Rainbow Loom Project Update #2

I don't know about you, but I love seeing all this color on such a beautiful arm above.  This photo was taken by one of the AHOPE volunteers on their recent trip to Ethiopia.  Apparently, all the children, teens, and adults loved the Rainbow Loom bracelets we sent from our project here.

Thank you.

So many children from across the US and Canada sent bracelets as you know.  In fact, the total increased from 3,600 bracelets to over 3,800!  And the total monies raised cleared $4,000.  Yep, our kids, families, and assorted allies raised $4K.  

I'm forever grateful for your giving and I wonder what we will do next, collectively, to support orphaned children and teens living in Ethiopia with HIV.

I suspect there is more for us to do.  Let's move mountains together, yes?

xo,

Jen

Rainbow Loom Project Update

Did you ever wonder what $1400 looked like all stacked up in cash and checks?

Did you ever wonder what 3,600 Rainbow Loom bracelets looked like all together?

Wonder no more.  You all rock.  Really, you do.   In fact, I think you are way incredible.  

Thanks to kids and families from all over the US and Canada, we collected over 3,600 Rainbow Loom bracelets and $1400 in cash/checks.  Many people donated online - I don't have those totals yet - but, my guess is with the online donations, cash, checks and coaches' pool from yesterday's blog post, we raised well over $2,000 for AHOPE.  $2,000!

The generosity and creativity in the packages that arrived was fantastical.  I mean, look at that "hugger" bracelet above?

There were so many bracelets, Mr. UpCyclist had to wrangle them.

At one point, I made Lil O a Rainbow Loom bed.  That's how many bracelets you all made and donated.

There were Rainbow Loom creations for as far as the eye could see.  Like a sea of color and love.

I now know how many Rainbow Loom bracelets can fill a gallon-size Ziploc bag.  Around 300 - give or take a few - in case you were wondering.  Your donations filled 12 of those gallon-sized Ziplocs.  12!

The packages.  The hand-written notes from kids.  The dollar bills crammed inside - like kids had donated their allowance.  The $100 checks from total strangers.  The love for kids halfway around the world who are orphans, HIV+, and who need the support of AHOPE. It really was incredible to see the giving.

When I gave Julie from AHOPE all the donations.  She cried.  I cried.  These are the kids that aren't adopted and are left behind.  These are the kids who struggle to stay alive, have lost their parents, have no abundance of toys, books or things.  

Now, these Rainbow Loom creations will find their way to Ethiopia in early April with the 15 AHOPE volunteers who will be visiting there.  These gifts of love will adorn the arms of boys and girls, children and teens, and their adult allies - a reminder they are valued and important.

I've never used social media for anything like this - anything with such purpose, impact, and selflessness.  Thank you for showing what can happen when we do and when kids relate, create and donate.

A gigantic thank you to these amazing, blogger moms who joined me in launching this project:

Susan from Crafterhours

Ashley Ann from Under the Sycamore

Jenny from The Southern Institute

Stacy from Kids Stuff World

And huge thanks to these supporters who continued to carry the torch for us:

Marie from Make and Takes

Everything Etsy

Amy from Mod Podge Rocks

Forever grateful for all of your support,

Jen

If you missed giving to AHOPE and would like to, you make a donation on their webpage here or buy a pair of shoes for the kids/teens at AHOPE using this Amazon wish list (and AHOPE's address: 104 Hume Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301).  Lil O and I picked out two pairs yesterday - one for a girl and one for a boy.  The girly pair was full of sparkles :)  

19 Strangers, 3 hours, and $500

On Tuesday of this week, I blogged about my recent coach training.  Remember how every part of me has changed?

Well, I am not alone.  There were about 20 other people with me.  Twenty other people studying {life} coaching, too.  19 of them were strangers to me; I only knew Julie from AHOPE.

Those 19 aren't strangers anymore.

It just so happens I was bringing to Julie all the Rainbow Loom Project donations on the last day of our class.  I won't share the specifics of how many bracelets were donated at this moment, but tomorrow I will.  Let's just say, it is incredible.  You are incredible.

To make a long story short, our coaching classmates wanted to see the bracelets as most of them weren't familiar with Rainbow Looms (they must not have school-aged children, right?).  Julie and I shared the bracelets and the story behind them and AHOPE and the Rainbow Loom Project.  So much to share.

Then, something magical happened.

Our classmates started writing checks, diving into their wallets for cash, and visiting the ATM at lunch. By the end of class - three hours later - our classmates had given over $500 for AHOPE.

$500.

Those 19 strangers.  Those 19 people that neither Julie or I knew 48 hours before.  Those 19 new friends - coaches - showed what can happen when you give and care and want to change the world.

