I have the absolute blessing of helping Shelley and Corrigan Clay and their amazing work with the Apparent Project in Haiti. This artisan program, only one year old, began with just a handful of artists beading necklaces. It has now grown into a vibrant, successful program in which 30+ artists work to create beautiful items, and as a result, now have ways to raise their family, put food on the table, save money to rebuild earthquake-destroyed homes and send children to school.
What’s really special about this program is that all of the proceeds of the jewelry sales go directly to the artisan himself/herself. And, the jewelry pieces are beautiful unique, featuring handmade beads from recycled cereal boxes. Today I’d like to introduce you to Leo:
Several of the kids in our feeding program have become experts at making paper bead necklaces. When we first met Leo, he was scavenging the neighborhood for food. His father is disabled and he has largely had to fend for himself. He is proving to be a real leader amongst his peers and hopes to use the funds from his beading to go to school.
Picture your son, your nephew, your grandson, the neighbor boy who delivers your newspaper – that’s Leo. Except he doesn’t have the support of family and society. He doesn’t concern himself with whether he should ride his bike, or take his skateboard to soccer practice. He hasn’t eaten 3 square meals today, or yesterday, or the day before. At a tender age he has the burden of working just to support himself, his disabled father and to pay for school.
As you approach this Christmas season, what sorts of gifts will you place under the tree? Meaningful, significant, beautiful ones that change lives? Here’s a few of Leo’s beautiful jewelry. Buying one necklace is more than enough for Leo and his father to eat for an entire week. If you’d like to purchase Leo’s jewelry, I’d be happy to ship it out to you right away.
Leo1 ($5) - Leo2 ($5) - Leo3 ($5) - Leo4 ($5)
Leo5 (13", $16) - Leo6 (17", $20) - Leo7 (18.5", $20)
