So many great ideas and book recommendations yesterday. Thank you for that. I need to get a plan together and organize some of those ideas so I’ll be sure to actually do them this summer. You guys are so great..I knew you’d be full of ideas. Thanks!!
There are so many things I love about this time in history. One is the trend towards paying more attention to how our decisions impact not just ourselves and our neighbors, but the greater world as well. We are living in a time where young leaders are rising up not just saying they are going to change the world, but truly changing the world. I’m not a fan of all trends, but this shift towards using our means and talents to positively impact others is quite a beautiful thing in my opinion. The internet has shrunk the world. Documentaries, blogs, twitter, instagram…all things that give us a clear picture of how our little decisions have ripple effects. We are paying more attention to the foods we eat, the industries we fund and we are believing we can be agents of change. I know that even this topic can be a issue of debate for some. I understand that even those with good intentions aren’t always making positive change. I get that. But I also get that beautiful people are using their voices and energy in unselfish ways. And while there will always be lots of sides to every story, I am still inspired by those that creatively and bravely decide to try to do something. For somebody.
We all know about TOMS and the get one/give one foundation it is built upon. I thought I’d take a day every now and then and share with you some more people/organizations that are doing their thing, but doing in it a way that aims to empower and heal.
Please click on the person/company name for more detailed information about their stories and missions….
Meet my friends the Hunters: Lissa, Selah, Kai and Brian.jpg "family-e1357703568946")
This summer they are headed to Mongolia for the summer. Brian will be running 1,500 miles across Mongolia with his family driving along supporting and being in the midst of the journey. They are headed on a beautiful adventure as a family to raise awareness and distribute necessities to over 3,000 homeless children living beneath the city streets in manholes in the capital city of Ulaanbaator. I love that their kids will be right there beside their dad. Seeing it all. Taking it all in. Getting to be impacted by the beauty and bittersweet aspects of it all. Lissa designed a couple necklaces that I wanted to share with you. The proceeds from every necklace will go to help purchase basic necessities like food, clothing, vitamins, medicine, sustainable care and housing for the precious little ones they are advocating for….
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You can find out more about the Hunter’s trip here and more about the necklaces here
The passion at Noonday Collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change at Noonday.
My necklace is the La Jolla. I don’t wear much jewelry, but I wear this one a lot. Noonday also helps adoptive families with funding…good stuff.
Better Life Bags hires first generation immigrant women in their Detroit community who otherwise could not work outside the home. They rent the women a sewing machine and tools while teaching them a skill set that allows them to become a primary or secondary provider in their families. Each bag is lovingly made with their hands and each purchase gives respect and dignity to their lives.
I have a waterproof bag that I use all the time. All. The. Time. It went with us to China and saved me a lot of travel headaches with wet clothes and no way to dry them. I am sad to say, I don’t see it on the website anymore, but goodness they have some cute new bags! That black & white stripe one…killer.
No. 41 started with the intent of teaching young women from the Noel Orphanage in Gisenyi, Rwanda (ages 18-25) not only to sew, a culturally relevant trade that would always sustain them, but to give back to their community through a feeding program supporting local schools.
You have to read this post...it shows an in-depth view of how the bags are made. Goodness it is beautiful process!
For every tube you buy, face to face gives $1 toward a smile-healing surgery for a child in need.
Obviously, this hits very close to home for me. Smile-healing surgeries are part of my heart beat now. Love this organization and what they do.
What I love about these companies is that they are just doing what they can. Sometimes I hear friends and other moms talk about how it can feel like so many people are doing so much…and they have barely enough time to keep up with daily tasks. But the reality is all those that started companies, that are impacting others, that are making positive strides in society…they probably had someone pouring into them. Someone cheering them on. Someone supporting them. I’m guessing a couple had moms that once told them they could change the world if they wanted to. That they could be anything and do anything they wanted. So today, I’ll share these stories with my kids. I’ll show them how a couple of guys got together and created lip balm to help children with clefts. I’ll show them how some young girls traveled to Africa and started teaching sewing at an orphanage. I’ll show them that creativity is a beautiful thing and how loving your neighbor begins at home with your family….and your neighbors…and how it travels the globe.
