Atheist Community Outreach: Gift Donation/Wrapping Extravaganza + Food & Drinks

So you're a socially conscious freethinking atheist who enjoys the secular side of Christmas (goodwill, charity, generosity, social gatherings, etc.). You want to donate your time and money to charitable organizations but you don't want to support their proselytizing baggage. Well pour yourself a generous cup of eggnog, play that Beach Boys Christmas Album you secretly enjoy, and get yourself ready for the Minnesota Atheists Gift Wrapping Extravaganza!

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/4/e/2/event_76589922.jpegWe will be meeting in the private party room at the first ever, original Green Mill Restaurant (http://www.greenmill.com/st-paul-mn). It's near Ayd Mill and Grand Ave. in St. Paul (57 South Hamline). Please bring a NEW gift(s) from the list below and join your family of heathens in organizing gift baskets for families spending time at Children's Hospital of Minnesota (http://www.childrensmn.org/). It would be helpful to let the rest of us know what your gift donation is when you RSVP or in the Comments section so we don't offer too much of one thing and we get a good variety of gifts. A representative from their "Wish List" program said that clothes of size "5T" or smaller are greatly needed, including socks and underwear.

The room is available to our group from 12pm to 4pm. We'll enjoy a festive Christmas lunch from the Green Mill menu (http://www.greenmill.com/main-menu), followed by gift wrapping, organizing, socializing, and partaking in some Christmas spirits. Bring your favorite holiday CD's (novelty songs are encouraged!) Depending on how many RSVP we should end up with some decent gift baskets for families.

Each basket will have a laminated tag attached with the MN Atheists logo wishing them "Happy Holidays". Baskets should be age appropriate so that some might have baby rattles for infants, Hot Wheels for school agers, and logic puzzles for adolescents, for example. The baskets will be delivered the following week at a date to be determined. Those who wish to meet me at the hospital will have our picture taken with the Children's Hospital "Wish List" coordinator.

Please plan on spending about $10-$20 so we can pack these baskets full! Again, it's important to indicate what donated gift(s) you will be bringing when you RSVP or in the comments section so we can have a variety of gifts.

Some wrapping paper, tape, and scissors will be provided but if a couple of people could bring some more wrapping paper, tape and scissors that would be helpful. Thank You, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

~~~

Here is the list of suggested gift donations:

(The underlined items below are the ones are of greatest need right now. )

Electronics: A receipt is needed for all-electronic equipment, movies, and computer games donated.

Portable DVD players

Batteries: Size D, AA, AAA

Music CDs – lullaby, Disney, children’s songs, instrumental/relaxation music, current pop tunes

Sound Story Books

Infant:

Rattles, O-balls

Fisher Price, Sassy, Baby Einstein toys and toy sets

Mirrors

Mozart Magic Cube

Sound & Lights Aquariums (Fisher-Price)

Baby Board Books

Melodies & Motion Soothers (Fisher-Price)

Toy bars for strollers

Toddler/Preschool:

Pop-up toys

Magna Doodles

Matchbox/Hotwheels cars, garage

Chunky cars, trucks, trains, etc.

TOMY, Fisher-Price, Little Tykes toys/Little people

Fisher-Price medical kits

Wooden Peg Puzzles, cardboard puzzles

Disney play figures

Don’t Break the Ice, Zingo, Ant in the Pants

Sound books

Box puzzles 24-60 pieces

Gertie Balls

Playskool Busy Ball Popper

Wiggly Giggly Balls (Creative Kidstuff)

B.Meowsic (electronic keyboard)

Color Wonder

School-Age:

Art/craft kits – All-in-one sets (Target and Creative Kidstuff)

Card games: Uno, Go Fish, I Spy, Look Alikes, Waldo books

Lego sets – small/medium sized

TOMY robots; remote control cars

Nail art sets

Connect Four, Sequence, Sequence Jr.

Barbie/Ken dolls and clothes

Uno, Skip-Bo

20Q electronic games

Jigsaw puzzles (100-200pc)

Board games: Sorry, Trouble, Monopoly, Monopoly Jr. , Yahtzee, Scrabble, Scrabble Jr.,

Guess Who, Chutes & Ladders, Candyland

Adolescents:

Bead Kits

Art Sets w/good brushes, paints, pastels

Personal CD player

Logic Puzzle, Sudoku Puzzle, Word Puzzle Books

Art/craft kits – All-in-one sets (Target and Creative Kidstuff)

Cribbage boards

Chess sets

Nail polish; nail design kits

Gift cards - $10-$15 – Target, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble

Handheld electronic games: Yahtzee, Battleship, 20Q, Big Screen Solitaire, Deal or No Deal, Sudoku Touch Screen, High School Musical

Art and Craft Materials:

Playdough: small tubs, playdough tools

Washable markers

Watercolor paint sets

Crayons – regular, jumbo

Craft kits – child and teen

Fuzzy posters

Geometric design coloring books

Crayola Model Magic

Klutz Books

Window Markers

Colored Pencils, Pastels

Sticker books and stickers

Coloring/Activity books

Playing cards

Music Therapy items and instruments

Classical Acoustic 1/2 (half) size guitar from Schmitt Music

Egg Shakers (from Groth Music or Best Buy Music Store)

Any Children's Instruments (from Groth Music or Best Buy Music Store)

Any Small percussion instruments (ocean drum, buffalo drum, rain stick, cabasa, djembe, tubano, bongos, maracas) from Groth Music or Best Buy Music Store

Electronic keyboard – preferably Yamaha

Board-Books that are songs (Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc)