CELEBRATING YOUR STAMPIN' UP! ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM ...

standingovation
changing lives
one stamp at a time
When manager Megan
Wheeler, from Conway,
Arkansas, noticed that Stampin’
Up! didn’t have a team at her
local Ronald McDonald House,
she didn’t wait for someone else
to take action. “I noticed that
our house was not listed on the
Stampin’ Up! Web Site, so I
contacted the home office to see
what I could do to help get this
off the ground in Arkansas,”
says Megan. Thanks to Megan’s
initiative, Stampin’ Up! now has
an active volunteer program at
the Arkansas House.
The Arkansas Ronald McDonald
House provides a refuge—
financial and emotional—for
families who are facing the
stress of medical treatments for
their children. Megan and her
small but dedicated team work
to make the stay a little more
pleasant for House guests. “We
visit the House once a month,
taking meals, which are much
needed,” says Megan. “We also
prepare stamping projects to
make with the House guests.”
Megan notes that initially,
guests are sometimes unsure
of what to expect from the
volunteer stampers. “We have a
different group of people each
time we go,” she says. “They
don’t know who we are or quite
understand what we’re doing
there; they are just focused on
their circumstances at hand,
and who can blame them?
Inevitably though, after we
visit the House, the families
are smiling, chatting, having
fun, and discussing who will
receive what they just created!
I love that because we have
made a difference!”
Megan also makes time to
volunteer at the Bethlehem
House, a shelter that serves
homeless men, women, and
families. “One of my downline
members and I go to share the
joy of stamping with the
residents, to give them a creative
outlet, to make projects to give
to others, and just to let them
know that someone cares.”
Volunteering on a regular
basis with two charitable
organizations would be enough
to stretch anyone, but Megan
is also a busy Army wife and
actively involved in her church.
How does she find the time for
everything? Planning is key. “It
has to be planned, first of all,”
says Megan. “At each of these
organizations, I plan to go on a
particular day of each month or
quarter. This helps me give to
others, yet still leaves time for
other activities.”
Megan sets goals to help her
focus on what she wants to
achieve, both for herself and
for the people she serves.
“First of all, my personal goal
is to give cheerfully—not
stressed out, not with a feeling
of obligation,” she says. And
since the Ronald McDonald
Family: Husband Deke; dog Dusty
House and Bethlehem House
each have a different purpose,
she sets different goals for her
volunteer work. “For the Ronald
McDonald House, my goal is
to bring joy in the midst of the
families’ struggles and sorrow,”
she says. And for the Bethlehem
House, “I want those stamping
with us to know that they can
create something with their
hands and with their lives. I
want them to be proud of what
they create and to not give up!”
Like most activities,
volunteering is easier—and
more fun—when you do it
with someone else. Megan
is very appreciative of the
demonstrators who volunteer
with her. “I can’t do any of
these service activities without
the work of other giving
demonstrators,” she states.
“The more who give, the less
work there really is, as each
person shares the load.” Megan
and her friends strive to boost
the spirits of those who need
some cheer and relaxation. “I
know I can’t help but be happy
when I make something pretty,”
explains Megan. “And I want
anyone I come in contact with
to know the joy that comes
from creating something with
your own two hands!” ■
megan wheeler
manager
Conway, Arkansas
Megan believes that
you don’t have to
spend a lot of time
or money to make
a difference in the
lives of others.
“You don’t have to give a lot—just
give what you can!” she says. “My
motto from the very beginning of
my demonstratorship has been
‘Changing Lives One Stamp at a
Time!’ I had no idea then how true
that would become.”
on stage vol. 9 issue 1 9