Response from Carol

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to share with you the response I got from Carol, the founder of Outreach Uganda when I let her know about the $2000 we raised for her organization!

Hi Carol,

I hope this email finds you well and back from your summer trip to Uganda. I wanted to let you know that my summer bracelet project went very well and in total I made about 200 bracelets with the Ugandan beads and raised $2000 for your organization! I will be sending you a check out later this week. My community of friends, family, and co-workers really came together to support your beader groups and make a difference in their lives through the purchase of a bracelet. They were touched by the skill in making the beads and the struggle the women have been through. We think it's important that your organization's work be carried on to help these women and their families!

Here is the link to my blog which chronicles the summer project, I hope you will take a look and at some point share with the beader groups, they really touched us!

http://summerofloveforuaganda.blogspot.com/2012/09/goalaccomplished.html

 

Hi Nicole,

That’s great about your summer bracelet project! I will look at your blog this evening. Thanks so much for all your work and your generosity and heart to help our women. As always, I very much enjoyed my trip over there. Being with the women and being part of their lives for six weeks always renews my energy and makes me want to keep doing what I’m doing to help them! I can see the progress in both their beading and silk scarf making skills, and in becoming more in charge of their own lives. It’s a long process that encompasses so many dimensions. I will certainly let them know about your project and your efforts.

 

Aloyo Margaret and other members of the Kitgum beaders’ group proudly show OU president, Carol Davis, their new 4 acre garden where they are growing cash crops as a group income-generation project

 

Goal...ACCOMPLISHED!

Hey Everyone,

All the money has been tallied up and the bracelets sent off! It has been an amazing summer working with the Uganda paper beads and I am feeling very accomplished. I started this project on May 26th and for 12 weeks made bracelets, talked to people about the project, updated my blog, and collected photos of those wearing the bracelets. The Ugandan beader women were constantly on my mind. I have to admit this summer was busy and I ended up putting more time into it than I had originally planned. Fundraising is hard work!

What I am taking from this project is that people WANT to help. I asked Etsy sellers to donate beads from their shops - and they did. I asked friends and family to buy bracelets - and they did. Then I asked them to sell them for me - and guess what? They did that too! I am so fortunate to be apart of a community that has compassion for others and realize that $20 can make a difference!

Drumroll please......We are donating $2000 to Outreach Uganda!!!!!

• I made 200 bracelets
• They were sent all over the US-- California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Nevada
• They even vacationed in Spain, Hawaii, and Costa Rica

One last HUGE thank you for participating in Summer of Love for Uganda. I am very much hoping to one day meet the women who inspired me to embark on this project, hear their stories, and have them teach me how to make the beautiful beads!!

I have to give a very special and public thanks to the love of my life for being so supportive of me taking on this project over the summer (when I was supposed to be relaxing and hanging out with him before grad school). And...he ordered a Raiders themed Uganda necklace with black beads and silver skulls which he wears EVERY time he watches football :)

Check out this blog post to see how people are wearing their bracelets.
Message me if you want to add your picture.

They have a facebook page if you want to stay in touch, click here

I will leave you with an African proverb about the power of community that I thought was fitting...

"A single bracelet does not jingle."
~ Congolese proverb

Wrapping It Up

Hey Everyone,

So the project is officially over and its been a wonderful summer getting to be creative, meeting new people who supported the project, and raising money for Outreach Uganda! I don't have the total number and am still waiting for some final money to come in but I will be sure to let you all know how much we raised and what an impact it can make for this organization :)

Here are my THANK YOUs for the last orders that came in. I am shipping out my last bracelet today!

Norma Silva

Karen Butterworth

Karen Langsham

Allen Lester

Rosemary Calderon

Shannon Sales

Adrian Soto

John (Crustacean)

Niccole Osborn

Joe

Caroline Reyes

Melanie Vriend

*photo courtesy of http://www.mzungumemoirs.org/uncategorized/farewell-uganda/

Etsy Sellers are AWESOME, Part II

Hello Everyone,

As I started to deplete my supplies from the first donation I received from generous Etsy sells, I reached out to new ones to see if they could help out on the project. AGAIN they came through with tons of beads and findings that you are wearing on your beautiful bracelets! You can check out their stores by clicking on the store name and support these women who donated to the bracelet project. Its so amazing how willing people are to help if you just ask. I even met a fellow Anthropology major :) Thank you ladies!!!

Gypsy Bead Peddler 

gem cut rondelles are a light fire opal color

Flame Kissed Art Glass

small gold plastic flowers

Lucky Spot Shop

czech glass beads

Wandering Star Beads

Czech Fire Polish 3-Cut Sapphire Picasso Beads

THE LAST WEEK!

