Needless to say Summer was just way too short in more ways than one including our inventory.  So now after some much needed R & R and with a new school year upon us at the newly consolidated Harpswell Community School we are looking forward to starting up production once again and "rolling out" more than just clay.  The holiday and craft fair season is just around the corner so check back to find out where we'll be so you can  come check out some new exciting designs!!

School just let out for summer and we managed to make an end of the year production push just in time for the 1st Annual Harpswell Duck Race -  which was a blast not to mention great exposure for our products and the Fund's cause.  But, now it's time to take a much needed break over the summer for backyard BBQs and friends and families.  We'll be back at it agian come September.  Until then enjoy the lazy hazy days of summer....   

...Happy New Year!  HHF wrapped up 2010 with a bang.  All our heart (we mean hard) work paid off  and we now have a solid foundation on which to launch our seed grant and awards program this spring.  Very exciting.  So... WELCOME 2011!  It's a brand new year full of hope and possibilities.  January is the month for recharging our batteries so we are enjoying a much needed break from production, but will be back at it again soon enough since February is just around the corner and with it comes Valentine's Day where hearts abound - in more ways than one. 

Today we took a jaunt to one of our favorite places - Portland Pottery   to restock on clay and grab some new overglazes.  It's amazing how much time a person can ponder different shades of purple - purple quartz, violet, grape, mottled burgundy....well you get the point.  We won't even talk about shades of green!  Eventually, we made our way home  ridin' a bit lower than on the way there  - loaded  with 75 lbs of fresh clay and some deep rich "romantic" colors to put us in the mood for making (and everyone else, we hope, for buying) our signature hearts.   Can't wait to see how the new colors will turn out.....

However, before we completely close the door on 2010 we wish to express our sincere thanks and deep appreciation for all those who have supported our efforts in each and every way - to cheer us on to a fantastic finish and to help carry us strong into the new year.  We couldn't have made the trip without your encouragement and support.

Heartfelt Thanks

The past few weeks have been full of busy work and much patience in order to get all our "hearts-in-a-row", so to speak.  Lately, it feels as though we have been living in the school art room and burning the midnight oil making pins, buttons and ornaments to prepare for the upcoming holiday season - our busiest and most lucrative time of year.  Last year we entered the craft fair circuit and much to our amazement did extremely well, so this year we have decided to increase our production efforts in order to take on more holiday fairs over the next few weeks.  As always 100% of the proceeds from our "sales" (or rather donations) go directly to helping families in our local communities who have met with hard times or tragedy.  Equally as important proceeds also go towards supporting student volunteerism and service learning - a part of the HHF mission close to our hearts.  We have been biding our time to find a meaninful way to achieve this goal and, in no small part, due to our success last year (and hopefully again this year) we now have the resources to do so.  We are extremely excited to launch several new initiatives under our umbrella program - the Helping Heart Heroes (H3).   In  2011, the H3 Program will provide seed grants and recognition awards to both teachers and students in support of their efforts to promote service learning projects and good citizenship.  We plan to have information & guidelines about these new opportunities available on our website in early 2011.  So please check back with us after the New Year.   For now, our hands are tired, dry and cracked from the non-stop rolling, punching and painting of clay, but our hearts are light and excited about this new phase for the HHF.    In the meantime, we will be at the Cundy's Harbor Christmas Fair this weekend (Dec 4th) so please stop by and see what we're all about.
 
Heartfelt Thanks. 

Last week we worked hard to get ready for the Brunswick Hockey Boosters Craft Fair at Brunswick High School.  Overall it was well worth the effort and the HHF made some decent profits, plus we had a great neighbor who helped us through the craft fair lulls.  Thanks Martha!   Many thanks to those of you who gave that little extra last week and who sacrificed some of their weekend to work the fair.  Please know we are so very appreciative of your help and your time - more than we can say.  Speaking of which.....Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Heartfelt Thanks

Welcome to the Heart-2-Heart Blog!  We are thrilled to finally have our website up and running, and excited to share what the Helping Hearts Fund is all about - who we are, what we do and why.   Please check back often for updates on what we've been up to and how we're achieving our goals one heart at a time.  We welcome comments, creative suggestions, and ideas that will inspire!  

Heartfelt Thanks.