The event raised $18,500, a great effort for a great cause! The proceeds from the Ladies Lipstick Luncheon will go towards funding the social education program at Mater Dei which enables the students to attend mainstream schools, access the wider community and participate in work placement programs.

The committee did such a fabulous job in bringing the event together! Well done!!! I’m was honored to be part of the day with you girls!  for more information on further upcoming events please have a look at Mater Dei website www.materdeicamden.org

Below some images from the event.

The Cube, Catholic Club Campbelltown held the Lipstick Luncheon this year again.

The committee girls with special Guest speaker and Master of Ceremonies Jean Kittson!

The Mater Dei Choir performed during the function!

For more details please visit www.materdei.org.au

Here is a sneak peak and to let the family members now that the online gallery is now online.  Click here

Please enjoy these images below, many more will be available on the online gallery shortly.

I hope you had a wonderful Jen with your family around you.

I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. We meet people beacuase we have something to share with them or they have something to share with us.

We make connections, some just passing and some strong and life changing.

This is one of those life changing moments.

About a month ago a friend passed on an email to her contacts, my email was amongst them. It was about a charity dinner in December. She wasn’t able to attend and pass it on. I read the email and not even finishing it, I was on the phone to Margaret. The answering machine answered and my words were “what can I do, what do you need, how can I help”  Instantly I knew this was a Charity that I needed to be involved in, not just for me but for my mum as well.

Let me tell you a little bit more about Boxes for Christmas…

“Boxes for Christmas was founded just before Christmas 2008 by Margaret Chivers. It was born when her mother, Edna, passed away.

Edna was quiet and unassuming. She hated to be in the spotlight. She was proud of her family and loved her family.

Christmas was very, very important to her. She was born, raised and lived her entire life in a working class home. But the little she ever had, she shared. She would always have a few extra little gifts tucked away in her wardrobe in case she heard of someone who was alone at Christmas.

She believed, and raised her family to believe too, that everyone is placed on this Earth to help one another. And that is how she lived.

Edna passed away in a nursing home in Liverpool and her passing made us aware that many people who reside in nursing homes are totally alone in the world. They have no visitors at all. They have no family or any friends dropping in to see them.

Their clothes are often hand-me-downs from others who have passed.

Christmas Boxes emulates Edna, her softness and gentleness and generosity of spirit. It recognises those ladies and gentlemen who reside in nursing homes but who are alone. It gives these ladies and gentlemen a Christmas gift on Christmas morning. The gift is wrapped in pretty Christmas paper and the tag on the gift reads either, “To a lady from a friend” or “To a gentleman from a friend”.Each gift is valued at ten dollars”  insert from Boxes for Christmas website.

You see Margarets story is also my mothers story. My grandmother passed away in a nursing home in Poland in March 2008. She too was along. And like Margarets story my mum wasn’t told of her death. My Uncle neglected to contact his only sister and tell her that their mother passed away. We found out in December just before Christmas in 2008. It broke my mums heart.

We knew that we would not be able to go back for the funeral , but knowing that she did pass and to be able to grieve at that time would have been hard enough. At least it would have been with out the guilt of not knowing that it happened at all.

This photograph was taken in May 2006, when my mum and I went back to Poland with the main purpose of visiting my grandmother.

Which brings me back to Saturday night . Boxes for Christmas Charity Dinner. My Mum and I attended, we needed to be there. To help us grieve and understand that we are not alone.

Unfortunately this also happens to other families, together we can become stronger and deal with our grief as well as we can make a difference.

Boxes for Christmas is there to bring awareness to the lonely residence of nursing homes, that may not receive a hug, a kiss from a family member, they wont even receive a visit from a familiar face, let a lone a gift for the festive season.

The goal is to bring awareness and to make a difference. Last year Margaret and her daughters raised $1270 which purchased 127 gifts for residence of the nursing home where her mother passed away. The gifts were delivered and on Christmas day. It put a smile on the residence faces, knowing that there is someone out there that cares.

This year 6 nursing homes will be receiving “Boxes for Christmas”

All it takes is $10.00 donation. The motto for Boxes for Christmas is “Little Fishes are Sweeter”

On Saturday Night 62 caring and generous people attended the Charity Dinner at Harrington Grove Country Club. Next year the aim is to double that number.

The market place didn’t have bit ticket items to bid on, with the motto all items had small price tags attached to them. Gold coins could be used for all of them! and they were!!! $2300 worth of them!  Items included, cupcakes, Mini Christmas Puddings, Sauces and dressings, raffle tickets for some great prizes donated by again very generous people. As well as knitted blankets and beanies which were purchased and donated as gifts for the residence.

Margaret told her story, the story about Edna, she was also telling the story about Irena. It was touching and beautiful and also heart breaking that this could happen. And that this happens more than we would like to believe.

There was no dry eye in the room, and I’m so glad that there were tissues in the goody bags that we all got on the night.

It was such a privilege to be able to document this special and touching night for Margaret, Meredith and Sarah as well as for me and my mother.

Now for some photos, all images taken on the night can be found in my online gallery. www.clients.angieking.com.au follow the link to Events. To support Boxes for Christmas further, $1.00 from every photo sold will be donated back to the charity.

Your support is greatly appreciated and if you would like to make a donation please contact Margaret or Meredith on 0430 619130.  Or, if you prefer, you can post any donation to PO Box 847 Narellan 2567.

There is also Facebook Fan page where you can find out about all upcoming events for next year. Please get involved and support this worthy charity.

Kaktus Gravel played on the night, and there was dancing, lots of dancing!!!

It was a wonderful night, you can read some comments already on the Facebook Fan page Boxes for Christmas please become a fan and help spread the word.

You can also check the website Boxes for Christmas http://www.christmasboxes.org.au/

Online Gallery to purchase images from the night can be found here www.clients.angieking.com.au Remember $1.00 from every photograph sold goes back to Boxes for Christmas!

Keep checking out my website for other ways to get involved and help support this charity in the New year!

But he wasn’t a happy little boy, you see Harrison has been a bit unwell lately, luckily for us he was feeling better for his party and even got some smiles from him!

So here with no further wait are some photographs. Only of the Birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Harrison! Have a great holiday guys and I will see you when you come back!