Hey Everyone,

It's the last week of the project and I am working on finishing up orders for bracelets! It's not too late to order. I just need to have all the money by this Thursday so please message me if you would like to order and I will give you my home address to mail in a check. I keep saying how fast the summer has gone by but truly I cant believe I have working on this project for the past 11 weeks. Thank you to everyone who has ordered or donated and made this project a success, its more than I could have hoped for! Your money is going toward helping these ladies of Jinja educate their children, purchase homes, and gain strength and self esteem through creating sustainable income for their families :)



The Jinga beader group hich has 80 members is located in Jinja Uganda;
which is on the northern shore of Lake Victoria and is known as the source of the Nile River

THANK YOU to those who ordered this past week:

Anne Fetherolf
Brian Holm
Archana Dittakavi
Roz Kuehn
Shannon Sales
Malikha
Shell Ramos

Week 10 update--only 2 weeks left!

Hey Everyone,

I'm back from a very relaxing and much needed family vacation in Oahu! We had the best time --checked out a luau, went swimming with the sharks, tanned at the beach, and did some serious shopping! I'm back now and focused on the LAST 2 WEEKS OF THE PROJECT! The latest news is that we have raised $1500 for Outreach Uganda!!! 

I'm doing a big push for last minute orders since school is starting soon. I will be taking orders until Thursday Aug 23rd in order to have them all sent out by Sunday, August 26th and then that's it! Soooo if you have waited this whole summer to order, this is your chance :) Please help me spread the word by telling your family and friends! Please send me a photo wearing your bracelet and I will add it to my blog, thanks!

my mom modeling bracelets in Hawaii :)

Big THANK YOU to those who have supported the project in the last couple of weeks :)

Shirley Tibbs
Dana Duvak
Grace Rochlitz
Joe Kilmer
Larissa Singhoff
Kim Schmel

Week 8 Update and Vacation Annoucement

Hey Everyone,

The project is coming to a close I cant believe the summer has flown by. We got some major supporters this past week from the gals at Dermalogica!! Mia Holm really helped out in collecting orders and raising awareness about the project to her co-workers so thank you :) My family and I are heading to Oahu, Hawaii today for our FIRST ever family vacation and I just cant wait to soak up the sun and pina coladas while spending some QT with my man and my fam. Once I return there will only be 2 weeks in the project so please let me know if you want t place that final order you have been lagging on!

Ana Dragovic

Sara Crane

Roanne Shidaki

Erika Lawrence

Zanoli Van Daalen

Sheyla Martinez

Monita Chan Sok

Rachel Agpaoa

Narlet De Guzman

Catina Gonzales

Nina Taw

Kim Schmehl

Grace Rochlitz

Week 7 Update

Hey Everyone,

I got another shipment of beads last week that included "water" beads. The proceeds from these beads go toward building a water well in Agwata. They are beautiful hues of blues, green, and purples. I have enough beads to make 50 bracelets so I am committed to selling AT LEAST that many more before the end of the project!!! There are only 4 more weeks left I can believe how fast the summer has flown by and am excited to fulfill more orders in these last few weeks :)

Thank you for everyone who supported the project in weeks 7 and 8!

Hazel Clark
Kortney Losch
Amber Bickman
Cortnee Sheldon
Patty Blackwood
Maile Eubank
Mia Holm 
Carol Troll
Jen Porter
Catina Gonzales
Nina Taw
Sarah Gray-Castro

$1000 raised...so far!

Hello Everyone,

I am so excited to announce that together we have hit the $1000 mark on our donation to Outreach Uganda!!! The goal I had set out for this project was to make a significant contribution to this non-profit and I think we have accomplished that...but we are not stopping just yet! There are still 6 more weeks left of the project and I am continuing to work hard to make and sell bracelets.

To date 120 bracelets have been purchased! So THANK YOU to everyone who has placed an order to help support the project! Please keep the orders coming. Many of my repeat orders have been from ladies who showed off their bracelets and told friends about this project. You would be surprised how many people want to help by just asking :)

Here are a few examples of what $1000 can do for Outreach Uganda;

• SEND 4 CHILDREN, LIKE FIONA TO SCHOOL FOR 1 YEAR

Fiona, 9 years old

"The school is called Cubu Parent School and was started by her community who did not want their children to have to walk almost 2 miles to the nearest school. There are now almost 300 children in this local school and the parents are very happy. They must pay the teachers themselves. Annual sponsorship cost is $250 for primary school fees and costs, uniforms, school supplies and occasional supplemental food assistance."

