The feature below is brought to you by YFC Maine, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. There is a lot of "ugly" in our community of Howland, Maine, and well, in our world, really. Did you know our small city’s hospital is the leading hospital in the United States for delivering drug addicted babies? Or that over half of our town’s school population goes hungry for meals each and every day? Did you know that on average our community’s prison holds a minimum of over 50 more inmates than it is designed to hold? Or that our EMT’s administer more Narcan (a heroin overdose reversal drug) on average more each day than previous years combined? There is a lot of "ugly" in our community. Sometimes it’s easy to get distracted, caught up, if you will, in all of the ugly. But there is beautiful... A whole lot of beautiful... Our aim is to help bring light to that beautiful. Rather than getting lost in the statistics and all of the ugly, we hope to walk through the ugly and fix our eyes to the beautiful. My husband and I spent five years working for a local high school. A baby brought about a job change and we found ourselves running a restaurant in our community. We began to see life from both sides, first our students’ and then what these students were aspiring to do after high school. This dishearteningly opened our eyes to the drug epidemic’s full force. It knows no bounds or social status. Young lives are being ripped apart in an ever increasing force. On more than one occasion, I cried with our community members as they chose to spend their last dollars to feed their drug addiction, instead of their children. It’s not just a statistic to say over half of our students are going hungry everyday. It’s real lives, real children, right here. It was through having our eyes really opened to all of the ugly around us, that we knew we needed to strive to create beauty in the midst. Through law enforcement friends and area organizations, we began to see the generational issues that were at hand. It wasn't just young people, but young and old alike. A sheriff patrolling our town once told me that in the same day he had arrested a grandmother, father, and son all in the same family, for separate crimes. That's when we began to think, “What if we created an avenue were we could reach students before they became a statistic? What if every student we came into contact with knew they were loved, pursued (we were around for the long haul), and that they were beautiful?” We teamed up with YfC a nationally recognized after school program, to create an avenue, an escape for students in need. Our aim is to be there, to place caring adults into the lives of students for genuine relationships, no strings attached - just purely loving on the hurt and broken (and who isn't hurt and broken?) helping them see the beauty in their own lives. We do this through Campus Life nights, which are high energy, everyone come-as-you-are evenings. Where we create a family-like atmosphere, we discuss things like making the right choices and how to navigate hurdles life undoubtedly throws at us. We also hold regular events which are just different ways we have fun with each other! Most recently we teamed up with our local high school to provide much needed meals for our students. While the school works tremendously hard to see that no student goes hungry during the school year, they are left with a loss over the summer months. That's where we were able to step in and continue their food program all summer long ensuring that no child goes hungry in our community. We recently applied for a grant through an amazing organization called See Beautiful. If chosen, this grant will help further our program, help us finalize our building, replenish our food supply, and ensure that our program continues to run. See Beautiful's mission is to help create more beautiful in the world, and they do just that through a tremendous history of giving to nonprofits. You may also purchase clothing, jewelry and more from their site to help them continue their beautiful work. I wanted to paint a picture of our community, how our students are living, what it is like day-to-day to be a student in the Howland area. Although it may seem like the odds are stacked against these students, they are beginning to see the beauty in our community around them, and they are beginning to learn that they have people in their corner. A small town carpenter has donated countless hours to help us prepare our building for the upcoming food program, because he sees beautiful in these kids... The town unanimously voted to sell us the building at a ridiculously low price, even when they could get more, simply because they see beautiful in what we are doing together... A family of 8 living in one small trailer handed me what could possibly have been their last $10 bill to further help those students who are hungry. We see beautiful in their sacrifice. A man whose name I don’t even know backed his truck up to mine and said, “The back end is full of food. Get it to families that need it.” He left without another word, because his thanks was in seeing the beautiful of giving. We are seeing beautiful. Written by Kayla Thompson for YFC MaineEdited by Jannan Poppen for See Beautiful
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The feature below is brought to you by Georgia Steppers League, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here.  The Georgia Steppers League Creates More Beautiful Youth Step League Highlights Individualism Through Creative Expression The world is just a bit more beautiful when it is colored with the creativity and comradery displayed by the members of the Georgia Steppers League. The Metro Atlanta-based league, now entering its tenth year, has served as the umbrella organization for more than 1,000 male and female step team performers ranging in age from kindergarten to college freshmen. Since its inception, the league has taken pride in providing leadership training, character building workshops, college scholarships and local competitions awarding cash prizes to winning teams from Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida. The Georgia Steppers League’s 2018-2019 initiative, “Bring Back Our Boys,” is in final grant review with See Beautiful and the league hopes to use the funding award to recruit and support more male participants during this year’s competitive season. With the funding, the league will continue its impact in area schools by developing student ambassadors who will provide leadership in their local communities. Any young man receiving funding through this source will be charged to conduct one culminating team event inspiring league members to see what beautiful in themselves and one another. The league’s goal is to provide a lens for students to use to see themselves as the beautiful individuals they are. In addition to serving area young men, the league provides ten months of services to any student wanting to be a part of a step team program. The league has been home to over fourteen teams who hold national titles as the best of the best in the country. As the league continues its mission and vision to Empower, Expose and Elevate is members, it is evident that a partnership with See Beautiful is a perfect, beautiful combination. Written by Clarisse Frazier of Georgia Steppers LeagueEdited by Rachel McLeroy for See Beautiful The feature below is brought to you by CARE for AIDS, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. CARE for AIDS exists to empower people in East Africa to live a life beyond AIDS. We do this through a nine-month program that is focused on counseling and holistic care. We seek to facilitate transformation for our clients in five main areas of their lives: physically, spiritually, socially, economically, and emotionally. David’s story is one of my favorite examples of the holistic transformation that happens in a client’s life.  David, a CARE for AIDS clientWhen David came to the CARE for AIDS program in January this year he was completely blind. He’s 47 years old and he barely weighed 100 pounds when he joined the program. In addition to his sight loss and overall declining health, he was experiencing kidney failure. David has known his HIV+ status since 2012, and unfortunately his family abandoned him because of the stigma associated with HIV in Kenya. With no one to take care of him, and without being able to see, he felt completely helpless and hopeless. This wasn’t the first time David had felt this way in the last few years, but this time, CARE for AIDS was there to intervene. Back in 2013, election-related violence in Kenya was rampant. Tension was especially high in the slum regions where armed criminal gangs were fighting. David remembers it as a time of chaos and war in the slum where he lives. Theft and looting was common and David was the victim of a gang that wanted to steal from him. They severely beat him, hitting him hard over the head and damaging his legs so they could take what they wanted and he couldn’t chase after them. Unfortunately the worst was still yet to come for David. One day, on the way to work, his eyes started watering profusely. He had to leave work that day because he couldn’t see. Shortly after that, his eyes started swelling and his vision quickly got worse. One day everything went completely black while he was at work. David had become totally blind. David spent the next two years at home unable to work, unable to pay rent, and unable to buy food. His friends would occasionally show up at his house and buy him food for the week, but he hated feeling like he was a burden to others. Twice during this time David made an attempt to take his own life and twice God intervened so that he didn’t go through with it. During the first attempt, David found a mosquito net to tie around his neck and hang himself from the ceiling banister in his home. He knelt down to pray one final time just before hanging himself and said to God, “I