Spreading our dream...

As I have been sorting through my email messages, deleting some and filing others I came across this email from Rubel, our friend in Bangladesh.

Although very supportive of my upcoming trip, some of my family and friends have concerns about my traveling to Bangladesh.

They do believe that is an opportunity for us to make a difference not only for the children and people of Bangladesh but also for the children, youths and people here who are joining us in this project.

When I shared these concerns with Rubel, he replied:
"This is the interesting part that we are finalizing a visit to another country for you not talking in Phone or Messenger just in emails! So its OK that your family is worry about the trip or about us. Net is the place where any kind of fraud is possible. But we guarantee you that we will DO our best. As we gave you hope to spread your dream to the world, we are lucky that your dream tour starting from Bangladesh."

And so it does...

Caring Coin finds its way to Iraq...

I received this story form the lady who coordinates the youth program at a local church.
She wrote: The children at our church were very excited about sending Caring Coins to our troops in Iraq. They collected bottles to recycle to cover the cost of the coins. They then signed their names on the back of the coins, boxed them and sent them off to Iraq.
A New York native serving in Iraq received one of the Caring Coins...
This is what he wrote to us:
“I put my hand in a shoebox full of coin shaped medallions that were sent by kids at a church from home. I placed it on my dog tags. It was a cute little medallion with an angel and the inscription You are never alone. On the other side was the signature of a child. The clear implication is that between the angel and the prayers of the child, I am never alone, even though I am in the middle of Iraq. What a wonderful and thoughtful message.
About two weeks later, I wanted to take the time to write a thank you note to the class and decided to try to read the name. It was obviously challenging for the student to write on such a small medallion.It was not that clear and I had not paid attention when I first strung it on my dog tag chain.
When I pulled it back out of my shirt and looked hard to focus, I realized that it was from a young boy who must be the grandson of my eighth English grade teacher and a good friend. The tradition lives on…”
Don't you just love these stories?

I don't feel alone...

A young man writes:
"Over the past several years, I have faced serious personal battles related to severe depression and alcoholism. I felt as if I was sinking into a deep pit of despair from which I couldn't seem to find a way out. I was given several Caring Coins and kept one under my pillow, one on my computer at work and ALWAYS one in my pocket. They served as a reminder to help me realize that I truly wasn't alone, that there was someone? something? above watching over me and offering me the hope that my life could get better. Since then my life has improved dramatically. With my coins as a reminder and the help of loved ones and support groups, I have climbed out of that seemingly bottomless pit and have gotten the help I so desperately needed. I haven't been near a drink in 6 months, I feel better about myself and the world around me than I ever have before, I've gotten a new job, and most importantly I realize that I'll never be alone again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the Caring Coins and the message that goes along with them. I feel a sense of inner peace, happiness, and strength that I hope and pray stays with me for the rest of my life."

Sometimes, it's something little that reminds us we are never alone...

No coincidences...

I was meeting with a Hospice Director on Montpelier, VT. She had a very busy day with only a window of ½ hr to meet with me. I drove around and around a parking lot, finally found a spot. As I was getting out of my car, I noticed a sign: Anyone who doesn’t pay will be ticketed. I didn’t have one penny of change. As I stood there wondering if I dare forget the sign, a car came along. I asked the people in the car if they really did ticket the cars. They said "Oh yes!" When I told them I didn’t have any change, the woman in the car gave me the change I needed. As they were pulling away, I gave them one of our You Are Never Alone Foundation bookmarks with the message You are never alone. I noticed them looking at the bookmark and thought they must think I’m crazy… Oh well!

A couple of weeks later, I was participating in an Overnight Youth Conference. After the evening activities, as the adults were getting acquainted, one of the women asked me what I did? I told her about the You Are Never Alone Foundation and gave her a bookmark. She smiled and asked me if I was in a parking lot in Montpelier a couple of weeks before. I said I was and she said she was the person who gave me the change. She went on to say that her friend in the car was going through a difficult time after the loss of his wife. She had told him to remember that You are never alone just before I gave him the bookmark with the words You are never alone…. I got goosebumps…

Experiences like this show me there are no coincidences...Do you agree?

