Fun Stuff for a Good Cause

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This weekend I attended a fundraiser for an incredible organization, Solace International.  From their website:

     Solace’s Mission Is… To integrate education and economic opportunity at the community level
to those who are in need.

    Solace’s Goal Is… To provide the infrastructure, planning, management and design that helps         communities find solutions to their own problems of poverty, disease and lack of education.

    Solace’s Vision Is… To develop truly sustainable projects through income generation, community  support, and a focus on solutions instead of handouts.

 

So Solace travels around the world, teaches them to make various handmade items, then sells those handmade items to those of us privileged enough to have discretionary income.  They have projects going in Ghana, Nepal, Malawi, Colombia, and Guatemala.  It was amazing to talk with the folks from Solace and hear the stories of the people they've worked with in their travels teaching and purchasing.  There's so much hope!  

 

There were so many neat items for sale!  Bags made from burqas, purses made from motorcycle tires, tote bags made from rice bags, jewelry of all kinds, hats, scarves, you name it!  It was hard to choose, but I came home with a couple of lovely items!  

 

The first is this hat...I love it!  It's more purple than it looks in this picture, and as we all know...purple is my favorite color!!  It's perfect for hiding my hair right now...I need a haircut!

The other is this cool bracelet made of Tibetan agates.  Beautiful!

Another benefit of this afternoon was being able to visit with our friends in Girdwood...thanks George and Kathy for being so welcoming!