Category Archives: Amazing Women

Women I have met who are an inspiration

Sofia DeMay: Giving back to kids in Haiti and on a global level

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You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
– Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer

Selling Girl Scout cookies, at age 11.

Selling Girl Scout cookies, at age 11.

Throughout her young life, Sofia DeMay, 17, has always been involved in community service. Guided by her desire to give back to the community, through her years as a Girl Scout, Sofia has packed and delivered groceries for the elderly, cooked for the Harrison House at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, and gone Christmas caroling, among other activities. I’ve known Sofia since David and I became good friends with her parents, Raissa and Mike, about five years ago. Sofia babysat our kids when they were younger, and I’ve watched her grow up to be an articulate, conscientious, intelligent, and beautiful person inside and out. When Raissa told me about her impending trip to Haiti back in February, I knew I wanted to hear about her experiences when she got back.

Opening hearts, opening doors
As a senior this past year at St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, Sofia was drawn to a program affiliated with her school and founded by parent alumna Margaret Trost. In January 2000, Trost went to Haiti on a service trip, volunteering at an orphanage and hospice founded by Mother Teresa. She met Father Gerard Jean-Juste, a Haitian priest who wanted to establish a food program to serve the children of Port-au-Prince. Inspired, Trost returned to the U.S. and began raising money for his cause. As the fundraising took off, she founded the What If Foundation (616 The Alameda, Berkeley, CA 94707, 510.528.1100), which helps support Father Jean-Juste’s food, after-school, and summer education programs. As one of St. Mary’s students who helped put together care packages for Haitian kids under the What If Foundation, Sofia was curious about Haiti. “I had heard about it, but I had never actually learned about it,” she said.

Sofia with a new Haitian friend.

Sofia with a new Haitian friend.

Every year, a group of St. Mary’s students raise funds to go to Haiti for a week and work in Father Jean-Juste’s programs. Sofia knew that Haiti had staged a successful slave rebellion, but her perception of the small island nation was largely informed by negative media coverage – poverty, diseases such as AIDS, political unrest, and violence. On the list of countries that the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning, Haiti was a place Sofia never considered a destination. “I didn’t know it [visiting the country] was something you could do, but I was interested in traveling to a place like that to figure things out for myself,” she said. More importantly, she added, “I was really into building a relationship with kids in another country; that’s what really drew me to it.”

As part of their orientation on cultural awareness, Sofia and nine of her fellow classmates read numerous articles and two books – former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age of Globalization and Trost’s On That Day, Everybody Ate: One Woman’s Story of Hope and Possibility in Haiti. After four months of preparation, Sofia and her classmates arrived in Haiti in early March. The philosophy and world religion teachers who chaperone the student groups were accompanied by a translator and a driver. Armed guards watched over them at the places in which they stayed.

A typical street in Haiti (photo by Sofia).

A typical street in Haiti (photo by Sofia DeMay).

Real-world education
On the second day of their trip, Sofia and her classmates met with a local historian who presented the history of her country to them, which included its one-sided relationships within the international community. Sofia was “shocked” upon learning about, for instance, the U.S. embargo and intervention in Haiti. “I realized that what everyone said about Haiti was really wrong and so skewed by the media,” she said. History, she came to see, was written by people in power. “It didn’t hit home until that moment,” she added.

Later in the week, Sofia and her classmates participated in a Q&A with a group of Haitian students and their translator, which exposed the differences between the two countries’ school systems. In the U.S., especially for seniors applying for college – which Sofia and her classmates were in the midst of at the time – students are very competitive and always trying to get head. Haitian students, however, consider education a great privilege because the majority of kids don’t have the financial means to go to school. Students interact within a “brotherhood” or “sisterhood,” helping one another to ensure success for all.

Sofia getting a Haitian drum lesson.

Sofia getting a Haitian drum lesson.

“It was such a moving moment because I would never have thought of that or would have imagined kids back home doing that,” Sofia said. “It was as if they were bound together somehow; they owed it to one another to share the little that they had.” Sofia also noted that the students understood that the enemy isn’t each other; it’s the system and the exam itself. In addition to the prohibitive expense of going to school, the university examination is so difficult that only 1 percent of the population goes on to higher education. With the current government favoring the elite and the gap widening between rich and poor, school, not surprisingly, is not encouraged for the masses.