College students are in...

I was at GMC inviting college students to join us in our You Are Never Alone Bangladesh Program. The students were excited about the program. They readily signed the cards for the Caring Coins. Many wrote down their questions for the college students in Bangladesh and included their answers to their own questions which we will share with the students there in the hopes of starting a dialog between them. It will be interesting to see the similarities.

Some questions with the students' answers include:
What is one resource you wish you had but is not available or out of reach? (Answer: clear drinkable water)
Are there times when you feel isolated and separate from the rest of the world? (Answer: Yes, I would say there are times when we all feel alone)
What can the people of America do to help you?
(Answer: Stop being wasteful and put our money to good use)
What is your greatest hope?
(Answer: To explore the world, learn new cultures and use that to bring about world peace)
What are your views of your educational system?
(Answer: Somewhat relaxed)
How do you feel when you see the waste and consumption of the US? As an international student I often wonder about that.
(Answer: It upsets me.)

The more we talked about the program, the more their enthusium grew about the possibility of a dialog between them and the students in Bangladesh. I promised to come back to the college with the reponses to their questions and possible ways to continue a dialog...

Young people do care and do want to be involved...

"My name is Rightous"

I was in New York for my Nursing School Reunion. I’m not usually early but this day I was. So I decided to walk down to Washington Square Park...my old stomping grounds…
As I left the park and walked up Fifth Avenue, a man asked me if I could spare a dollar for a cup of coffee. I reached into my pocket and took out a dollar and a Caring Coin.( I always carry a couple of single dollars and Caring Coins in my pocket) I gave the man the dollar and then I said “My name is Salley, what’s your name?” He gave me a big smile and said “My name is Rightous”. I said “Rightous, I’m happy to meet you. I have something for you”. And I gave him the Caring Coin and said “This is for you to keep”. He looked at the coin, smiled and said “Thank you ma’am”.
I crossed the street as I was going in a different direction but I watched Rightous as he walked away. He was looking down and rubbing the coin in his hand all the way up the street.

I was reminded of what a Katrina survivor said when he received a Caring Coin… “Someone cares, I must matter…”

Do you have a story to share of how a simple little gesture touched someone?

Caring Coins go to Afghanistan...

I received this email from one of our troops who recently went to Afghanistan
“Just wanted to thank you for my little wooden coin. I am wearing it with my dogtags. Also, thank you for the coins for my wife and kids. It sort of reminds us that we are in each others hearts. I know my son keeps his with him. It’s nice to know that people are thinking about us and saying a prayer for us once in a while.”

We recently shared 5,000 Caring Coins at eight Yellow Ribbon Pre-deployment events for 1500 Vermonters being deployed to Afghanistan and their families. The Caring Coins are reminders to the troops and their families that many people care about them and are grateful to them for their service to our country and also for the many sacrifices they are making on our behalf.

It has been an honor to meet these wonderful men and women of all ages who could be our spouses, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and in some cases our grandchildren. Having had this first hand opportunity to meet and speak with the troops and their families has been a very touching experience for each of us who participated.

It's so important that we don't forget these guys and gals and their families as we go about our busy days...

Is there someone you could reach out to who has a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan?

How about that?

I received this message from a friend this morning...

Your Caring Coins are having IMPACT, near and far. I was DELIGHTED to hear of the Bangladeshi project—wahoo! You should also know about impact closer to home. At our Blue Christmas service in December, a little 7-year-old designed and made cards for everyone to take home afterward. They said “You Are Never Alone” and had a cross on them. The child’s mother said that Amelia had remembered that message from the coin I had given out several years ago—a message easily remembered since she still looks at it every day. How about THAT??!!

This is pretty neat, isn't it?

Look out Bangladesh, here we come...

Three of us, Salley, Kaye and Betsy will leave for Bangladesh on March 13th. Would you believe that we have over 1,200 Caring Coins attached to cards in Bangali signed by individual students participating in our Share That You Care Programs?

Just think about this, 1200 children and youths here will have a personal, tangible connection with a child or youth in Bangladesh as part of our You Are Never Alone Bangladesh Program. This is very exciting!

