“Have a Heart” with @dirtywall project

 Girls Can Be  No Responses »
Feb 062012
 

At the February 2, 2012 yoUnlimited luncheon, although she was not present in person, the words of Jolie Wist, having recently returned from the Saki Naka slum in Mumbai, India were shared with the ladies and within two minutes flat all 22 of the hearts crafted from recycled plastic bags by the women in the "Girls Can Be Centre" were sold out, raising just over $200.  Many women wanted to know how they could get more hearts to sell or gift… the details are at the bottom of this post.

Here are Jolie’s words:

"Many days I groan as I wake up in the morning & realize I have to go into the office where a mountain of work awaits me. Until spending time in the women’s centre in the slum in Saki Naka, I didn’t realize what a privilege this actually was! Seeing how much pride & joy Indu, Shashi, & the other women have at even having a job to go to has radically changed my perspective.

I had the pleasure of spending time with these women as they worked on products like the hearts here for sale today. I got to know snippets of their life stories and meet their beautiful families. As they work, they talk and joke with each other; I realize that time spent here is the best part of their day. Cindy explains to me that the centre is a safe place for them to be. At home they are often driven to exhaustion doing chores manually to support their families and often times being beaten or berated by their husbands as they do it. This is just the way life goes in their minds. They are not even aware of the freedoms we enjoy as women in other parts of the world.

 

So to see the bright, enthusiastic smiles on their faces as they arrive to work is something very special. As you look at these hearts for sale today, I hope you see beyond their rugged beauty to an important investment in a fellow woman’s life. I’ve seen first-hand what a tremendous difference $8 makes. And with that, I invite you to "have a heart"! (Hand-delivered from India… With love)

 

Here’s what $8 will buy in India:
* A nutritious curry lunch for 13 hungry mouths
* An appointment at the eye doctor for a cataract patient
* Medicine to ease the pain of malaria & a fever for a young girl
* A serving a fresh fruit for 100 Kindergarten children
* Milk for a month for a young mother & her 3 children
* 1 day’s wages for 2 men doing painting work

 

To find out more about how you can get these hearts or other products from the Girls Can Be Centre, please contact Kane Ryan of the Dirty Wall Project at dirtywallproject@gmail.com or visit the website http://www.dirtywallproject.com

 

Have you been hugged today?

 Girls Can Be, Information, News & Updates  No Responses »
Feb 042012
 

yoUnlimited’s Carolyne Taylor chose to launch her new Women’s Business Networking series the same way she does everything else, with open arms and an open heart, and Feb 2nd was no different.

Our afternoon began as all yoUnlimited events do, by making a personal connection.  Over 50 women were encouraged with a networking Bingo game, to meet others around the room, and for those of you who dread that first networking half hour, dread no more – this was fun and a great way to get to know someone new.  And participating by networking gave everyone an opportunity to win a copy of Success Magazine, an added bonus.  Having renewed some old relationships and made some new acquaintances we sat down to a delicious and completely nutritious lunch.  Ambrosia Catering knows how to do lunch!

Following lunch, Carolyne introduced the latest Dirty Wall Project ‘Have a Heart’ fundraiser, recycled plastic bag HEARTS from the Girls Can Be Centre in Mumbai, India along with three sponsors who shared their stories and a little about their latest projects, including the Bridges For Women‘s International Women’s Day on March 8th.  And then it was on to an even more personal connection, hugging, and Rita Chand took to the stage.

This warm and engaging woman made us all proud to be part of the human race as she described an entire year of hugging, and not just hugging,but hugging someone new each day for 365 days. Rita named her journey  "2011:The Year of Hugging Fearlessly" and we were all lifted up by her stories of how hugging changed her and those she put her arms around.  Her hugging took her as far away as Spain,Portugal, Vegas and San Francisco, and while the hugs are unique and the stories may differ, one universal truth remains – we all want to connect to someone and be part of something bigger than ourselves.  After 1014 hugs, Rita reconfirmed what we all know to be true and what Carolyne and Younlimited has represented from the beginning – community – we are all connected.

Would love to share more but gotta run, got some hugging to do…….

If you are left feeling like you want to connect, come join us at the next luncheon, on March 6th.  And you can read more about Rita’s amazing year, at cinderitaadventures.blogspot.com.

Linda

Linda Hunter is a professional writer and event planner who is open to possibility and dedicated to service and can be found blogging at www.livingwithgrace.ca 

 

 

 

Hearts for Girls Can Be @dirtywallproject

 Girls Can Be, Information, News & Updates  No Responses »
Jan 272012
 

My friend Jolie just got back from India where she visited and volunteered with Kane, Cindy and Todd Ryan of the Dirty Wall Project.

Members of the yoUnlimited community joined with other community members in August of 2011 at a Silent Auction held at the Union Pacific Coffee House where we raised about $3,200 – enough to renovate a space in the Saki Naka slum of Mumbai, where women gather every day to learn skills, make connections and learn literacy, art and healthcare at sponsored camps.

While the first products to land in Victoria were expected to be aprons, they have ended up being hearts – but how lovely that it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day and our luncheon next week celebrating Rita Chand’s 365 days of hugging.

These hearts are $8 each, proceeds go to the continued success of the Girls Can Be Centre – and they will be available at the luncheon on Thursday, February 2nd, or by contacting me at info@younlimited.com – there is a limited supply available so if you want one for someone you love let us know!

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