Life-altering moments
After participating in the after-school program, Sofia and her classmates helped serve meals for the food program, which is run in a huge tent. As the children congregated, the tent filled with their laughter. When it was time to serve, however, Sofia noted that the entire atmosphere changed. The kids ate just as quickly as the food was being served, with many returning to the line, still hungry. The older kids were making sure their younger siblings had enough to eat. Despite the program’s best efforts, there is never enough food to feed all of the kids. “Four of us broke down crying,” Sofia related. “We’ve never experienced that kind of desperation before. At home I can walk into my house and get as much food as I want, whereas these little kids here can’t even get one meal. It put my life into perspective.”

Closing prayer with the kids at Sakala - solidarity.

Closing prayer with the kids at Sakala – solidarity.

Toward the end of their week, Sofia and her classmates visited another after-school program, Sakala, located in Cité Soleil, an impoverished and crowded commune located in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. The school, which is walled in, was a different world altogether and a safe haven for the kids, who were happily playing basketball, soccer, and ping-pong in the courtyard. After helping set up a water filter for the school, Sofia and her classmates joined in the sports activities. At the end of the day, despite the language barrier, they banded together and created a mural with handprints. When they ran out of paint, the kids pressed their palms together with the other kids and, smiling, said to one another: “Now you have color! Now you have color!”

Sharing paint for a mural.

Sharing paint for a mural.

“It was such a moving moment because I would never have thought of that or would have imagined kids back home doing that,” Sofia said. “I wrote in my journal that night that I finally felt a purpose in my life. I felt like I was actually making a difference.” Daniel Tileas, who runs Sakala, explained to Sofia and her classmates that the kids don’t care about money; rather, they value knowing that people care about them. “That moment just made me realize that there’s actually something you can do with your life that will fulfill you and that you can truly make a difference,” she said.

A Changing world view
Her experience in Haiti made Sofia question her life and wonder how we as a global society can allow hunger in fourth-world countries to exist. “Coming home, I was so much more aware of things,” she said. Sofia made “little changes” to her lifestyle: She scaled back going out to eat and driving a car, and instead of spending money she had earned, she donated it to the What If Foundation. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, she talked about her trip, with the goal of enlightening her classmates and friends about “cultural consciousness.” At her grandfather’s birthday party in late March, she told one of her grandmother’s friends about Haiti. This friend, who had recently inherited a large sum of money, was so moved by Sofia’s experiences that she donated the entire inheritance to the What If Foundation to help build a school in Haiti.

Sofia and her mother, Raissa, and her grandparents.

Sofia and her mother, Raissa, and her maternal grandparents.

The moment Sofia came home, she knew she would return to Haiti, where she felt she could create more of an impact there than she thought she could at home. She made good on her vow to herself, going back with another group of students – including four returning classmates from her March trip – the last week in July, and further enriching her Haitian experience.

Sofia at her high school graduation, with her parents and brother, Nic.

Sofia at her high school graduation, with her parents and brother, Nic.

Sofia always knew that her career path would involve being able to give back. “I never realized that I could do it on a global scale,” she said, with wonder in her voice, until her trip to Haiti. Sofia, now a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, is majoring in Global Studies. “After going to Haiti, I realized there’s so much I don’t know and that we’re either not taught or dictated by the people who write the history books,” she said. As a result, she plans on traveling to other parts of the world and conducting her own research. When I asked what she might do with her career, she brought up a program that builds sanitation systems in the poor areas of Haiti, which combines her love for Haiti, giving back, and biology and ecology, her favorite school subjects. She imagines spearheading a similar type of program after graduation.

Telling Haiti’s story
Sofia talks about Haiti with emotions and descriptions at once vivid and immediate, as if she has just come back. At the end of her first trip, Tileas told Sofia and her classmates that if there is one thing they could do to give back it would be to “tell Haiti’s story.” For Sofia, it has become second nature because, as she said, “Haiti has become such a big part of me.”

Sofia and her family in India, December 2012.

Sofia and her family in India, December 2012.

Lunafest 2013/2014: Nine inspiring stories

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I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.
– Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior

The fabulous women directors, eight of the nine, plus the young lady wrestler.

The fabulous women directors, eight of the nine, plus the young lady wrestler.

Save the date: On Saturday, March 8th, at 7:30pm in the El Cerrito High School Auditorium, the Lunafest East Bay Organizing Committee will present its screening of Lunafest: A film festival by, for, about women. As members of the Lunfest East Bay Organizing Committee, we were honored and treated to watching the nine short films at the World Premiere in San Francisco last Thursday. You can catch a trailer of this year’s short films by clicking on the link on Lunafest’s home page.

Gorgeous floral arrangements and stacks of Luna bars.

Gorgeous floral arrangements and stacks of Luna bars.

Director Danielle Lurie next to the poster of her short film, Tiny Miny Magic.