Our itinerary includes participation in the National Children Day Celebration in Dhaka. We will visit and share Caring Coins with street children, orphans, old persons, acid victims and army families. We will travel to Rangpur where we will be meeting with high school and college students for a "Caring Coin-Knowledge Sharing" Program. On our way back to Dhaka from Rangpur, we will visit and share Caring Coins with disabled students in Gaibandha. We then head back to Dhaka.We are scheduled to leave Dhaka on March 23rd.

Do you have any thoughts or questions?

We will keep you posted and look forward to sharing daily blogs with you from Bangladesh...Isn't this exciting?

Yes, we will come to Bangladesh.....

Deep inside, I believed that we should go to Bangladesh, given how Rubel had found the You Are Never Alone Foundation and the Caring Coins, but remember I am the one who had the dream...

This would be a Board decision. After much discussion, it was decided that the You Are Never ALone Foundation would bring Caring Coins to Bangladesh. The You Are Never Alone Bangladesh Program was official.

Since March is the month of the Celebration of the Children in Bangladesh, Rubel suggested that we come in March. We would design a Me to You Card in Bengali to be attached to the Caring Coins. These cards would be signed by children and youths here who would then attach them to the coins that we would bring to Bangladesh. Rubel emailed the lettering in Bengali and my husband Bob, designed the card.

We then contacted schools in our area and invited them to join us in our You Are Never Alone Bangladesh Program by signing the Me to You cards and attaching them to the Caring Coins. We have asked these students to share with us their questions about life in Bangladesh. We will ask these question of the students in Bangladesh, and in turn ask what questions they may have about life here. Thus the dialog begins...

If you would like to see the cards in Bangali, go to our website:
www.YouAreNeverAloneFoundation.org and click in the the You Are Never Alone Bangladesh page.

In the meantime, Kaye, Betsy and I are getting the necessary innoculations and medications and pulling together our wardrobes of "gentle" clothes. (This is how Rubel discribed the clothes we should bring with us)

We look forwawd to hearing your thoughts and questions...

The gift of hope...

As our Board discussed my communications with Rubel, we wondered how our little Caring Coins could make a difference in Bangladesh, where there is so much poverty, hunger, child labor and the list goes on and on...

We asked Rubel this question to which he replied...

"You can give hope to a child laborer that he is never alone. The hope from you to him may open a door to his life for a better world. Children must go to schools for education to know himself, to know his country, to know the world. Living in this world is not just passing days here with too many things to do, it is to learn to give. Though they are fighting against poverty, for food, for cloth, for housing you can’t turn off the light of hope. I do personally believe that a dream and hope is the key of success. Your visit and the Caring Coins give hope for these children and the peoples of Bangladesh."

We were all very touched that a visit from us and the Caring Coins could possibly bring hope to the children and people of Bangladesh. We started discussing ways the children and youths here could reach out to the children and youths there with the Caring Coin as a key to opening a dialog that could lead to understanding and good will between them for the days and years to come.

The more we discussed the possibility of a trip to Bangladesh, the closer we were getting to it becoming a reality...

Please come to Bangladesh...

Last Spring I received an email from a man named Rubel asking me to bring Caring Coins to Bangladesh. At first, I didn't quite know what to make of his message. First of all, who was this person? And how did he find the You Are Never Alone Foundation? And what would make him think we would come to Bangladesh?

As we communicated, I found out the he is the founder of a legetimate non-profit organization working for a better Bangladesh. He found us when he was searching the internet for organizations that reach out to others. He had seen how Caring Coins had gone to Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Spanish coins had gone to Ecuador and Guatemala...so why not Bangladesh?

He went on to explain how the people and especially the children of Bangladesh feel they have been forgotten by the world. The Caring Coins with their message You are never alone would be a perfect reminder for them that people had not forgotten Bangladesh.

I explained to him that other people who were volunteers already going to these places had brought the Caring Coins with them. The Foundation had provided the Caring Coins but we did not bring them ourselves. I suggested the perhaps we could send a video with a Caring message along with Caring Coins for him to distribute.

