The mission of the Pick Me Ups Initiative seeks to uplift and appreciate family caregivers by providing needed services or small gifts to brighten their day.The Vision of the Pick Me Ups Initiative is to promote awareness of the needs of family caregivers
Pick Me Ups during Pilot Year July 2023 - June 2024
Betty Schneider presents a basket of goodies and a prayer shawl she knitted to Sandra Belford-Hopkins. She read the poem she wrote for Sandra. Sandra, Pilot Club’s Pick Me Up recipient, is being honored for her support to her son, Trace Ritterhouse, during his TBI journey. Her diligence and constant companship during his hospital stays and rehab allowed him to progress beyond expectation. Trace graduated from Ellinwood High School in May. He was presented with multiple gift cards for his graduation. Mary Doherty, PIFF Representative, was present for the presentation.
Pilot Club members show appreciation to the workers at Golden Belt Humane Society on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Pets provide joy, compassion, health benefits and relieve depression. They become an integral part of the family and provide unconditional love. When a death occurs in the family or a family member has a poor prognosis and are unable to care for their pet, they are often surrendered to the Humane Society to be cared for until they replace in a different home. Humane Society workers sometimes have tough job with limit resources. They are seldom rewarded for the love and care they give to these animals. Pilot Club wanted to show their appreciation with a Pick-Me-Up basket containing lots of chocolates, hot chocolated milk packets, and popcorn bags with our logo and words: Just ‘Poppin’ by to say thank you for all you do! Cleaning supplies were also collected to benefit the animals
Workers at the Golden Belt Animal Shelter holding the basket we presented and shleter dog, Sugar showin his affection for one of his caregivers.
Pilot members at the shelter were Betty Schneider, Daniel Watson, Barbara Watson, Rhonda Knudson, Ruthann friedman and Billie Bonomo. Sugar greeted us at the shelter.
Great Bend Pilots donate sweat sets to the Emergency Room at the University of Kansas Health Systems
People entering the Emergency Room sometimes have their clothes cut off due to trauma, a fire or an accident. If they are dismissed from the ER & have their clothes cut off, they don’t often have any clothes to wear so Pilot provided sweats for this purpose. Pilot club is a community-based volunteer service organization. Pilot members come together in friendship and service focusing on encouraging bran safety and health and support for those who care for others.
INTERNATIONAL CARE AND KINDNESS WEEK NOVEMBER 7TH - 13TH 2023 was celebrated by providing a PICK ME UP to the Great Bend Police Department, Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department and 911 Center. This week is designed to bring awareness of the effects of simple acts of kindness to an individual person/s, business or departments. Pilots demonstrated appreciation & gratitude to Great Bend First Responders by giving each individual person a bag of popcorn with a thank you wrapper. Our first Responders take care of our community every minute of everyday regardless of circumstance or weather conditions. We owe them a great deal of gratitude. Pilots wanted them to know WE CARE.
Great Bend Fire Department
Great Bend Sheriff’s Department
911 Center
Great Bend Police Department
RECOVERY OUT LOUD WALK SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
Great Bend Pilots baked, bagged, & labeled individual cookies & brownies for the participants in the RECOVERY OUT LOUD WALK. Amy Ferguson, chairman of the walk, holds a thank you card in appreciation to the Pilots who baked for the event..
CHRISTMAS PROJECT FOR A FAMILY WITH SIX CHILDREN - AGES 1 MONTH TO 9 YEARS OLD, 3 GIRLS & 3 BOYS
Multiple bags of books, toys games, matchbox cars, stuffed animals and blankets & a layette were made by Pilots. Pilots were so generous we were able to give some items to additional families in need.
POP UP PORCH PROJECT FOR THE GREAT BEND HIGH SCHOOL HYGIENE CLOSET 2021.
20 Pilot Club members collected 203 items and a $50 cash donation for the hygiene closet at the high school. They collected body wash, deodorant for females & males, shampoo and feminine products. Pilot member Billie Bonomo sewed fabric pouches for females to carry their feminine products in their pruses. These products help students in need during the year and in the summer. Our purpose was to serve over 100 students in our community.
Mary Cramer, Betty Schneider, Kathy Davis
Kathy Davis, counselor at the high school and a Pilot member, show us the hygiene closet.
