It has been a quiet day at home. I haven’t gotten much done. Felt like I needed a day of rest before the event tomorrow.
I made the decision early afternoon to move the event indoors. I hated to do that but it is to get really cold over night and not warm up till mid afternoon tomorrow. The wind is forecast to be blowing around 30 MPH. Between the wind and the cold it didn’t feel like it was going to be very comfortable to be outside.
I loaded up my car with the stuff I need to take tomorrow. I will make the tea but not fill the cooler with ice until I get to the Old School. That way it won’t be so heavy to carry. Have everything else loaded and ready to go. I will stop and buy ice on the way in the morning. I have been thinking all day about what I might need to take. Good thing I only live three blocks from the Old School.
I got a response from the Captain at the Detention Center today to my request. He is going to allow me to provide mailing labels with the Love in Action address on them. Detainees can write Love in Action if they choose to do so. I am trusting that those that don’t have anyone to correspond with will write. The Captain will allow us to write back via email but not sure how that works yet. When we get our first responses I will ask the questions and figure it all out.
We do have some restrictions for the pen pal program. We cannot offer them gifts of any sort or provide funds for their commissary accounts. We cannot provide legal assistance or provide funds to pay attorneys or recommend attorneys to them. We are not to impose our religious beliefs on them. Any and all of the Detainees will be offered this opportunity, including those that are not ICE Detainees and we will treat them all the same.
It will be interesting to see how many write us. The mailing labels I ordered are missing in the mail and may be here tomorrow. I need to deliver some stamps to the Detention Center next week and when I take those up I trust the mailing labels will be here by then too.
This will be one more program we can offer to support the Detainees. It will be a program where volunteers can actually interact with the Detainees. It will be interesting to see how this goes and how many people will sign up to become a penpal under the restrictions that we have. I trust people will actually follow through and write regularly.
Tomorrow is the pot luck and singing our resistance event. I trust there will be a nice response. I sent an email to the guy doing the food and asked him to deliver to the Old School. I didn’t hear back from him but he is slow to communicate. I will have Kathy stay at the house and direct people to the school until about 12:45 or so.
I put a post on Facebook asking for some help to move tables, unload my car, etc. A guy that I knew was coming to the event offered to come up early and help me. He is my hero of the day! Kathy should not be carrying heavy things with her lungs the way they are. I am out of shape and will get a very rapid heart rate if I do it all myself. I am grateful I have finally learned how to ask for help.
Sunday will be a rest day and then Monday I drive to Topeka for my Endocrinologist appointment at 11:00. Tuesday and Thursday I do taxes if we have enough clients to need me.
I am excited about tomorrow and the new pen pal program. Both have the potential to make some small steps towards spreading love.
Best get to bed and attempt to get some sleep. It will be a fun but long day tomorrow. Hope to see some of you there.
Grateful for the Captain’s permission for Love in Action to start a pen pal program with the Detainees, grateful for an offer to help move tables tomorrow, and grateful the day for the big event is finally here.