Rubel said that this would not work. First of all they do not have the technology to show the video in the places it would be most needed and more importantly, it would mean so much more if a "foreigner" came with the coins. As I thought about that, I remembered how much it meant to the Katrina survivors in Houston that I had come from Vermont to give them the Caring Coins.

To be continued...

The kids "get" it...

Thousands of kids of all ages have received Caring Coins through our Share That You Care Program, a program about caring about themselves and their peers which carries over to their families, communities and the world. Each receives a Caring Coin for themselves and others to share as they wish.

What's really neat is: The kids "get"it as you can see here:
“We can make a difference one Caring Coin at a time.”
“The Caring Coin makes it easy to let someone know you care.”
“The more we care, the closer we are to world peace.”
"The everyday challenges we face and choices we make can be hard. It's nice to know that someone cares.”
“We all have problems in our life that we may think are the end of the world. My Caring Coin reminds me to take a deep breath and see that I’m OK.”
“I love that the Caring Coin is made of wood and of the earth and that something so simple could make such a difference in someone’s life.”
“It makes me feel good to hear people tell me what receiving the Caring Coin means to them”

We really enjoy being with the kids...We love talking with them and listening to their ideas...They never cease to amaze us...

Kids are great, aren't they?

Where can I find those coins?

I recently received a call from a woman named Mary who said that her mother had been given a wooden coin with the the message You are never alone when she was a Hospice patient in the hospital. No one knew where the coin had come from.

Mary went on to say that a patient wearing one of those coins came into the doctor's office where she works that morning. She immediately asked about the coin. As it turns out, this patient is one of our senior vulunteers for the You Are Never Alone Foundation who has been helping us assemble the Caring Coins and cards for the past few years. She very happily told Mary about the Caring Coins and the You Are Never Alone Foundation.

Mary told me that her family would be getting together the following weekend for their first time since their mother had died. She knew that each of them would want one of those wooden coins with the message You are never alone as a reminder of their mother. Following the get-togehter Mary called to say how much the Caring Coins meant to everyone. She was glad that she now knew where to find those litle wooden coins.

These Caring Coins do have a way of showing up in the most unexpected places...

Caring Coins go to Ghana...

A youth volunteer brought Caring Coins to Ghana:

“While I was volunteering at The House of Hope, an orphanage in Ghana, I was able to see first hand how loving the children are despite the hardships they face. When I handed out the wooden Caring Coin necklaces, the children reacted as though I had given them gold. They were so happy to have been given something. They couldn't stop smiling. They didn't take these coins for granted, they wanted to keep them forever to remember that someone does care about them. I will continue to contact them in hopes they won't forget me because I know I won't ever forget them."

This volunteer continues to be in contact with the people at The House of Hope. She has written a book about life in Ghana with the proceeeds of the book going to the orphanage.

One person can make a difference...

Thank God for coffee and my Caring Coin...

"Just between you and me, I am so tired of this whole care giving thing. I just don't want to do it anymore. I have barely been able to get out of bed the last few days. Thank God for coffee and my Caring Coin. That's what's getting me through."

These are the words of a lady I spoke with at the grocery store this morning. She is caring for her husband, who is chronically ill. A friend gave her a Caring Coin.

This lady is not alone, her feelings are echoed over and over again...

Do you ever feel like you don't want to keep going?

The coins go like hot cakes......

I shared a Caring Coin with a dear friend who was diagnosed with mesothelioma. She asked for coins to share with other patients at the Chemo Unit at the hospital.

This is what my friend wrote to me...
"I took the Caring Coins to chemo last week. The Social Worker put them out in a lovely basket at the central desk. By the time I was leaving 3 hours later, almost all the Caring Coins were gone! I could see people holding theirs and rubbing them while their chemo infused. The Social Worker and staff asked if I could bring more coins when I came for my next chemo treatment.

