Be the Change

Growing up, I didn’t think one person could make a real difference in the world, unless you were perhaps Mother Teresa or the Dalai Lama. I was about to turn 50 years old when I realized how mistaken I was.

That same year, our son’s seventh-grade class participated in a philanthropic project that was interwoven through their entire curriculum. The education we all received about nonprofit organizations, and their influence had a far-reaching impact beyond the classroom and into our lives.

Our family in Machu Picchu, Peru

In late 2008 early 2009 our family traveled to both Peru and the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador. They are truly phenomenal places to visit, and I encourage each of you to go should you have the chance--you won’t be disappointed.

Throughout our adventures there, we reveled in the innate beauty of the region but wrestled with the hunger and poverty endured by so many of its’ people. Myself an artist, I noticed the wealth of creative talent passed down through generations, and knew that given the right circumstances, it could be their means to a better life.

Realizing, but for an accident of birth, it could have been me living under similar conditions, I arrived home no longer the same person as before I left. For three tumultuous months after returning home I was extremely depressed.

This mother of two is also
a very talented weaver

As a mother I connected strongly with the women there whom I had met. We learned that many were the sole providers for their families, and had been affected by atrocities such as illness, spousal abuse, war, unemployment, and death. Sadly, their situations were not unique, as similar circumstances exist throughout the world.

I simply could no longer go about my life without doing something to help my global sisters.

Shopping for a Change® was developed to empower these talented women and their impoverished communities, with means to transform their standards of living in economically sustainable ways.  In addition to paying the artisans for their creations, Shopping for a Change® splits the net proceeds from your purchases in two ways: we fund Community Improvement Projects abroad with our focus on clean water, health care, and education; and also give back domestically through donations to participating U.S.-based nonprofit organizations.

We hope you’ll shop with us frequently, and share us with friends and family. Every purchase you make touches the lives of those around the world who handcrafted it.  As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, you may make tax-deductible donations to support our cause.  Thank you for your support! 

Warm regards,
Stacey
www.shoppingforachange.org