Director Danielle Lurie next to the poster of her short film, Tiny Miny Magic.

‘Did you catch it?’ The indomitable spirit
Before the screening, special guest Dr. Stacy L. Smith from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, talked about her research on gender and film, which I blogged about this past Monday. You can read it here. Following Dr. Smith’s talk, President and CEO of The Breast Cancer Fund, Jeanne Rizzo, RN, spoke. The Breast Cancer Fund, a nonprofit focusing on the identification and advocacy for the elimination of the environmental causes of breast cancer, is a major recipient of funds raised by Lunafest. Rizzo walked onstage with a cane and announced that she had pushed back her knee replacement surgery in order to attend the world premiere. When numerous people asked her how she had hurt her knee and she told them she was playing beach Frisbee, she said her answer elicited three distinct responses that exposed a generational bias. Women her age and older either winced in sympathy or demanded to know why she would put herself in that position as an older woman playing such a physical sport. But then there was a group of women who wanted to know with great interest and excitement: “Did you catch it?” Rizzo proudly affirmed that she had caught the Frisbee, which drew applause from the audience. “I had a moment in the air that felt great,” she exuded. “I connected to the indomitable spirit.”

Director Celia Bullwinkel by her Sidewalk film poster.

Director Celia Bullwinkel by her Sidewalk film poster.

In highlighting that indomitable spirit, Rizzo was referencing the work of Lunafest, the creativity and inspiration of the nine women filmmakers, and every one of us out in the audience. It was quite infectious. The message is to bring our own indomitable spirit to bear. Bring it to the surface. Be free, unencumbered. Bring it out of us and create our own “Did you catch it?” moment.

Catherine van Campen by her film poster for Flying Anne.

Catherine van Campen by her film poster for Flying Anne.

Nine short films
The nine short films chosen for this year’s Lunafest are refreshingly diverse – documentary, animation, comedy, drama – a really lovely mix:

Granny’s Got Game: “Seven fiercely competitive women in their 70s bond and play winning basketball, proving you are never too old to do what you love,” by Director Angela Alford of Raleigh, NC.

Flying Anne: “A young girl with Tourette’s syndrome takes ‘flight’ to navigate life with her tics,” by Director Catherine van Campen of the Netherlands.

Sidewalk: “A woman walks through life, confronts her changing body and learns to love herself,” by Director Celia Bullwinkel of New York, NY.

First Match: “A determined female wrestler prepares for her first coed high school match,” by Director Olivia Newman of Brooklyn. (The young wrestler attended the San Francisco world premiere. According to one of our organizing committee members who spoke with her at the breakfast the following morning, she is still wrestling and majoring in philosophy at a college in upstate New York – quite the combination.)

Sound Shadows: “Enter a world where sound gives shape to space,” by Director Julie Engaas of Oslo, Norway. (Another one of my favorites)

Maria of Many: “Meet Maria – Mexican immigrant, domestic worker, committed mom, and activist,” by Director Alexandra Liveris of Palo Alto. (Liveris will be Lunafest East Bay Organizing Committee’s honored guest at the El Cerrito screening in March.)

Running Dry: “A woman impacted by economic hardships journeys into contemporary Athens,” by Director Dimitra Nikolopoulou of Athens, Greece. (A favorite of mine)

Date with Fate: “When it comes to blind dating, some things are meant to be – whether you like it or not,” by Director Venetia Taylor of Sydney, Australia.

Tiny Miny Magic: “When Sam and her mailman exchange presents via her mailbox, an unexpected love connection blossom,” by Director Danielle Lurie of New York, NY. (While I loved all of them, I was very fond of this little gem.)

A little shimmer and leather for a film premiere.

A little shimmer and leather for a film premiere.

This is a perfect outing for a Girls’ Night Out or Women’s Night Out. A few friends who came for the first time with their teenaged daughters this past March found it a great Mother-Daughter Movie Night. Conversely, bringing your male counterparts – husbands and sons – also makes for an enjoyable evening with potential for interesting follow-up conversations. Mark your calendars for March 8th, and make plans for a great evening of community, friendship, inspiration, and creativity.

Earrings from Portland, ME, Sundance rings and Lava 9 chunky ring (Berkeley, CA).

Earrings from Portland, ME, Sundance rings and Lava 9 chunky ring (Berkeley, CA).

Power platforms and an evening suit of pleats and brocade and black leather skirt.

Power platforms and an evening suit of pleats and brocade and black leather skirt.