So I brought more with me today. The Social Worker was thrilled to get them, as the first supply of coins was completely gone! She said "they go like hotcakes - patients love them." Some Social Services volunteers have started taking coins to patients in the hospital itself, and apparently the nurses have been talking about how patients hold onto the coins and rub them like "good luck charms".Everyone agrees that the Caring Coins with their message You are never alone seem to provide a measure of peace and comfort that has not been seen before with any other item.

I have promised to keep the clinic (and hospital) supplied with Caring Coins, and also to convey to you how very much the coins mean to people."

Can you think of someone who might appreciate having a Caring Coin ?

Not a touch feely person...

I was very excited about getting together with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. We had much to catch up on… After she shared new happenings in her life, I told her about the Caring Coins and offered one to her. She said she wasn’t a touchy feely person but she would take one because it was from me.

A few days later, my friend called and said “…You know I’m not a fan of touchy feely but the day after you gave me the Caring Coin I received word that my mammography was very suspicious. I had to go for further testing. I brought the Caring Coin with me. Knowing that you cared about me really helped me get through the day. Gratefully, the news was good but I’ll never forget how much that connection meant to me. I now carry my Caring Coin with me.”

Are you a touchy feely person?

Pass one forward…

The Safety Net Program is a unique program in Florida that provides crisis intervention and support for adult, children and teen victims of family violence. I met Brian, the Director of the program while he was visiting his brother in Vermont not long after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Brian shared with me how his Teen Domestic Violence Support Group had just raised money on behalf of the hurricane victims by doing a car wash. Not only did this help the Katrina victims, but it also empowered these youths as in "victims helping victims". I offered Brian Caring Coins to bring back to the youths in his program.

Shortly later, I received a letter from Brien telling me:
"After the teens presented their check from the car wash to the Red Cross Coordinator, I told them the story of the Caring Coins and about how you shared the coins with Katrina victims. I then presented each of them a Caring Coin. They each felt special and proud for being selected to receive one. Many remarked about the message You are never alone.
They then started talking about who else they wanted to give a coin to and they came up the idea of a “Pass One Forward” coin."
Brian continues to share Caring Coins with the members of his Safety Net Program. The Pass One Forward idea led to our Share That You Care Program

I love the idea of the "Pass One Forward" Caring Coin, don't you?

The young boy in the cornor...

Another Hurricane Katrina story...
Picture a Super Wal-Mart with enormous tables of food, clothing and personal care supplies and people everywhere. This was the Salvation Army Distribution Center in Pasadena, Texas.

Once again, Pat and I, with the help of volunteers, shared the Caring Coins one by one with each coin accompanied by a hug.

At the end of the day, as we were ready to leave, Pat and I just looked around this Super Wal-Mart, which had been emptied and filled with people and all kinds of supplies throughout the day. There were hundreds of people there, survivors, volunteers and National Guardsmen (women). They all had their Caring Coins around their necks. We looked at each other and said “YES!”

I then looked over at the children, who were in a special area with volunteers while their parents were collecting supplies. I noticed a young boy hiding in the corner. He was very frail. I noticed that he didn’t have an Caring Coin. I went over to him and asked if I could put a coin around his neck. He shook his head yes. I put it around his neck. Then, I asked him if I could give him a hug. He shook his head yes. As I gave him a hug, he gave me the biggest hug back. As I got up to leave, he was jumping up and down smiling and clutching his Caring Coin. He probably thought he wouldn’t get one. I was so grateful that I saw him. I just said “Thank you God!”

I still get goose bumps when I think of this little boy and his big hug...

Caring Coins for Katrina survivors...

When Hurricane Katrina hit, I like so many people was touched by the pictures of the survivors. I wanted to do something. I thought "…what if individuals could sponsor Caring Coins for the survivors?" People were so grateful to have something personal and tangible that would show the survivors that they cared. Seeing how people wanted to reach out to others inspired me to draw the two little Me to You figures which became our logo for the You Are Never Alone Foundation.

During this time, I met a young man from New Orleans, who was staying with family in our area, at a benefit in our town for the survivors. He agreed to bring 1500 individually sponsored Caring Coins home with him to New Orleans.