***My little disclaimer: I do not typically post on companies, but these are all ones that for various reasons I wanted to highlight while talking about this topic. There is no way I could share about all the great organizations out there today, feel free to share your links in the comment section. I did receive products to use in this post but was not paid for this post. I am not personally affiliated with any of the above companies, but do support their work and am honored to share them here.
Fast forward 16 months and she loves to be read to! One of our favorite activities is to go to one of our local thrift stores where children’s books are buy 3 get 1 free, I let her pick out 4 and pay for them with her money and she can’t wait to get home for reading time.
Then you have hours and hours of air-conditioned summer fun!
Emily - Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been challenging myself to only buy ‘gifts that give’ for holidays and birthdays so I’m always looking for new resources.
And it is so incredibly refreshing to hear someone talk about the positive change that is happening in our world. Far too often we focus solely on the negative aspects of our developing society, I love hearing someone else recognize that there is GOOD in this world.
Jenna - This is probably one of my favorite posts to date. Will most definitely be checking out every single one of these organizations. Thanks for sharing!
Erin - These are GREAT for gift ideas! I just finished purchasing the Face to Face lip balm(s) for stocking stuffers! FYI, they’re having a buy one get one deal until Mother’s Day.
Thanks for sharing these!
Sarah - LOVE this post and I know it comes from your heart!!
Taryn Smith - Love this post! Thank you, I just purchased some gifts for my Christmas list!
Marie - These are some great organizations….with some awesome products. Wonderful gift ideas, that give a gift in return. Thank you for sharing the links!
Nicole C - I love that you share these, I am always looking for good companies to help. Heck, I sponsor a beautiful little girl because you posted about LWB. So, you are also helping change the world just by sharing these types of things.
I went to REI the other day and noticed the chapstick and I believe it was face to face. Either way I will go back and check it out now that I know there is a good cause behind it.
Jessica - Oh my goodness, the Better Life Bags are beautiful. My mom is a nurse and has been looking for a new bag that she can take to work with a change of clothes, shoes, book ect and hasn’t found anything. This post couldn’t have come at a better time, I’m going to be getting her the Molly for her Mother’s Day gift.
Thanks for sharing, Ashley. As always, I am inspired by your blog.
Happy Friday and early Mother’s Day.
Kara - Thank you for this list! I will tuck it away for Christmas, when I never know what to tell people who ask me for gift suggestions!
Debbie C - Awesome gift ideas…thanks Ashley! Wish I had thought of Noonday earlier this month for moms’ gifts…maybe Christmas!
Annie Page - LOVE noonday – I have a friend hosting a party in honor of our adoption and I can not wait. LOVE what they do for adoptive families! I can’t wait to check out your other links – I think highlighting positive change and what just everyday people are doing to make a difference is especially inspirational! Making a difference doesn’t seem so hard after all!
Happy Mother’s Day!!!
Julie - I love that you shared about No. 41. I met and visited with the No. 41 girls in Gisenyi, Rwanda while I was there earlier this year. Such a special company with an incredible impact on the people of Rwanda. The founder of the company is from OKC and an OU grad as well!
Rosalind - I just bought a yellow No.41 necklace! Thanks for highlighting these great shops and causes. I am a huge handmade fan so this takes it to the next level, shopping intentionally and supporting a wonderful cause.
Betsy Cain - Renew Project is another great organization! Awesome messenger bags. http://www.renewproject.org/
Amber Rhodes - Congratulations on the beautiful spread in Parents magazine! Nice timing with this post will be shared with lots of people.
brandy - The little bee company. They donate one cloth diaper for every diaper purchased. The diapers are adorable and they show tons of pics of the babies in orphanages wearing the diapers. They have recently started selling swaddling blankets also.
Georgia - http://worldcrafts.org/ develops sustainable, fair-trade businesses among impoverished people around the world.
Joy - Your sweet daughter looks like the beautiful Amy Adams!