I am grateful for them, their giving, and for Julie - my passionate, talented friend,

Jen

Send Your Rainbow Loom Creations Today

It's time!  Send all your Rainbow Loom creations today.  Remember to throw in a check made payable to AHOPE for Children.  Remember every single dollar counts, so any amount - $5, $10, $25, $50+ - will do!

I can't wait to see your stuff!  All the details are below and the original post can be found here.

Yippee!

Jen

These Packages = Love

We are in the final week of our Rainbow Loom Project.  I say "our" because several people from around the globe have contacted me.  Others want to do a Rainbow Loom Project, too!  How awesome is that?

Lately, going to my PO Box feels like Christmas morning.  It is laced with lovely, soft packages of Rainbow Loom creations and monetary donations for AHOPE (which if you click here, you can donate to AHOPE, too...which would be amazingly lovely).  Each package contains a note - usually a handwritten note from a child - a child reaching across the globe to another child in Ethiopia.  How awesome is that?  Totally, totally, unbelievably awesome. 

It is amazing to me how one project and one incredible organization like AHOPE can bring people together - especially bring kids together.  I've received packages from Missouri, Maryland, Ohio, California, Florida, North Dakota, South Carolina, to name a few.  Some folks have just sent me a check for AHOPE - no Rainbow Loom anything - that's how supportive people are being.

I'm in awe.

Grateful,
Jen

Loomed Love

Over the weekend, Lil O and two friends loomed love for the Rainbow Loom Project.  Their focus, creativity, and these photos, say it all, don't you agree?

How was your weekend?

Jen

Half Truth

This is really a half truth.  We actually do have a deadline for the Rainbow Loom Project.  Your creations need to arrive to my PO Box by March 15th, 2014.  Since the AHOPE volunteers are heading to Ethiopia in early April, I need to get all the loomed creations to them in time to be packed up, plus hand over your checks to be deposited.

Somewhat unrelated, I used my new Studio app (for manipulating photos and adding cool graphics like the triangle and saying above); That saying was the only one that somewhat fit the occasion.

If you haven't shared the Rainbow Loom Project with others, right click the image below, save, and share away!

Enjoy our weekend!

Yay!

Jen

Rainbow Loom Project

Like most kids in the US right now, Lil O is a Rainbow Loom lover.  We have soooo many bracelets and other random Rainbow Loom objects floating around our house.  In efforts to give this hobby an outlet and to help others, Lil O and I thought, why not Rainbow Loom for a cause?

Thus, I contact my coaching friend, Julie, who is executive director of AHOPE - an organization that provides free assistance, housing, clothing, schooling, medical care, etc. to HIV+ orphans in Ethiopia. I asked her if the orphans had seen Rainbow Looms before.  She said probably no one in Africa has.

AHOPE serves 213 orphans - kids and teens.  Many of them have lost their parents to AIDS.  All of the kids/teens were born HIV+.  At first, AHOPE was a hospice to provide a nurturing, comfortable setting for the orphans to transition with dignity.  Now, with all the medical advances, the orphans are living and thriving and becoming young adults!  AHOPE basically raises them at their nurturing AHOPE facilities - all expenses are paid from donations mostly from the US.

Today, Susan from Crafterhours, Ashley Ann from Under the Sycamore, Jenny from The Southern Institute, and Stacy from Kids Stuff World are joining me to launch the Rainbow Loom Project to collect bracelets for all the kids and teens at AHOPE - it's time to spread the Rainbow Loom Love. Any extras could be shared in their Ethiopian community.  

Along with donating Rainbow Loom creations, families, please send in a monetary donation to AHOPE.  Julie said every single dollar counts, so any donation  $5, $10, $50, etc. will do.  

Ready to join us?  All the bracelets, creations, and checks (made out to AHOPE) should be sent directly to me, Jen Lara at Upcycled Education, PO Box 950, Savage, Maryland 20763 by March 15th. If you prefer to make a donation using your credit card, you can do so directly on AHOPE’s website. The graphic below is completely sharable.  Please right click, save it and post it to your Facebook feed, Instagram account or blog.  The more who join us, the merrier.  Also, tag your photos with #ahope, so we can keep spreading the Rainbow Loom + AHOPE love.

Join us in the three-fold service project:  1) Give our US kids a place to direct their creative energies and be charitable.  2) Provide orphans at AHOPE a lovely, colorful connection to other kids/teens from the US.  3) Raise money for a cause that I know, trust, and provides much needed love/support/attention to kids in need.  And an added bonus, Julie and some AHOPE volunteers will be going to AHOPE in Ethiopia in April.  They bracelets will be hand delivered.

Yay for Rainbow Loom Love and AHOPE!

Jen

Project Launch on Monday

I need a little time to prepare!

See you back here on Monday -

xoxo,

Jen