enjoyed responding to. Her box included not only skeins of yarn but both wooden and circular needles in abundance! Thank you Wool Gathering.

Next in our list of postive yarn companies is Brown Sheep Company, Inc. , that's right from NEBRASKA!! At 7:00 pm one evening, UPS brought to my home a box of yarn from Brown Sheep. Shall I say a HUGE box of yarn from Brown Sheep!! - their contribution invoice said 20 POUNDS! - Good Work for a good cause and thank you Brown Sheep Company. ( I am working on a circular poncho with your Roasted Coffee right now!) - oh did I mention that each and every ounce of their yarn is wool/mohair blend (YUM!)

Finally thank you's go out to Mountain Colors . A self-described "small business located in scenic Montana" their self-contained package was full to the brim with GORGEOUS hand dyed yarn.

Thanks to these wonderful businesses this work is effortless :))

New York Knitting Olympics Invites Sue Rock Originals EVERYONE!!

Well I have to tell you, I have never had such a wonderful time!!

On Friday, February 10 at New York's Bowery Poetry Club , knitting groups Booze & Yarn and Yarn Harlot hosted the New York Knitting Olympics . If you have not been up on the happenings on Wednesday nights in New York you have been missing a rocking good time. Corrina Mantlo, hostess of Booze and Yarn has been holding a regular weekly & weekend knitting event in some of the best clubs in Lower Manhattan. A brilliant vintage knitter and accomplished costume historian, young Ms. Mantlo has a bevy of beauties knitting and pearling on the regular!! Going from person to person like an endearing school marm, she encourages new knitters and teaches complex patterns with ease. Her attendees love the comraderie as well as the attentive care and freedom they are given with their creative ventures.....

On Friday, with the 1964 Olympics playing on a nearby laptop, women came from far and wide to "cast-on" and begin their challenge - to complete an item in 16 days.

The magic came in Ms. Mantlo referring her attendees join in the sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! charity effort and pick up yarn and patterns to use as their challenge project.

I met harpists, milliners, advertising executives, elders, computer programers and just plain girls who love to "yarn over" and they all joined with enthusiasm the venture of preparing items for women in need.

Pictures to come!

Domestic Violence Awareness Month Contribution with Safe Horizon

On Friday October 21st, the delivery was made to a shelter of women survivors of domestic
violence. (My dad - chauffeur for the day - thanks Dad!)

sue rock originals EVERYONE!!! delivered
8 Afghans 4 tops
2 Vests & 2 Shrugs 5 Ponchos
15 hat and scarf sets and 40 pairs of earrings!

On entering the facility I was amazed at the decor - this particular location was fitted by Liz Claiborne and the Oxygen network. Contemporary wallpaper lined the walls as the
entire first floor was meeting area and various
offices. The administrative assistant helped carry the 7 duffle bags into the main meeting room. I began to lay the items around the area to allow the director to truly enjoy the items that had been created.

As the director was busy, (though her arms are featured here!) I met the social worker for the shelter - Dana, who shared with me some of the work the shelter does for the women of this facility.

As I continued to open more and more bags and pull out more and more items from pockets and side pockets, various administrators walked into the meeting room. Everyone was thrilled with the quality of the work and the volume of what was brought. It seems that this year there was not the volume of notice around Domestic Violence Awareness month and it almost as if these women were forgotten.

Once the director was available she was stunned. We had a wonderful phone conversation in planning the delivery but she didn't think it would be like this. Administrator after administrator came in thrilled. They spoke of single women who would come in looking for items - and though there were many items for children - for the women there was barely anything.

The emergency shelters house women from all walks of life in separate apartments at a central location. Nondescript on the outside -warm and inviting on the inside - this was unlike anything I ever could have imagined! Though I did not meet most of the residents, they generously offered a tour of the facility. In addition to a number of offices, they offer a central meeting room (where these items are being photographed), a childrens play area with computer, four computers in the living room and four floors of private living spaces. As the Director Annie Bautista shared with me "This is just so if you or someone you know ever has to make a choice, they won't think of a shelter as such an isolating experience - we really want it to seem less like an institution and more like a supportive shelter."


Well they have succeded. I want to take this time to thank a number of people who made this possible. My dearest friend and sister Brenda "Al-Asia" Shelton, Amy Salant, Ramona Kearns, and Mei Ling. The constant support both spoken and unspoken of my husband Babafemi Akinsegun nurtured my freedom in exploring all the ways this venture could be done. Rebecca Timmel of Safe Horizon was great as are Annie Bautista - directors of this Shelter, Dana, the Social Worker and the other administrators.

Whoops, I would be remiss if I forgot Rose Fox - Rose Fox is a beginner knitter who felt more confident with her jewelry making ability and contributed 16 pairs of earrings!

Thank you, thank you all from myself and Safe Hoizon!

SUNY NEW PALTZ - REPRESENT!

Hello. I am very interested in working with this organization. I am currently attending SUNY New Paltz, however, and will be leaving shortly to go back to school. I, along with a friend, have created a knitting and
crocheting club at our school and if you are interested, we would be more than happy to work with you and help out in any way while we are in New Paltz, if this is possible. Currently we have a group of very talented students making newborn and preemie caps for infants at 2 hospitals, one
where my co-president's mother works in New Jersey and the other at the local hospital where my roomates step-mother works in the New Paltz area. Again if you are interested please contact me at this phone number or email
address. Thank-you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon

And so began a unique concept for me which came from its own energy - the expansion of Sue Rock Originals to other states (no not the state of confusion!) - This wonderful young woman came with her brother to pick up yarn and BRING IT TO SCHOOL (and this two days before she was leaving!!!)

Well I just received this latest letter and photo from her crew there!

...after doing one last final count we have 13 skeins of yarn that you gave us. Our meetings have been going smoothly and just yesterday we started making hat/ scarf sets. We hope to be done with this by the end of this semester (roughly mid-December). We have mostly beginners so we expect it to take a while. Thank-you for your patience and I'm glad everything is turning out great. ...


The party is just getting started I see!

AMAZING!!

Love you all

Sue

Afghans and Lap Covers

Shrugs and Ponchos

And Two Pullover Vests!

Round Throws - Wonderful!

This throw reminded me of something one would get on their wedding day........




and then there is this one - I call it "Lessons in GREEN" - who knew Green could be so Warm?














However this one I call "EYE of GOD"......