When women are present . . . things change

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I am a Woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal Woman,
that’s me.
– Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist, actress, and American Civil Rights Movement activist

Eight of the nine women filmmakers at the San Francisco premiere of Lunafest.

Eight of the nine women filmmakers and one of the women who was featured in one of the films at the San Francisco premiere of Lunafest.

Last Thursday evening was the World Premiere of the Lunafest film festival in San Francisco. This year the Lunafest East Bay Organizing  Committee – this is my first year on the committee – was honored along with other organizations and individuals for their work in raising money for local nonprofits and for the Breast Cancer Fund, which is a beneficiary of Lunafest. On Wednesday I’ll blog about the nine short films that were chosen out of more than 900 films that were submitted for consideration, as well as the wonderful words of Jeanne Rizzo, RN, President and CEO of the Breast Cancer Fund. But in today’s blog I want to share the inspirational message of special guest, Dr. Stacy L. Smith.

Dr. Stacy Smith, associate professor at USC (photo by USC).

Dr. Stacy Smith, associate professor at USC (photo by USC).

First of all, a little more on Lunafest, a film festival by, for, and about women dedicated to building community through the power of film and through the power of the story:  The film festival was established in 2000 by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, to “simultaneously promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women’s issues, and support women’s nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada.” The mission of Lunafest is to “celebrate and inspire women through the art of film and community fundraising.”

Second choice outfit for Lunafest: bright stripes in October.

Second choice outfit for Lunafest: bright stripes in October.

Dr. Stacy L. Smith is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Her work “examines gender and race on-screen and behind the camera in cinematic content as well as barriers and opportunities facing woman and people of color in the entertainment industry.” She has authored numerous articles, reports, chapters, and papers, focusing on gender, race, hypersexualization of girls and women, and violence.

In her talk, Dr. Smith discussed studies she had done on speaking characters – defined as having at least one speaking line – in 100 of the top-grossing films per year. Data on characters were broken down by demographics, physical appearance, and occupation of the character. In 500 films, of the 21,000 characters, 71.6 percent were men and 28.4 percent were women. It should come as no surprise to many of us; however, when you consider that half of the U.S. population is women and nearly half of the workforce at 47 percent is women, it’s a disturbing to say the least. Dr. Smith noted that there has been no change in gender prevalence since 1976: Of 55 films from 1976 to 1990, only 28 percent were women; of 400 films from 1990 to 2006, only 27 percent were women; and of 500 films from 2007 to 2012, only 28 percent were women.

Anthropologie earrings and Tiffany ring and bracelet, my 50th birthday presents from David.

Anthropologie earrings and Tiffany ring and bracelet, my 50th birthday presents from David.

Dr. Smith also looked at the hypersexualization of male and female on-screen characters. Only 9.4 percent of men were partially nude, while 31 percent of women were shown on screen partially nude. Nearly 50 percent of women were identified as thin, while only 16.2 percent of male characters were thin. Dr. Smith posed this question to the audience: What is the solution to this representational crisis? Women! “When women are present, things change,” she declared.

Dr. Smith examined three major places in which the presence of women in certain positions made a difference. She looked at 820 films from 2002 to 2012 and found three areas of change. In the area of production, when men are directors, only 28 percent of key positions on the team were women. However, when the directors were female in indie films, the number of females in key positions rose to 44 percent. Second, when females directed, there were more girls/women on-screen but less sexualization. Finally, when females directed, the percent of on-screen characters for girls and women rose to 61.7 percent, with more stories about female competition and athleticism.

“The presence of females can alter the status quo in women being silenced and sexualized,” Dr. Smith emphasized. She pointed out that Lunafest, which is shown in 150 cities and raises resources for local nonprofits, is the perfect platform to drive change to the status quo. “It’s the story of all of us, and it can affect the landscape of humanity,” she said. “When women are present, things change.” Dr. Smith encouraged us all to promote change locally, nationally, and globally. Check.

Outfit close-up.

Outfit close-up.

Hail to Jane Addams on her 153rd birthday

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The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.
– Jane Addams, pioneer in settlement house movement, founder of Hull House, public philosopher, sociologist, author, pacifist, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace

An older Jane Addams (from the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame site).

An older Jane Addams (from the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame site).

Today is Jane Addams’s birthday. She was born in 1860 and died on May 21, 1935. I learned about Addams as a child, though I’m unsure whether I read about her in or outside the classroom. The only thing I can think of is that one of my female teachers in elementary school admired her and wanted us to read about her accomplishments. Then again, our library carried a series of old books about famous women who made important contributions in our country. These books highlighted an event in their childhoods that shaped who they eventually became. Pretty visionary reading for the early 1970s and in our tiny, rural school library, no less.