To learn more about Fiona or the sponsorship program, CLICK HERE

• PROVIDE A MID-DAY MEAL FOR ALL THE STUDENTS FOR 40 DAYS

School cooks preparing the porridge

"Because most of the school children eat only one meal per day (an evening meal around 7pm to 8pm), we began a feeding program at the school in February 2011. This program provides a mid-day lunch of porridge to all students at the school (not just sponsored students). The teachers were the proponents of this program because they can see that the students are more alert and learn much better if they are not hungry."

To make a donation of $25 to provide lunch for one day, CLICK HERE

• HELP BUILD A WELL FOR THE AGWATA BEADER GROUP

Agwata community

"We are currently raising funds to be able to drill a bore hole (water well) at the Agwata parent supported school where our 3rd header group is located. The total cost is estimated to be $8,500 and so far we have raised about $1,000 toward this (Carol Davis, Founder of Outreach Uganda)."

To purchase products where the money goes toward the building of the water well, CLICK HERE 

We Love Arm Candy- Buyers Show Off the Goods!

Hey Everyone,

This is a combo post of my 6 week update--we are more than HALFWAY through the project! I will be taking a vacation in August so I am asking that if you havent put your order in please do so now to make sure I fulfill it before the end of August when the project ends! Thank you to everyone who has placed orders--here is my shout out for weeks 5 and 6 --THANK YOU!

Maile Eubank
Nanci Gomez
Charmetria Marshall
McKinzye Medina
Refiny Redzuan
Norma Silva

Rafaela Zanetti

Sonia Aguilar
Sarah Kimbrough

Jill Kavanagh
Jennifer Cepeda

TO DATE I HAVE MADE $112 BRACELETS!!! I thought I would put together pictures of some of the supporters showing off their bracelets! Take a pic of you wearing the bracelet and send it to me and I'll post it on the blog nicole.miyahara@gmail.com


TO SEE ALL THE LADIES WEARING THEIR BRACELETS SCROLL DOWN!

Charmetria

Niccole

Shell

Roz

Archana

Brittany

Jen

Kortney

Cortnee

Maile

Ana

Tracy

Hazel

Rafaela

Linda

Alys

Nancy

Amanda

Michelle

Jasmin

Mala

Aleen

Alexis

Andrea

Theresa

Monique

Pei

Rachel

Lucia

Mckinzye

Nichole

Lauren

Monica

Hi, I'm Ankirara Joel

Hey Everyone,

I thought I would introduce you to some of the children that need sponsorship to continue their education! I would love to sponsor some of these children with the money we raise from the bracelet project at the end of the summer. However it only costs $21 a month to send him to school, that's what some of us spend on a night out at dinner! So I thought I would introduce you to Ankirara Joel who wants to be a mechanic and loves math so that if you are interested in sponsoring him independent of the project, you can. I have taken the information directly from the Outreach Uganda site. 

*Sponsorship Amount: $21 per month**

Age – 13: Grade – Primary 5
Ankirara is a young man that moved to the small village of Agwata in Uganda from Kitgum three years ago. Ankirara lives with his mother as his father was killed in the war. The family grows their own food and Ankirara spends much of his time digging in the garden and cleaning around the compound.

His favorite subject is math. He wants to become a mechanic some day. He says that he likes to repair broken down vehicles. He enjoys reading and playing football in his free time.

Your generous donation would ensure that Ankirara gets the education he so desperately desires!

Annual sponsorship cost is $250 for primary school fees and costs, uniforms, school supplies and occasional supplemental food assistance. This amount can be paid by credit card in one lump sum, by term at $84 per term (3x per year), or monthly at $21 per month Additional optional amounts up to $300 total may be contributed during the calendar year as a special family gift.

DO YOU HAVE $21 A MONTH? If you are interested in sponsoring Ankirara CLICK HERE!
To see all the children who need sponbsorship CLICK HERE!

4 Week Update

WOW! We are already 1/3 of the way through the summer project and I have been BUSY with orders. I must apologize I am a little behind this last week because of finals and graduation. I had a wonderful weekend with my family who drove to LA to see my graduate and celebrate! Now for the rest of the summer I can focus on bracelets. I know many of you have received and loved yours and are coming back for seconds, I cant tell you how happy this makes me! Keep talking about the project.

I'd like to acknowledge the orders from this past week. THANK YOU!!!

Amber Bickman
Jasmine Carrington
Monica Bowen
Marina Groysman
Emma Ward
Sonia Aguilar
Judy Fauth
Rachel LaPierre
Andrew Kimball
Ana Dragovich


ORDERING IS EASY1. email me at nicole.miyahara@gmail.com with your order of how many
2. I will reply with my home address and shipping costs, (usually around $2)
3. You mail me a check as a form of payment (please DO NOT send cash)
4. I ship out your bracelet(s) a few days later!
xoxo
Nicole