Tonight's (May 1) "Evening of Service and Good Works" at the annual Women's Conference at Brigham Young University will owe much of its success to generous contributions of fabric, toiletries, wood, school supplies, clothing and cash from a long list of generous supporters.
At each year's "Evening of Service and Good Works," conference attendees are invited to participate in a variety of service projects beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Because of the high demand for kits distributed by Humanitarian Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this year's Women's Conference participants have been asked to assemble 45,000 hygiene kits, 15,000 school kits, 5,000 newborn kits and tie 250 quilts for Church Humanitarian Services.
Attendees will also complete a variety of projects for community organizations such as the Dan Peterson School (developmental disabilities), Parent-to-Parent, Centro de la Familia, Center for Women and Children, Shriners Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club.
Blaine Johnson, president of the Rocky Mountain Division of Corporate Express, said, "At the BYU Women's Conference, we witness firsthand the excitement of these women putting together these packets. As corporate citizens, we don't always get to see that."
"We get excited about how a simple thing, like a school kit, can change a child's life," he said. "A few basic tools for learning can make a huge difference in preparing these children for a better future."
"I'm totally convinced that this effort is going to make a difference in the world," Johnson said.
Major contributors for this year's event include Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Northwest Research, Inc., Staples, Mannington Mills, the Bertin Family Foundation, Corporate Express, Russell Newman, Inc., National Wood Products, Barlow's Classic Woods, Safe Harbor Financial, Inc., Children's Disaster Relief, Inc., Melaleuca, Mom & Me, Delta Airlines, Morinda, Inc., the C. Scott and Dorothy E. Watkins Charitable Foundation, the L.B. and L.W. Smith Family Foundation, Mandalay International, Samuel H. and Julie H. Smith, Dennis Gatchell, Bob and LaDorna Eichenberg, LDS Church Humanitarian Services and several private donors.
Writer: Cecelia Fielding
