Leighanna Light posted to Facebook The Hope Flag Project. I can only imagine what the families in Newtown are going through and I hope our flags will bring some comfort to them. My flags will be on their way to Leighanna. There is still time to make a flag and mail it to her so she will receive it by January 2nd. I hope you can join us. Below is the information and instructions Leighanna posted to Facebook.
Creating flags of hope for the people of Newtown
Description
On the news yesterday, I heard someone from Newtown say that she suspected that life would go on & people would soon forget about them. That what happened at Sandy Hook would just become another news story. When I heard that, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something.
I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into, but here is my idea... I would like to get as many people as possible to make a prayer flag & send it to me by January 2nd. I will string them together & get the flags to Newtown by the time the kids return to school. Think about how easy this would be & what a wonderful way to let them know that we care & will never forget. For our strong art community here on FB this is a no brainer, we participate in swaps & trades all of the time. For those of you who claim not to be creative, this doesn’t have to be a masterpiece- just a quick easy thing that we can do to show that we care. It would require very little money, and maybe an hour of your time.
Tom said that he could get his english classes to participate- about 80 kids. I plan to go over to the high school today & see if I can get something going with them before school ends on Friday. This could really grow fast, with just a few schools and a few of you on Facebook.
Diana Trout first planted the idea of using prayer flags, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it all weekend. This was also a very selfish decision, I can’t seem to stop thinking (or reading) about it & this would be something constructive that I could do that would keep me focused on the positive & away from the damn computer!
THE "RULES" AND FAQS
-This is about hope & good wishes, not about any specific religion, or even praying if that is not a part of your life. It is about showing that we care. If you want to include a prayer, wonderful, but it is not required. This was an issue with en of the schools participating, so we are now calling them hope flags. Sheesh.
-Your flag can be made out of any cloth material... An old piece of clothing, an old sheet, canvas,- you don’t need to go out & buy anything.
-When you finish, the size of each flag should be about 5” wide by 8” long- so that the chain remains uniform in size. Please sew or glue the top of the flag over, leaving a one inch gap so that I can run a string through it- SO THE TOATAL MEASUREMENT OF YOUR FABRIC BEFORE YOU BEGIN SHOULD BE 5 INCHES WIDE BY 9 INCHES LONG. Sorry for the initial confusion about this. This project is about love, not about exact measurements! Some people are sending triangular flags b/c they don't have time to make new ones, I will be including everything that I get, no matter what size. It will be beautiful!
-You can make them as simple or elaborate as you’d like. You can paint on it, write on it, sew on it, make a little heart in the center- anything goes EXCEPT please refrain from addressing the person who caused this or the names of the victims. This is about hope & I think it’s a good idea to keep it as positive as possible.
-Please make sure these get to me by January 2nd. If they do not arrive by then, they will not make it to the school, & probably won’t be mailed back to you.
You can make flags until the cows come home, please make as many as you’d like.
-I would love to photograph each one, but I’m not sure how much time I will have for that. Please take a picture of your flag before you mail it off. Feel free to post it on this page.
-Please don't send me any money! Many of the families have facebook pages where you can donate directly to them. I'm going to cover the postage to Newtown, & I've already bought art supplies for the kids who are making flags here. I'm fine with that & would love for the parents or town to get the money instead.
-I would prefer that you post any questions that you still have here on this page, instead of sending a private message or email.
-Please send the flags here...
Leighanna Light
PO Box 2861
Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557
Thanks again so very much for participating in this, especially right now, in the middle of the holidays. Really, I am blown away by the response to this.
I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into, but here is my idea... I would like to get as many people as possible to make a prayer flag & send it to me by January 2nd. I will string them together & get the flags to Newtown by the time the kids return to school. Think about how easy this would be & what a wonderful way to let them know that we care & will never forget. For our strong art community here on FB this is a no brainer, we participate in swaps & trades all of the time. For those of you who claim not to be creative, this doesn’t have to be a masterpiece- just a quick easy thing that we can do to show that we care. It would require very little money, and maybe an hour of your time.
Tom said that he could get his english classes to participate- about 80 kids. I plan to go over to the high school today & see if I can get something going with them before school ends on Friday. This could really grow fast, with just a few schools and a few of you on Facebook.
Diana Trout first planted the idea of using prayer flags, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it all weekend. This was also a very selfish decision, I can’t seem to stop thinking (or reading) about it & this would be something constructive that I could do that would keep me focused on the positive & away from the damn computer!
THE "RULES" AND FAQS
-This is about hope & good wishes, not about any specific religion, or even praying if that is not a part of your life. It is about showing that we care. If you want to include a prayer, wonderful, but it is not required. This was an issue with en of the schools participating, so we are now calling them hope flags. Sheesh.
-Your flag can be made out of any cloth material... An old piece of clothing, an old sheet, canvas,- you don’t need to go out & buy anything.
-When you finish, the size of each flag should be about 5” wide by 8” long- so that the chain remains uniform in size. Please sew or glue the top of the flag over, leaving a one inch gap so that I can run a string through it- SO THE TOATAL MEASUREMENT OF YOUR FABRIC BEFORE YOU BEGIN SHOULD BE 5 INCHES WIDE BY 9 INCHES LONG. Sorry for the initial confusion about this. This project is about love, not about exact measurements! Some people are sending triangular flags b/c they don't have time to make new ones, I will be including everything that I get, no matter what size. It will be beautiful!
-You can make them as simple or elaborate as you’d like. You can paint on it, write on it, sew on it, make a little heart in the center- anything goes EXCEPT please refrain from addressing the person who caused this or the names of the victims. This is about hope & I think it’s a good idea to keep it as positive as possible.
-Please make sure these get to me by January 2nd. If they do not arrive by then, they will not make it to the school, & probably won’t be mailed back to you.
You can make flags until the cows come home, please make as many as you’d like.
-I would love to photograph each one, but I’m not sure how much time I will have for that. Please take a picture of your flag before you mail it off. Feel free to post it on this page.
-Please don't send me any money! Many of the families have facebook pages where you can donate directly to them. I'm going to cover the postage to Newtown, & I've already bought art supplies for the kids who are making flags here. I'm fine with that & would love for the parents or town to get the money instead.
-I would prefer that you post any questions that you still have here on this page, instead of sending a private message or email.
-Please send the flags here...
Leighanna Light
PO Box 2861
Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557
Thanks again so very much for participating in this, especially right now, in the middle of the holidays. Really, I am blown away by the response to this.
Your flags are filled with love and are beautiful.
Posted by: Joanne Huffman | December 27, 2012 at 08:20 PM