I remember Addams as the co-founder of Hull House, a settlement house, in the west side of Chicago. When it opened its doors in 1889, Addams and fellow co-founder Ellen Gates Starr welcomed the recently arrived European immigrants. Addams’s vision for the settlement house was to enable a community of university women to provide social and educational opportunities for working-class people in the neighborhoods. These women volunteers taught classes in art, domestic activities, history, literature, and other subjects. Hull House also offered lectures and concerts.

A young Jane Addams in 1878 (from www.swarthmore.edu).

A young Jane Addams in 1878 (from www.swarthmore.edu).

Addams advanced what she called the “three R’s” of settlement house movement: residence, research, and reform. She felt that creating a community with the neighbors, studying the causes of poverty, and educating the public were necessary in order to drive change through legislative and social reform. Addams was the quintessential Renaissance woman – volunteering as an on-call physician and taking on the role of midwife, nursing the sick, protecting  women of domestic abuse, and even preparing the dead for burial. She fought to shield children from child labor abuses and helped lead the movement for women’s rights, healthcare reform, and immigration policy. She was an advocate for playgrounds, founding the National Playground Association. She studied child behavior and understood the importance of creating a healthy environment in which children could thrive and a healthy foundation in which they could grow up to be productive citizens.

Jane Addams in midlife (from USEmbassy.gov).

Jane Addams in midlife (from USEmbassy.gov).

What is amazing to me is that Jane Addams suffered many childhood ailments. At the age of four, she was stricken with tuberculosis of the spine and Potts’s disease, which resulted in curvature of the spine and contributed to health issues that plagued her the rest of her life. After her father died unexpectedly and she received her inheritance, Jane Addams moved with her family from Cedarville, Illinois, to Philadelphia. She had a promising future studying medicine at the Woman’s Medical College of Philadelphia, but spinal surgery and a nervous breakdown sidelined her and kept her from finishing her education and receiving her medical degree. When her stepmother fell ill, the family moved back to Cedarville. (Side note: Her mother died in childbirth when she was two years old. She was the youngest of nine children, although by the time she was eight years old, she had lost three siblings in their infancy and another when at age 16.)

Dress boldly and go forth into the world with confidence.

Dress boldly and go forth into the world with confidence.

Her brother-in-law performed surgery to straighten her back and advised her to travel instead of return to her studies. In 1883, she and her stepmother went to Europe for two years. It was at this time that she discovered that she didn’t have to become a physician to help the poor. But when she returned to the U.S., she also returned to the prison-like confines of young women of her socio-economic class and as a result she fell into despair. During this bleak period in her life, however, she turned to books and read many that influenced and shaped her ideas about democracy and socialism and the role of women. When she read  magazine article about the new concept of settlement houses in the summer of 1887, hope was restored, life became promising again and bigger than her expected role in society, and her future path was forged.

Bold and delicate: Carmela Rose necklace and earrings and Tiffany ring and bracelet.

Bold and delicate: Carmela Rose necklace and earrings and Tiffany ring and bracelet.

She overcame numerous medical and social adversities with all that she accomplished. She was the first female president of the National Conference of Social Work, created the National Federation of Settlements, and served as president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Jane Addams was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931,albeit as a co-winner with a male educator and presidential advisor. If anything, Jane Addams embodies for me the woman who is all too human and as such, living in the suffocating and repressed Victorian era, endures a wandering of the desert, so to speak, before finding her purpose in life, finding her voice, and finding the strength to do something useful in the world, which was an ambition of hers when she was a teen.

As I struggle to find the time and the energy to finally accomplish what I had dreamed of an idealistic young woman, I look up to Jane Addams and admire what she was up against and overcame – at a time when the political and social worlds were solidly against her – and gather tremendous strength. My battles are insignificant and therefore easily vanquished. Happy Birthday, Jane Addams! May you inspire legions of young girls and women of all ages to find their place in the world and in so doing make the world a better place.

Pink, yellow, and black for our Indian summer.

Pink, yellow, and black for our Indian summer.

Portland, Maine: the joy of discoveries before saying farewell

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It is the end of another summer. It is time for you to leave the island too. Good-by to clams and mussels and barnacles, to crows and swallows, gulls and owls, to sea-urchins, seals, and porpoises. It is time to reset the clock from the rise and fall of the tide….
– Robert McCloskey, American writer and illustrator of children’s books, from A Time of Wonder

Storefront pooch on Exchange Street.

Storefront pooch on Exchange Street.