want to come home. I’m about to show up there, so please don’t be mad at me…” While he was praying, a friend knocked on his door and prevented David from going through with his plan. A few weeks later he planned to swallow termite poison before bed so he would die in his sleep. Not long after making this new plan, David's friends miraculously intervened again. They found him a new place to live, bought him food and paid for his first few months rent in his new home. A CARE for AIDS graduate lived nearby this new home and had heard about David’s situation. She took Rose, the Health Counselor at the CARE for AIDS center in Githurai, to meet him. Rose recruited David into the CARE for AIDS program and quickly realized he needed immediate emotional and medical intervention. His face was swollen and he was incontinent and malnourished. Rose immediately accompanied David to the hospital. The doctor drained fluids from David’s head and face to reduce his swelling and prescribed medicine to treat David's kidney failure. He also began treatment for David’s eyes and, after doing a chest x-ray, prescribed medicine for pneumonia. Blood work was drawn and David’s viral load was over 2 million copies. It became clear that David had defaulted on his medication and his strain of HIV was now resistant to the medication he had been taking. The doctor prescribed a new regimen of medication for David to begin taking immediately to get the HIV virus under control and boost his immune system. David also started one-on-one counseling and group therapy at the CARE for AIDS center after joining the program. He has found solace in knowing others who are HIV-positive, and he has worked with the CARE for AIDS counselors to get rid of his suicidal thoughts. Since being on his new medical treatment for over 5 months now, David is seeing great improvement. His weight is up to 135 pounds and he has regained control of his bladder. His stress has decreased and his viral load has also decreased. Wanjiku, a neighbor who often helps to take care of David, makes sure that the food he gets from CARE for AIDS is prepared for him and she ensures that he takes his medicine daily. David's greatest improvement, though, has been in his eyesight. While he still cannot see well, his left eye is seeing shapes, figures, and colors. His right eye has difficulty in the light, but can also see better than before when he is indoors. David told us that he is no longer weak. He has more strength than he’s experienced in a long time. He boasted that he is now able to walk all the way to the market without anyone even holding his hand. David admits that he still has challenges because he can’t work and has to be given everything he needs, but he’s happy that he is making progress and has new hope that he will become self-sufficient in the months to come. David attended his first economic empowerment seminar at the CARE for AIDS center this month. He sat up front so that he could see the instructor and told us in detail all the practical information he learned that day. So far, CARE for AIDS has spent a total of $120 on David’s medical care. As you can see, a small gift to CARE for AIDS can go a very long way in the life of an HIV+ client in East Africa. If we were to receive a grant from See Beautiful, we would be able to reach hundreds of more clients like David and create more beautiful in the lives of our clients in East Africa. Funding from See Beautiful will provide practical medical care and invaluable hope for the future for our clients! Written by Holly Heacock, COO of CARE for AIDSEdited by Rachel McLeroy for See Beautiful If you’ve been around See Beautiful for awhile, you probably know by now how important giving is to us. We’ve given away over $123,000, including all of our sales on Giving Tuesday, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We know giving matters, but it’s nice to have a little reminder. That’s why we so often share stories and testimonials about giving from our incredible non-profit partners. Sometimes, hearing from others why giving makes a difference, and what it means provides us with a little dose of needed motivation. So, if you’re looking for a bit of giving inspiration, bookmark these quotes and read them often. To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with. — Mark Twain We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. - Winston S. Churchill The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. - Pablo Picasso I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. - Maya Angelou You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make life a wonderful adventure. - Charlie Chaplin  It’s not about how much we give, but how much love we put into giving. - Mother Teresa If you have much, give of your wealth. If you have little, give of your heart. - Arab Proverb No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. - John Bunyan Which one of these quotes most resonates with you? What’s your favorite quote about giving?
