1. Storage Trailer: has been donated by: Corrigan Moving in Ann Arbor <corriganmoving.com> Phone: 734-973-9393. Contact them (Dan, Kevin, or Nate in the dispach office) in early October to confirm it. See the Request Letter here below.

2.  Set days/times for Organizations to SUBMIT gift labels & PICK-UP the GIFTS.

3. Letters to Organizations to get the GIFT LABELs wish tags. See the letter, click here.
 (Also in Word document format, click here.)  It should be mailed early in October, to about ~15 organizations/agencies.  Some get the invitation every year, see the list from last year, click here.  And new or additional organizations could be invited.  

5. Ornaments/gift tags (atleast as large as 3" x 3").  Prepared by ... Perhaps contact: Middle School Youth Director (821-2133) or School (821-2282) at St. Francis.   Or, Girl/Boy Scouts, (Girl Scouts Troop #290 or #375), or any other group.  Tell the group(s) that they may be reimbused for any expences by submitting the recipt to the St. Francis Social Minsitry Office.   Also, give this group the EXTRA Direction Lables to put on the tag that state: "Securely fasten the tag to your gift package & Return it to this tree. Gift Certificates MUST be boxed."  The St. Francis Parish Office uses labels that are 1" x 2 5/8" each with 30 lables per sheet called "Avery Dennison #5160".   It is nice if the group(s) can COLOR-CODE the ornaments (Example: Safe House tags might all be purple trees or stars, Hope tags might all be red trees or bells, etc.).  On the back of the ornament post one gift wish lable & one Extra Direction Lable note stating, "Securely fasten this tag to your gift.  Return it to this tree.  Gift Certificates MUST be boxed."
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--. Prepare Announcements for the Forum and to be read at Mass by the priest. (Scott Wright prepares all announcements.)  The announcements should both, give parishioners information about the project, and, ask for volunteers.  The Forum should have a form, and a Web address for accepting volunteer sign-ups. 

6. Set-up & Decorate the Tree(s):  Done by Saturday, before the first Sunday of Advent;  normally after Thanksgiving or after the feast of Christ the King, in time for the first Sunday of Advent. Have a Decorating Party perhaps at 10AM or 3PM or 4PM Friday.)  Scott will plan to put in a work order for maintenance to bring down two Tall-Thin Trees (in the yellow bag) from the church storage attic, & set them up near the exit doors on each side of the sanctuary for the Giving Tree Program (one near the organ, the other near the pew).
Here's how the Giving Tree "Decorating Party" goes:
 
Via the Forum an invitation is extened to parishoners to attend the party (in the past, attendance has been light).  Personal invitations work better - but you don't need too many people to help because there isn't enough room around the 2 skinny trees to decorate.
 
The 1,000 (approx) gift tags will be ready to hang and will be in Scott's office.
 
The decorators hang as many ornaments as possible on both trees in preparation for Saturday/Sunday masses.
 
--- Nov 25/26, 2006, is Feast of Christ the King. This means that ADVENT starts December 3, 2006, but we will still start the Giving Tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving, by setting it up & decorating it on Friday, November 24, 2006.    This will give the people more time to shop & get the gifts back on time.  And, having two trees would give people more space and help them to get their tag off of the tree quickly after Masses.   In the past people were discouraged becasue it would take a long time for the crowd of people surrounding the tree on the first weekend to read and pick a tag from the tree.   People will need to be told to return the gifts to the tree near the organ.  And/or we will need to take down or move the tree near the pew.

7. Restocking our Tree Ornaments: after Masses.

8. Storing of the Gifts: Moving Gifts to the "Corrigan Storage Trailer", near the rectory, after Masses.  (Put about 6 - eight foot tables in the trailer to help stack gifts.  Post/Prepare: Organization/Agency Signs to help with the organization.  Laminated signs are in the Social Minstry Office file cabinet in a folder called "Giving Tree"). 

WD-40 in the pad-a-locks before taking them outside.

The Keys for "Key Leaders":  One Responsible Leader after each Mass should have a key to the storage trailer.  Keys can be addressed for pick-up from the Parish Office during office hours.

A note to the Ushers:  After every Mass the gifts around the Giving Tree will be moved by volunteers.  There will be a leader with a key to unlock the Corrigan Moving trailer near the rectory.

Giving Tree Schedule begins on the weekend after the feast of Chrsit the King (sometimes that is just after Thanksgiving)...	Weekend #1	Weekend #2	Weekend #3	Weekend #4
Saturday Mass	5:00PM	5:00PM	5:00PM	5:00PM
Sunday Mass	7:00AM  8:45AM 10:30AM 12:15PM  5:00PM	7:00AM  8:45AM 10:30AM 12:15PM  5:00PM	7:00AM  8:45AM 10:30AM 12:15PM  5:00PM	7:00AM  8:45AM 10:30AM 12:15PM  5:00PM

9. Late Returns:
Late Giving Tree Gifts should be brought to the parish office. And, Scott or someone will need to contact the organization to whom it belongs so that they will come and pick it up.

10. Thank & Remind Corrigan: to remove the storage Trailer before Christmas Eve Mass.

Questions, contact: the Parish Social Ministry Office,  .

Our request letter is normally sent by the beginning of October as follows:
------------------  ------------------  ------------------  ------------------
Subject: St Francis Church - semi-trailer for storage of gifts
To: 
 

October 1...
 

Dear ____,

The members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church are earnestly preparing for Christmas and our Giving Tree Christmas Gift Program.  We hope your company can assist us again this year with the use of a storage space for the gifts.   Many non-profit organizations in Washtenaw County will benefit from the anticipated    1,100 presents that will be donated by our parish community. 

If you are able to donate the storage space again this year, we need it from 1:00 p.m. Thursday, November 30th until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 20th .  Please place the storage units right in front of the multi-entrance garage that is near 2150 Frieze Avenue with enough room for the cars to back out of the garage.   It would be best if you picked up the trailer before Saturday, December 23rd because of our Christmas crowd and need for maximum parking space.

I will call you at the end of next week to follow up with our request.  If you have any parking questions, Scott Wright, the Social Ministry Director, can help you (769-2550,  821-2121, 480-9822 during or after business hours).  For more information about our Giving Tree program, please go to our website at www.stfrancisa2.com/socialministry/givingtree.htm or call me at 222-0057 or 904-3301. 

- You will receive no goods or services in exchange for this 100% charitable donation.

Sincerely,

Susanna Brown
2006 Giving Tree Co-Coordinator
St. Francis of Assisi Church
2250 E. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103
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Scott Wright
Parish Social Ministry Director

www.stfrancisa2.com/socialministry