Our department headed over to downtown Portland to have one last meal following the close of our summer summit late Tuesday afternoon. We carpooled and after my good friend and colleague – frolleague? – Bernie Monegain dropped off our other frolleagues across from the Flatbread Company (72 Commercial Street, Number 5, Portland, 207.772.8777), where we were going to dine, I remained with Bernie to find the elusive open parking spot. As fate would have it, we found a generous strip off of Milk Street, with Exchange Street and its alluring shops one street over.

Waterlily's colorful storefront on Milk Street.

Waterlily’s colorful storefront on Milk Street.

I admit that while I wanted to keep Bernie company and continue to catch up with her (we only see one another once or twice a year), I had ulterior motives for wishing for a parking spot in the epicenter of Portland’s downtown shopping experience, where brick streets and sidewalks lead you to unique shops. Bernie indulged my request to “just check out one store,” but as we turned the corner onto Milk Street, I spied a quaint shop to my left. I stopped, looked back, and internally debated before requesting Bernie to allow me to “just take a quick run-through.” Bernie was hungry and we were both aware that our colleagues and frolleagues were no doubt ordering their flatbread pizzas after a happy hour of downing their cold beers and sipping their full-bodied wines and sangrias. She must have appreciated the curiosity in my eyes, the plea in my voice. We turned around and stepped inside what seemed like another world – certainly another culture – which was at once energetically colorful and serene.

Stepping inside a new world of color, textiles, and other natural materials.

Stepping inside a new world of color, textiles, and other natural materials.

Discovery: ‘Conscious trade’ and artisan import love
Waterlily (26 Milk Street, Portland, 207.775.5459, info@waterlilyimports.com), is a “conscious trade” boutique featuring handmade clothing, jewelry, accessories, and gifts by artisans from the Portland area and across Asia. Being the true journalist that she is, Bernie talked with the shop girl – no offense meant, I just love that expression – and found that proprietor Renee Garland travels to Asia five months of the year to discover and handpick the wares that she sells in her shop. She began her journey several years ago, combining her love of travel with supporting artisans and sharing their artistry, and has been able to successfully sustain her business. Renee also creates and sews many of the textile goods, including jackets, pillows, and purses, which boast a harmonious explosion of colors.

Bone earrings hand carved from Bali artisans.

Bone earrings hand carved by Bali artisans.

If you check out Renee’s Facebook page, you’ll see that she created the intricate designs for the gorgeous bone earrings that Bali artisans hand carved in time for summer. The semi-precious stone earrings and other jewelry pieces made by Anusara, two sisters in Bangkok, are recent additions to Waterlily. Once again, I forgot to ask for the shop girl’s name, but a warm shout-out to her for her time and patience in responding to our questions, letting us know more about Waterlily, Renee, and the beautiful artisanal wares, and obliging my request to try on numerous pairs of bone earrings as we three tried to determine which intricate design and shape was our favorite – and looked the best on me. I hope I’ll still be coming to Portland every August because I found another unique destination and a deep appreciation for Renee’s artistic eye and fair trade philosophy.

Beautiful earrings from Anusara of Bangkok.

Beautiful earrings from Anusara of Bangkok.

Se Vende Imports's charming storefront.

Se Vende Imports’s charming storefront.

Discovery: Shop talk and more artisan import love
After such a wonderful time at Waterlily and the fact that we still hadn’t made it to the restaurant, I assured Bernie that we could skip my original destination point and make our way to the Flatbread Company. We were both still warm and glowing from discovering Waterlily. Perhaps it was that warmth and glow that compelled me to turn to Bernie one more time and ask if we couldn’t “just do a quick run-through” of this particular shop on Exchange Street. Bernie was game, so off we went. I had gone to Se Vende Imports (4 Exchange Street, Portland, 207.761.1808, info@sevendeimports.com) on Saturday with Jack, but longed to return and do another once-over. That Saturday I had chatted with a couple of women behind the counter, and in another stroke of luck, the younger woman was there.

Bernie and Cait (isn't that the name of a 1970s sitcom?).

Bernie and Cait (isn’t that the name of a 1970s sitcom?).

I remembered that Cait Capaldi – yes, we asked for her name – had mentioned that she was a belly dancer. As I snapped one photograph after another of the jewelry on display, Bernie had a great conversation with Cait, and we were treated to a heartwarming story. Cait had coveted a statement silver pendant on a leather cord made by the nomadic Tuareg Tribe of the Sahara Desert but being a starving college student, she couldn’t pull the trigger. Something about needing to eat over having a piece of jewelry! She went to the store to look at the pendant time and again, and then she ended up working for the owner of Se Vende Imports – yes, I forgot to ask for the owner’s name! While she tried to set aside money, even as the piece was set aside for her, saving up wasn’t happening soon enough. When Cait graduated, however, the owners, a mother/daughter duo, presented the pendant to her as a graduation present. It couldn’t have happened to a sweeter, more bubbly person. Cait indulged my request for a photo. She struck a confident pose after we both convinced Bernie to join in the fun and get in the picture.