I knew I was going to Houston but I didn't have a plan, so I had called an old friend, Pat, who lived in Katy Texas, just outside of Houston. I told Pat what I wanted to do. She said "Come on down, we'll share them together>" So I got on the plane with 2300 individually sponsored Caring Coins As I traveled to Houston, I wondered how these coins and cards would be received by the survivors, who had lost everything. I would soon find out.

Pat and I went from place to place to share the coins. It is difficult to put into words the impact of seeing so many people of all ages, of different races, religions, and economic backgrounds with plastic bags containing all their earthly possessions. All had stories of destroyed homes, lost family members and friends, no place to go, and no jobs. You could see it in their eyes.

The survivors and the volunteers smiled as we told them that people cared about them. One by one, we put the raffia ribbon with the Caring Coin and card around the neck of each survivor, gave each a hug, telling them that the person whose name was written on the card cared. All hugs were warmly received and returned.

We were so touched to see the hope in the survivors' eyes as they read the message You are never alone on the Caring Coins.

Have you ever noticed how hope helps us put one foot in front of the other?

Vermont power…

A young woman called to tell me this story about her father.
She said:
“My father was given a Caring Coin as he was struggling with dementia. He called it his “Vermont power”. Being a Vermonter, he loved that it was made of wood. He would sit for hours and just rub the coin. It truly gave him great comfort."
She continued..."Daddy insisted that we put the Caring Coin around his wrist and would not allow anyone to remove it even when he bathed. He made is promise that his "Vermont power" would be with him always. And it was..."

I shared with this young woman how the the Caring Coin seemed to comfort my mother as she struggled with Alzheimer's disease. We both agreed that the ccin seemed to do what our words couldn't do...

Is there someone you would like to share a Caring Coin with?

Her daughter's friend...

A woman shares this story about how she gave Caring Coins to her daughter's friend when she was diagnosed with cancer and to her friend's mother:
"One of my daughter's closest friends from school was a beautiful tall young woman with a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. I used to call her my African Queen. At the age of 23 she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She struggled and fought back without success. During her last months as she dealt with the anger that she would never fall in love or have children, her greatest wish was to live to see her 25th birthday. I sent Caring Coins to both she and her mother. My daughter told me that her friend treasured that Caring Coin. Her mother has written me how much the message You are never alone on her Caring Coin has meant to her. Our friend did live to be 25 and died about a week later. Her mother still carries the Caring Coin.

I cannot imagine the pain of loosing a child...can you?

A reminder of his little angel…

One morning, I brought some film to the photography store to be developed. The man behind the counter noticed the Caring Coin on my keychain and asked me about it…I told him about my dream and offered him a coin.

He stopped for a moment and then softly told me how he and his wife had a baby girl who had recently died. He said that his six year old daughter now puts an angel in every picture she draws because she believes her sister is an angel who is always with them.

I offered the man three Caring Coins; one for his daughter, one for his wife and one for himself. When I came back to pick up my pictures, the man told me how his daughter wears her Caring Coin around her neck, his wife put her Caring Coin on her keychain and his Caring Coin is hanging in his truck…

I left the store thinking about this man, his wife and daughter and how they each kept their Caring Coin with them.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the littlest things can bring comfort?

Something in the sand…

I shared the story of the Caring Coins with a group of youths at a conference. I then gave each youth a Caring Coin. Afterwards, a girl asked me for two additional Caring Coins for her father and her sister in memory of her mother who had recently died.

I saw this girl again at another conference about six months later. She told me that her sister wears her Caring Coin around her neck and her father keeps his coin in his wallet. Whenever he feels sad he looks at it and remembers that his daughters gave it to him. It seems to make him feel better.

She then went on to say that she and her family had gone to Cape Cod that summer and one afternoon as she was walking on the beach she saw something in the sand. She picked it up and dusted off the sand and it was a Caring Coin. She believes that this was a sign that her mother was watching over her. She gave that Caring Coin to a friend of her mother's who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Stories like this one always amaze me...I have come to believe there are no coincidences.

What do you think?

Early one morning…

Early one morning, as I was getting a cup of coffee at the gas station, I met a friend, whom I hadn’t seen for a while. He told me he had been struggling with alcoholism. He said he had been in and out of recovery programs, but he was finally getting sober one day at a time.