 When it comes to giving, never stop. We're changing the giving game and taking a loss. This loss is your gain. Here's the skinny: On Giving Tuesday (November 28, 2017) See Beautiful will donate 100% OF SALES to our Giving Initiative: Girls Grow. Yes, you read that correctly: We're donating 100% of sales. Not 100% of profits or 100% up to a certain number. We're going all in. Yes, this means we'll take a loss in sales this day, but is it really a loss if Girls Grow gains? This is a loss we're willing to call a win - for you, for people who will receive See Beautiful items from you this holiday season, and for all the girls who will go through Girls Grow's program to empower them as leaders in their community. How special will owning an ethically-made item from See Beautiful be when you know we gave it all away to do the most good we could? Every cent goes to a beautiful cause. Your shopping list just became a way to give. So, add it to your calendar. Spend to give. Visit us next Tuesday and love on Girls Grow with every item you will give (or own). P.S. Feel free to spread the news and show us what you bought (read: GAVE) with the image below and the hashtag: #IGaveAll  Get to know the cause: Girls Grow
Something (s) New!On November 28th, 2017, 100% of every sale will be donated to Girls Grow      We recently received the most beautiful, thoughtful thank you card and gift from our friends at Just One Africa. Now, this is not the first thank you card we have received, and we are grateful for each and every one! But in this season of Thanksgiving, it was a perfectly-timed reminder of the importance of saying thank you. Your acts of kindness and thanks do not go unnoticed. We cherish them!  So, in case we haven’t said it enough lately, THANK YOU, See Beautiful family. Thank you for all that you do and give. Thank you for being the beautiful-creating, love-giving, thanks-giving, shiner of brightness that you are. Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. - Rumi This quote exemplifies the See Beautiful community, especially our non-profit friends whose work is a labor of love. Thank you for inspiring us to do what we do, as you all make the lives of those around you just a little (or a lot) better. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! AuthorJannan Poppen Giving to others helps us feel more connected and compassionate toward one another. But, it’s a big world out there, and we cannot personally interact with everyone who needs more compassion. So, how can we continue to increase and cultivate compassion in ourselves and others, especially to those that we do not meet in person? With a foundation in the Buddhist tradition, Loving Kindness Meditation is a practice to harness feelings of pure unconditional love toward ourselves first, and then toward others. Have you tried this practice? Here is the abbreviated version, adapted from The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society: Get comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Focus on the area surrounding your heart, while continuing to breathe and saying or thinking the following traditional words, or words that most resonate with you. “May I be free from inner and outer harm and danger. May I be safe and protected. May I be free of mental suffering or distress. May I be happy. May I be free of physical pain and suffering. May I be healthy and strong. May I be able to live in this world happily, peacefully, joyfully, with ease.”  Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash As you continue the practice, replace the word “I” with the name of someone who you love, then with someone who is more difficult for you to love, and then to “all beings.” Hold the image of that person or beings in your mind as you are practicing this act of compassion. Practice daily or whenever you feel the need or desire.
Reference: http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree/loving-kindness Here are a few more stories of See Beautiful Milestone Grant’s impact. We are humbled by the kind words and thankfulness shared by our friends at these organizations. But, the truth is, we are so grateful for them! Love Not Lost See Beautiful's support has continued to help us grow our photographer program so we can serve more people. Without the support of our community and incredible organizations like See Beautiful, we would not be able to carry out our mission to photograph people facing a terminal diagnosis to preserve memories and support people in grief. Thank you See Beautiful - you have helped us show up for people and love them better. Your gift makes a difference! helloHope We are using the grant for spreading hope through stories on our website. Last month we were able to publish this story of a little boy who was given a 5% chance to live and who is now cancer free and growing stronger each day. The next story that we used the grant for will be published next month! :) Little Lambs of Foundation We are truly so grateful to See Beautiful for everything they have done to help these precious children in foster care and escaping domestic violence. Because of the milestone grant we were able to purchase 200 backpacks (each child representing a child) to fill with supplies for when the children are transitioning into foster care and emergency shelters. Thank you for all you do to help people all over the world!  AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator At See Beautiful, it probably goes without saying that we are inspired by all the beautiful you create everyday. But, we’ll say it again anyway. YOU inspire us. Teachers, students, non-profit dreamers and doers, people making a difference, you inspire us everyday. That’s why the Milestone Grant applicants and recipients truly ignited our passion and reminded us why we do what we do. We hoped that the funding would go toward creating a lasting impact of beautiful, and the outcome has far exceeded what we imagined. Stories about how the grant support has encouraged or helped individuals and organizations have started coming our way, and we are overjoyed to start sharing those with you, a few at a time. Every story is different, and these first two stories are told in numbers. Hope Shines The camp was a HUGE success, and I can't imagine us not being able to have this program. It has such an impact on the children and the volunteers that come with us to be camp counselors. Here is a nice breakdown by the numbers for camp this year! Number of campers: 36 Months of planning: 7 months Lessons taught: 6 (Science of flight, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS Prevention, Malaria Prevention, Oral Hygiene, Leadership through Rugby and Cricket) Volunteers: 8 (4 first timers!) Knowledge improvement from pre-camp to post-camp: 11% Hours of Travel: 32 hours! Hope Shines Staff: 15 Medical Staff: 1 US based doctor, 1 Registered Nurse Health check ups: On 36 children (Fluoride treatments, HIV and Malaria prevention, Height, Weight, Vision (4 kids identified for glasses), Blood Pressure, malaria frequency in the last year for all kids and shoe sizes). Meals cooked and served: 180 nutritionally balanced meals prepared and served! (50 KG rice, 50 KG beef, 30 KG fish, 10 KG eggplant, 5 KG green beans, 5 KG beans, 60 KG potatoes, 50 KG carrots, 5 KG garlic, 8 KG onions, 20 liters oil, 10 KG tomatoes, 10 KG green peppers! Water: 100 Liters of filtered water consumed! Supplies: 13 - fifty pound suitcases FULL of camp supplies Partner Organizations (for supplies, curriculum, sponsorship): 6 Professional Athlete Mentors: 6 Hours of teaching and mentorship: 100 Number of (happy) tears from children (and staff and volunteers) impacted by an amazing camp experience: Countless! Love Beyond Walls 1) The Documentary launches in less than a month, and we have had 7 screenings. We’ve also had over 200 people walk through the workbook that the grant funded. 2) We were offered an airing spot on AIB from November-January (the reach is 2 million people) so after people watch, they will be instructed to walk through workbook. 3) We are going to use the film to start another film in 2018. Wow! Thank you Hope Shines and Love Beyond Walls. You’re giving us all the feels. Stay tuned for more stories to come... AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator If we want to truly change the culture of our country we need to begin having meaningful conversations. And so the theme of this tour is focused on listening and sharing. It’s not about everyone believing the same thing, but rather everyone respecting the beliefs of the other. “For all the violence to cease we must agree to disagree.” - Orly Wahba Listening and sharing. That is the theme of the 6-week Kindness Boomerang Cross Country Tour spearheaded by our friend Orly Wahba, author of Kindness Boomerang and Founder of Life Vest Inside. In response to the rift in the United States, the Kindness Caravan seeks to inspire dialogue and connection. Starting in Vancouver, Washington on October 29 and zigzagging across the country from West to East, so much kindness will be spread. Orly and her crew will engage in kindness talks in schools, participate in a Run for Kindness in Vancouver, visit Children’s Hospitals, and distribute Acts of Kindness cards along the way. Some 2,000 cards will be passed out from Vancouver to San Francisco. The crew will also be volunteering their time to provide meals for the homeless with the help of Meals on Wheels. Although so much kindness and goodness has been planned and is about to be underway, there is still so much to do, and you can help! The crew hopes to distribute kindness books to teachers, pay it forward with random acts of kindness, and deliver joy and flower bouquets to senior homes. Join in the movement, and if you feel so inspired to do so, you can give to their Indiegogo campaign. All the while, the experience will be documented to be made into a film showcasing the amazing, transformative moments that will certainly be shared, and of course, all the fun! If the Kindness Caravan is coming to your city, you do not want to miss them, but regardless, this is an opportunity to be a part of an incredible kindness boomerang - give a little kindness and it always comes back to you. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator |
See beautiful in yourself.
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