Silver treasures.

Dripping with silver treasures.

Simple yet stunning Hill Tribe cuff.

Simple yet stunning Hill Tribe cuff.

Hoop dreams.

Hoop dreams.

The mother/daughter owners of Se Vende Imports also travel the world in search of unique jewelry and other finds, and support artisans by buying directly from them. Some of the other stunning pieces of jewelry are made by the Hill Tribe of Thailand, in the northern region of Myanmar (Burma). As I mentioned in Monday’s blog, Se Vende Imports carries a dizzying array of rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and accessories. And they run from very affordable rings and earrings at $16 to works of art for a pretty penny. There is truly something for every woman at her price point. I admit it – you can’t do a run-through. You have to walk slowly and appreciate the craftsmanship of the pieces. And enjoy the warm conversations and customer service. Bookmark. Promise to return. Done and done.

The Flatbread Company's version of the "bucket list."

The Flatbread Company’s version of the “bucket list.”

‘Before I die I want to….’
I never seem to hear my smartphone ping me when someone tries to call or text me. I was clearly distracted this time around. When we finally made a dash for the Flatbread Company, I discovered a few text messages from our frolleague Diana, asking where we were, though at a certain point, they knew. Bernie and I had stories to tell and pictures to show. We discovered that our New Media producer, Benjamin Harris, went to high school with Cait – such a small world, indeed! Bernie and I were more than ready for wine and pizza. On our way back to the hotel after dinner, Bernie, our frolleague Eric, and I stopped in front of a big black chalkboard that ran across the lower length of the restaurant’s building to the corner. It bore several columns and rows that proclaimed: “Before I die I want to” and then a blank line. Bernie wanted to write something down, although all the lines seemed to have been spoken for. None of us wrote a word, but as I returned to my hotel room and started packing, my toiletries and clothes retreating from the bathroom and closet, I thought about what I would write. I would take up several columns, though one of the first ones would be to write several novels and short stories and somehow get them out into the world. But if I were to capture the moment, I would write this: “Before I die I want to discover people and places, goodness and joy in everything, and the creative spirit in us all.”

Lighthouse on an island in Casco Bay.

Lighthouse on an island in Casco Bay.

As I prepared to leave Portland on my last night, I looked up and read the words of Robert McCloskey, from Time of Wonder, one of my all-time favorite children’s books, with great appreciation and not a little sadness: Take a farewell look at the waves and the sky. Take a farewell sniff of the salty sea. A little bit sad about the place you are leaving, a little bit glad about the place you are going. It is a time of quiet wonder – for wondering for instance: Where do hummingbirds go in a hurricane?

Maine sunset from Peaks Island, looking toward Portland.

Maine sunset from Peaks Island, looking back toward Portland.

Alissa Hauser: expanding compassion through The Pollination Project and her life

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I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
– Mother Teresa, Albanian Roman Catholic nun, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Alissa Houser, executive director of The Pollination Project, at Cafeina Organic Café in Albany, CA.

Alissa Hauser, executive director of The Pollination Project, at Cafeina Organic Café in Albany, CA.

You could say that both social justice and entrepreneurialism are in Alissa Hauser’s DNA. Raised in New Jersey, the executive director of The Pollination Project grew up with the spirit of volunteerism in her family. When she was young, she stuffed envelopes for local candidates for her politically active parents. After graduating and moving to San Francisco in 1993, she knew she wanted to work in nonprofits. When those organizations didn’t know how to run a business, however, she earned her degree in MBA for nonprofits at the University of San Francisco so she could bring business savvy into the nonprofit world. “My path has always been to be involved in more entrepreneurial, small-growing nonprofits than as part of a cog in a big wheel in a large nonprofit,” said Alissa, who now lives in El Cerrito, CA. “I really like being able to be close to the work we’re doing.”

Her first job out of graduate school was with Resourceful Women [now called Inspired Legacies], which educates and empowers socially responsible women with wealth to use their money as a tool for social change. Alissa then worked with activist and environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill, whom she helped to develop her body of environmental education through Circle of Life, the organization Hill founded. Circle of Life incubated Engage Network, which develops best practices for engaging people in an issue or cause and consults with large nonprofits on how to engage their members and supporters. One of the programs that Engage Network established was Off the Mat and Into the World, a network of people who do yoga and are engaged in social-change efforts. The project has raised millions of dollars to train leaders and support causes around the world.