After we spoke for a little while, I gave him a Caring Coin and a hug. He smiled as he looked at the coin and said that he loved that it was made of wood. He gave me a hug back and put his coin in his pocket. I told him to remember the message on the coin and asked him to keep in touch.

A couple of weeks later, I received a message from him on my answering machine thanking me for the coin. He said he was still on track and that the message on the Caring Coin kept him going. His coin was hanging in his truck.

I hear from my friend every so often... He is doing OK and his Caring Coinis still hanging in his truck. He always ends our conversation with "...Remember Salley, You are never alone" . That always makes me smile...

We all need to remember the message You are never alone...don't you think?

Caring Coins go to Iraq...

It was a Tuesday morning in October when I heard on VPR that 650 Vermonters were heading off on Thursday to Mississippi for training and then to Iraq right after the holidays. I thought... “What if each one of them received a Caring Coin?” I called the National Guard, spoke with the Commander and asked if I could come to speak with him. He said “Lady, if you can find me, you can speak to me” I did find him and asked him if he thought the troops would want a coin with a card signed by someone who cares. He loved the idea. I told him he would have the Caring Coins before Christmas.

I then invited people to sponsor a Caring Coin for one of the troops. 650 Caring Coins with the angel and the message You are never alone arrived at the base before Christmas. They were placed on each bunk while the troops were on maneuvers.

This is one of the many messages I received from one of the troops in Iraq:
“The angel coins mean a lot to us in Iraq. People keep them on their dogtags, on their desks at work, or in a pocket. It means a lot to us to know that people are thinking of us, and praying for us while we are over here. Having a small token to look at or carry around is good b/c it is a tangible thing that helps us remember people care.”

This message reminds me how important a simple little reminder of caring can be to someone.

Is there someone you'd like to remember with a Caring Coin?

Caring Coins stories...

The Caring Coins began showing up in the most unexpected places... More and more people were asking for Caring Coins to share with their family, friends and sometimes with people they didn't know. And so, the You Are Never Alone Foundation was born.

The stories I am sharing with you in this blog are random stories of the Caring Coins in no particular order. Some are our stories, some are stories others have shared with us. Some are early stories, some will be stories have come to me that day…

Although each story is unique, you will see a commom thread...the caring connection.

Do you have a Caring Coin story to share?

They are Caring Coins...

Once again, I randomly shared the coins. I always carried a couple in my pocket and had more in my car. And each time there was a connection…a caring connection. One day a man asked me why I gave him this coin. And without even thinking, I said “… because I care about you”

It was then that I realized that these are not just wooden coins with words on them. These little coins with the message You are never alone are tangible reminders of the universal caring that unites each one of us… the caring that is meant to be shared. They are Caring Coins…

Have you ever wanted something simple and tangible that could show someone that you care? The Caring Coin is just that...

The coins are meant to be shared..

I was really kind of relieved to put the dream to rest...
But that wasn't meant to be. One morning, shortly after my mother's funeral, I received a phone call from a woman requesting coins to share with her friends. Then, a nurse I worked with asked for a coin for one of her patients. A couple of days later, a man called and asked for a coin to give to his grandson as a reminder that he would always be there for him. The coins and their message You are never alone were having an impact on people...But I was out of coins...

Once again, I searched for someone who could craft these coins, someone who would care about the coins and the message as much as I did. I was just about to give up when I was directed to a man who worked with marble and stone in a warehouse in Springfield, Vermont. He had a laser machine.

I went to this huge old warehouse with marble and dust everywhere. There, I met Paul, a tall, thin man with a very gentle smile. I knew immediately that he was the person who could help me. When I shared the story of my dream, he smiled. He said he loved the message; and his wife loved angels. It was a match made in heaven.

Paul immediately started to laser the coins. As I held one of his coins in my hand,I felt calm and safe, just as I had felt in my dream…

I can't explain my dream or how I was directed to this gentle man at the huge warehouse, but I do believe that these little coins are meant to share the message You are never alone.

What do you think?