By Ashlee Ainge
Ashlee@newsroom.byu.edu
Few things could get 20,000 Relief Society sisters into a football stadium, but Wendy Watson, Chair of Women's Conference 2000 thinks she can do it.
An expected 20,000 LDS women will gather in Cougar Stadium for the 'Sisterhood through Service' event, the Relief Society's largest service project ever, in conjunction with BYU Women's Conference 2000.
'When you get 20,000 LDS women together anywhere, you'll blow the roof off the building with all that energy and excitement, which is why this year we're moving to the stadium,' Watson said. 'We're turning that place of competition into a stadium of sisterhood and service.'
With the hot dog stands and cotton candy vendors cleared out, the stadium will undergo a transformation to properly host the long list of planned service projects.
But these women are not concerned with lace tablecloths or flower arrangements. Instead they will come ready and willing to work.
'The 'Sisterhood through Service' event has triggered an enthusiastic and overwhelming response. Everyone wants to come and get involved anyway they can,' Watson said.
The sisters will cover Cougar Stadium with 2,000 quilts. Beneath the quilting and under the stadium's 56,000 seats, women will give blood in what the Red Cross believes will be the largest single-day blood drive in history.
The Conference has set a goal of collecting 2000 units of blood. According to the Red Cross, one single unit of blood can help up to four people, which suggests the impact of this size of blood-drive.
The Utah Food Bank will transport its entire operation so the Women's Conference volunteers can sort through the 66,000 pounds of food for those in need.
Beginning at 2pm, the 'Stadium of Service' will last about 5 hours.
The laundry list of service projects include the following and more:
* The assembly of hygiene kits to be sent by the LDS Church to areas around the world devastated by disaster.
* The decoration of 10,000 wooden toys.
* Printing 78,000 alphabet sticks to be put into 3,000 migrant children's school bags.
* Assembling bags of necessities for newborn babies.
* Sewing 2,500 caps for cancer patients.
* Sewing and stuffing of bunnies and bears created for children traumatized by crime.
* Book drives and family history demonstrations will be available the entire day.
People who cannot attend the event can contribute by donating buttons-any color, shape or size-and any coats.
Watson said they hope to collect at least 20,000 buttons to complete projects and 20,000 coats.
The buttons and coats can be deposited in drop boxes located in the parking lot west of Cougar Stadium and East of the Earth Science Museum.