Deciding that it was time for a change, Alissa left Engage Network in June 2012. Within days of her exit, Ariel Nessel, who had been a donor for some of the organizations she had run, reached out to her with his idea for The Pollination Project – to give a $1,000 grant a day  to social-change entrepreneurs. “He knew that I liked to start things and build up,” Alissa said. When asked if she could help him set up the foundation, she exclaimed, “I know when something is a ‘yes.’ It was a perfect fit for me.”

Alissa and her husband and son at the Family Block Party, hosted by the Alphabet Rockers, an Oakland, CA-based kids hip-hop band (courtesy of Alissa Houser).

Alissa and her husband and son at the Family Block Party, hosted by the Alphabet Rockers, an Oakland, CA-based kids hip-hop band (courtesy of Alissa Houser).

Spreading more kindness and compassion
Indeed, The Pollination Project’s mission to expand compassion to the planet, people, and animals is closely aligned to Alissa’s philosophy. “What I’m most committed to is creating more kindness and compassion in the world,” she said. “There are so many ways to do it; there are so many ways I have done it. But at the end of the day, I just want to be a person who inspires other people to be nice to one another, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.” In memory of the victims at Sandy Hook, Alissa and one of her friends conducted acts of kindness on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and documented them in an accompanying photo blog. “It was rewarding, but it’s more than just a day,” she countered. “It’s a way of life that I aspire to.”

One important lifestyle decision that Alissa and her husband “deliberately and intentionally” made was to eschew having biological kids and instead adopt through the Contra Costa County foster care system. She and her husband fostered their son, who was seven months at the time, and then adopted him. Alissa is a passionate advocate for the foster care system and the “amazing, heroic people who are in that system raising and caring for kids whom people don’t ever think about.” Through her experience with the system, she has discovered the “profound resiliency” in the children. “Kids want to be awesome; they just want people to give them a chance,” she enthused.

Barn Buddies pairs rescued ponies with foster and adopted kids (courtesy of The Pollination Project).

Barn Buddies pairs rescued ponies with foster and adopted kids (courtesy of The Pollination Project).

Alissa encourages everybody to consider the children in our communities who are already here and who can flourish under our guidance, love, and creativity, and become the President of the United States, doctors, and lawyers. Stigmatized, foster kids are treated as if they’re “broken and damaged goods, but they’re not,” Alissa adamantly says. “I’m really passionate about that.” In April, The Pollination Project funded a program founded by Rachel Pate and Kathy Lee, who have adopted children into their families. Barn Buddies, an equine-assisted therapy program, serves both foster and adopted children in metro Atlanta by pairing them with rescued ponies. The grant will help to build a barn for the ponies.

Finding your passion and purpose
Alissa firmly believes that everyone is given his or her life to do something with it. “Making a difference doesn’t have to be hard,” she contends. “Be clear about who you are, what you have to offer, and what you want to create in the world – and you can bring that to everything you do.” It’s really that simple, according to Alissa. “I do the work I do in the world, but at the end of the day, I could work at Starbuck’s and still have my life be about being kind and having people be nice and be happy,” she said. “It starts with inner intention.”

A protest against fracking (courtesy of The Pollination Project).

A protest against fracking (courtesy of The Pollination Project).

Inner intention to one small step
It may start with inner intention for Alissa and indeed for many of the grantees, but The Pollination Project helps to bring those intentions out into the world. Alissa told me about Tawd Bell and his Divest to Protect project. Tawd is organizing a campaign to get companies and individuals to stop doing business with their local community bank in Columbus, Ohio, unless the bank reneges on its recent pro-fracking investment. “Sometimes, with the issues going on in the world, the big win is made up of a lot of little steps,” she said. “There are so many small, small steps, and the big win is so far off it’s probably not in our generation or our grandchildren’s generation. But you have to take those little steps.”

During the weekly application review, the team questioned whether boycotting one community bank with 200 accounts will make a difference. On the other hand, this bank’s position could be the first of many other local banks’ forays into investments that threaten the environment. “My position is that you have to do something and you have to win something,” Alissa said. And that’s The Pollination Project and Alissa’s philosophy – helping one change-maker, one vision, and one step every day.

Editor’s Note: If you have or someone you know has a project that would be a good candidate for a grant from The Pollination Project, you can access an application here.