This just in from the State Office in Raleigh:

"PENCILS FOR PINWHEELS"

In May, the North Carolina Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (NCFAPA) is
sponsoring an Advocacy Day at the General Assembly. The day's theme will
likely be "Don't Leave Our Children Blowing In the Wind" and they hope to have
a visual representation by using pinwheels. In fact, the goal is to make a
pinwheel representing each of the children in foster care----about 11,000.

It sounds like they may already have the paper cut for the blades but they
also want to place them on pencils. The pencils can be any length (just as
children can be many heights) but they will need a full eraser to attach the
pinwheel blades. After the pinwheels have been used at Advocacy Day, the plan
is to donate all usable pencils to children and/or others in need.

So, if volunteers have extra pencils laying around home or want to buy a few
others they can mail them privately, at their own expense, to the GAL state
office at N.C. GAL Program, PO BOX 2448, Raleigh, NC 27602.

Our first deadline for pencils is very soon . . . Thursday, April 24, 2008 so
NCFAPA assembly work can begin on pinwheels. If I hear that they receive the
needed 11,000 pencils on that date, then I'll send out more information to let
people know to stop sending pencils. Until then, folks can continue to send
pencils with full erasers.

Thanks!  -Mary Jo