Helping Haiti: Lessons in Love, Jewelry and Making a Difference

Never underestimate some cast-off jewelry and a bunch of fourth-grade girls.

This is the story of how trash became treasure and a life-changing moment for some girls in Indiana and in Haiti.

What started as a simple project for our Junior Girl Scout Jeweler Badge became an act of love and a major fundraising effort for scholarships for children at our mission church in Haiti.

Yes, our girls learned about creating unique designs from unwanted necklaces, but they learned more. They learned about how seemingly small efforts can build together and make a difference.

Our assignment? Design a necklace for yourself and one other person (meeting two of our badge requirements, one to make a piece of jewelry, and the other to make one to share.)

I was floored when one girl asked if we could sell them for Haiti. And even more so when the rest of the troop agreed.

What began as a simple scrapbook paper and Modge-Podge project became a whirlwind of activity. Nearly 200 necklaces were created for a sale to benefit our Hearts for Haiti program, which in part provides scholarships for children to attend school.

The girls started with a dream: Raise money for Haiti.

And then it grew.

Inspired by their idea and business lessons from another jewelry company that helps out disenfranchised women in Africa, the troop set pricing, learned about marketing (as in, no we don't need a website for a one-time sale, but there are better ways to spread the word), and set a business goal.

They dreamt big.

It was a reach, but we hoped to sell enough necklaces to raise enough for three scholarships for students in Haiti. Our eye-opening moment: A year's tuition was a mere $300 compared to American standards. 

We didn't quite make the full three scholarships, but we were inspired. And inspired others. Tens and twenties were dropped in the donation jar and as the church service times passed, our goal reached higher....

Four services later, these girls raised more than $700 - allowing for two students to attend school worry-free for a year. We're proud. But we're even prouder of the kids in their class, when the results were announced at school, who want to something too.

Green birthdays in a pink-and-purple world

"My pink birthday." "My purple birthday." Turning the big 3 has been the talk of the house for the last few weeks. OK, months.

Birthdays and Christmas has always conjured up images of piles of plastic packaging, wrapping paper, tissue, bows and about 4,000 wires to tie every possible moving component in place. As my baby becomes much less so, I fear that's a trend that just won't quit any time soon.

Take my friend's son's birthday last weekend, where no less than 15 neighbor children crowded the place with presents galore. (The interesting thing was he was far more interested in the interactive stuff or even a book on submarines than the action-hero equipment that would likely break within days.)

Our own gift-giving for our child has been obscenely practical - this week, she'll receive PJs and shirts from us, chapstick (a huge deal for preschoolers!) and ponytail holders from the baby, with the "big gift" being an apron and chef hat for my budding cook. It's been hard convincing others that my child doesn't know what she wants for gifts - she doesn't know she has that choice! - and that she isn't big on any cartoon or other marketing character. It's not like we visit the toy aisle at Target, or watch Saturday morning cartoons. Yes she knows Elmo, Dora and High School Musical (thanks, Aunt Stacy), but she doesn't have to have them in her eyes yet.

My sitter: What would she like for her birthday? Does she like Dora?

Me: Well, I guess she likes it, but she hasn't really asked for anything.

Sitter: (Confused expression.)

Me: Honestly, she likes my scrapbooking stuff to play art with. Or cooking.

Sitter: Oh, does she like toy dishes to pretend?

Me: No, she likes the real thing.

Sitter: (Silence).

Me: She always likes to cook with me, and she also likes playing with her "baby 'matoes" in the garden too.

Sitter: (Pauses.) Well, maybe I'll get her some Crayola stuff.

Excellent!! In fact, nothing would please her more than things that tap into her creativity, particularly if it will divert her from trying to experiment with the ink-stamps-on-carpet look again.

My in-laws, however, were determined that she needed a little toy kitchen. Aside of the huge amount of space that one of those things take, I was a little concerned. After all, kids' interests change so quickly. Not to mention, where do little plastic toy kitchens go once they're outgrown? They have to go somewhere. As they sent us the money, we ended up going to a used kids' store, where we found the ultimate kitchen in her eyes. ("Mommy, let's take this home," she uttered breathlessly as we saw the kitchen from the store's doorway.) One kitchen saved from the landfill, and we had enough left over to buy some dishes - real ones and pretend - and she's been slaving away at such culinary creations as strawberry soup, salads and cupcakes all weekend since.

It's one little - or in this case - large thing I can do to foster my child's imagination and still make a small difference toward the massive amounts of junk we create each day. So maybe my daughter's "pink birthday" isn't the greenest in the sense we won't have spudware or recyclable plates. But by thinking creatively in our gift giving (and reusing those gift bags and tissue papers just one more time) we're taking one small step.

The 'natural world?' What?

Are we becomming more disconnected from the natural world? Yes, suggests the Wall Street Journal's Juggle blog today.

This isn't a question of urban and suburban life. Technology is playing a role as well. Remember the summers spent outdoors? They've been replaced by Wiis and television. Our evenings are spent attached to American Idol, to our iPods, to our A/C.

It's little wonder that national park attendance has been declining over the last several years. People are ceasing to see the simple value of the outdoors.

When we moved, we made the conscious decision to select a neighborhood to close proximity to a large park and walking trails. My toddler whines about not weeding our garden or hula-hooping in our backyard. And any family celebration is cause to eschew a restaraunt in favor of a party in the local park.

Years ago, in my reporter life, I wrote about how the Shawnee Mission School District in Johnson County, Kansas, created nature preserves that were so well-received and provided an educational boost for the students. Taking a similar approach, even on a smaller level, could make such a difference in our children's understanding and acceptance of taking care of our environment.

It's easy to get back in touch with the "natural world," and so essential in helping our children develop a true sense of what life is about. Technology is great, but it doesn't beat a summer breeze.