PILOTS SHOW APPRECIATION TO THE HARD WORKING HEALTH DEPARTMENT MEMBERS DURING THE COVID PANEDIMIC
Pilots show appreciation to the Barton County Health Department for all their continued service and long hours spent during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sonic gift cards with a message of thanks were presented to Karen Winkelman of the Health Department for staff members.
PILOTS SHOW APPRECIATION TO THE MEMBERS WHO WORK AT THE CENTER FOR COUNSELING
Pilots place thank you labels on popcorn as a pick-me-up to be presented to the staff at the Center for Counseling in appreciation for their dedication to their clients during this Covid-19 pandemic which has increased the number of suicides and depressed clients. Pilots practiced safe distancing and wearing masks while doing this project.
Popcorn with thank you labels on them.
Nancy Sundahl places labels on the popcorn.
Barbara * Daniel Watson place labels designed by Daniel on the bags of popcorn.
GREAT BEND PILOT CLUB SUPPORTS THE HOMELESS IN OUR COMMUNITY BY DONATING LARGE COLORFUL CINCH BAGS FILLED WITH A BLANKET, TOWEL SET, REFILLABLE WATER BOTTLE, 2 CLOTH AND 2 DISPOSABLE MASKS, SCARF, GLOVES, CAP AND PERSONAL ITEMS.
Colorful filled cinch bags sewn by Billie Bonomo.
The filled cinch bags were presented to Nancy Sundahl at Emergency Aide, who is president of the EA board. EA will distribute the bags to the homeless.
Items donated by Pilot to fill the cinch bags. Blankets sewn by Betty Schneider.
GREAT BEND PILOTS SHOW NURSES THEIR APPRECIATION
Nurses at Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington were presented with a survival basket including a bear as a mascot named C-19, who is wearing a mask to remind people to wear a mask to protect themselves during the pandemic. Pilots expressed appreciation and thanks for the nurse’s tireless efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
C-19 Bear’s outfit was designed & sewn by Pilot, Billie Bonomo and the basket was put together with Survival Kit message by President-elect, Rhonda Knudson.
Pilot Pick Me Ups
Betty Schneider and Judy Fox (representing the Pilot Club) donate a basket of "goodies, a prayer shawl, and other useful items to Dade Cannon and his mother, Christy Huslig. Great Bend Pilots contributed items for this basket that can be useful when spending large amounts of time traveling to and waiting in hospitals. Our club was touched by Christy and her story about Dade and his 8 year battle with leukemia. Dade was diagnosed at age 5, and now is 13 yrs old. He is waiting to be healthy enough for a bone marrow transplant. He does have a matched donor. The photo depicts the happy well adjusted teenager he is. He has a big brother Micah Yellow-Wolf, who is also a great caregiver for Dade. Christy requests eligible people to get tested as a donor and get on the register. Donors are always in high demand and testing is easy, just a mouth swab. Our thoughts & prayers are for his remission and safe travel to multiple doctor's appointments.
Nancy Rogers, Hutch Hospital employee, Mary Cramer, Joyce Fry and Norma Ward present gifts bags to the nurses at Hutchinson Hospitalfor Nurses" Week. The bags & items were donated by KS-Mo District Pilots at Spring Convention.
Betty Schneider baked over 3 dozen cookies for each shift at the downtown fire station for their continued service to our community. Theresa Wilkes (not pictured) also baked over 3 dozen for the police department.
Joyce Fry baked 3 dozen cookies for the West Fire Station in appreciation for their commitment to the community.
Rhonda Knudson baked cookies for the 911 employers in appreciation for their hard work.
Jari Marietta & Judy Fox presented loaded backpacks with school supplies to Park School teacher.
Mercedes Helms & Joyce Fry load backpacks with supplies collected by Pilot Club members for Park & Riley Schools.
Cindy Meitller (Pilot Club) decorates the outside of bags that will be given to REACH patrons for Christmas.
50 dalmatian dogs with the fire departments'logo were presented to the fire departmentrepresented by Eugene Perkinsand Mike Napolitano by Betty Schneider (president), Janice Walker (projects chair) and Renee Johnson (governor-elect) as a pick me up for children involved in a fire or trauma situations. Pilots elected to give the Great Bend Fire Department a pick me up in appreciation for their service to our community and they chose to give these dogs to traumatized children instead. Holding onto something soft of their won gives them comfort.
Great Bend Pilots hold the Dalmatian dogs donated to the fire department for traumatized children they are involved with during a fire, MVA or domestic violence.
