H.E.A.R.T.S. News & Announcements

Article from the Cumberland County Times-News (Maryland)

Home-school volunteer group organizes in area
H.E.A.R.T.S. chapter planning activities
By Sarah Moses, Times-News Staff Writer
Monday, January 10, 2005 9:57 AM EST

CUMBERLAND - A new home-school volunteer group is working to take root in Allegany County.

H.E.A.R.T.S., which stands for Home-schoolers Educating, Assisting and Reaching out Through Service, is a national organization that
was formed in June in New Jersey by Michele Pulis, a home-schooling mother.

The group attempts to unite home-schoolers in community service projects and generate a public awareness and understanding of
home schooling.
"I just started the program in this area," Earlene Sorrells, the founder of the local H.E.A.R.T.S. chapter, said.
Sorrells is a member of other home-schooling groups, many in the Hagerstown area. When a chapter of H.E.A.R.T.S. was formed there,
Sorrells said that she tried to go to its meetings, but the drive from Cumberland got to be too much.
"It was too hard to travel, so I decided to start one in this area," she said.
Sorrells is working to get children and their families together for a homemade valentine project that could be given to residents in a local
nursing home.
This project would work in coordination with the first of seven H.E.A.R.T.S. themes: January/February, valentines; March/April,
handmade blankets; May/June, food; July/August, school supplies; September, winter warmth; October/November, holiday gifts;
December, holiday cards.
H.E.A.R.T.S. is not limited to these themes. Its purpose is to be involved with the community and with volunteer projects. In that spirit,
Sorrells is trying to find items that can be gathered by the group for the victims of the recent tsunami. The chapter cannot receive any
monetary donations of any kind, as instructed by the national organization. The group can, however, gather items and volunteer time
and services.
"I guess we kind of get off the beaten path with home schooling. We try to follow the textbooks, but when we see an opportunity to learn,
we take it," Sorrells said. "I think that's why I got in with the H.E.A.R.T.S. program. I think it's important to get involved with the
community."
Anyone wanting more information on the local chapter can contact Sorrells at (301) 777-7520 or e-mail pebs@atlanticbb.net.
Information on the national H.E.A.R.T.S. organization is available at http://www.H-E-A-R-T-S.org.

Some folks in Mobile County Alabama independently participated in H.E.A.R.T.S.' 2004 Holiday Cards Theme. They collected used
greeting cards from friends and relatives - some greeting cards were vintage - dating back to the 1950's and 1960's! These cards were
then recycled by cutting and pasting fronts or elements from the vintage cards into specially designed and handcrafted new creations.
The cards were then delivered to area nursing homes, where the recipients were thrilled to receive them. Enjoyment was had by all!