Category Archives: Wonder Women

From the Trunk of Her Car to $27 Million

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When Edna Ruth Byler was visiting with women artisans in Puerto Rico in 1946 she couldn’t possibly have imagined that these conversations would spark a global fair trade movement now in its 69th year.

Struck by the overwhelming poverty and believing she could provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries, she got started selling handcrafted products to family and friends in the U.S. out of the trunk of her car.  She would work tirelessly for the next 30 years, in conjunction with the Mennonite Central Committee, connecting individual entrepreneurs — mostly in the Global South — with market opportunities in the U.S.

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It would be a quarter of a century before the first gift and thrift shop, then called SELF-HELP: Crafts of the World, would open in Bluffton, OH and another 15 until sales would reach $3.6 million.  Three years after that, SELF-HELP:  Crafts of the World would help found The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT).

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On its 50th Anniversary, the name would change to Ten Thousand Villages, symbolizing its commitment to community and tradition and its bold hope that one day there would be 10,000 villages offering hand-crafted items to improve the quality of life for the artisans and their families as well as customers.  Since 2008, Ten Thousand Villages has gone on to repeatedly be named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute and has been featured in Forbes Magazine.  Sales now top $27 million annually.

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All because a pioneering businesswoman was  deeply disturbed by overwhelming poverty and moved to take action.  Next time, something catches your attention, remember Edna.  In a hurried world, it’s easy to believe that just getting started, even if it’s out of the trunk of your car, might not be “big enough” to matter.  Like fair and alternative trade, Edna’s story helps me remember that even an effort that starts out small can make a powerful difference in people’s lives.

What’s got your attention?  What’s moving you? 

Photos from the Ten Thousand Villages website. www.tenthousandvillages.com

Among Gentle Giants

 

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Me and trees . . .  I’ve had “a thing” for trees for a long, long time.  As a child, I remember sitting beneath the young silver maples in our yard, which seemed enormous at the time listening to the trees “talk.”

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Hildegard of Bingen, one of the Rhineland mystics and a Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, encourages us to be “strong like a tree,”  according to Matthew Fox in Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times.

I’ve found strength in trees in times of joy, after setbacks, and when setting off on a new course. Here are a few of my most beloved tree friends . . .

My redwood neighbor in Tacoma’s Wright Park:

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A mighty giant reaching for the sky in North America’s only rainforest on the Olympic Penninsula.

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With Flat Stanley at the base of an 1,000 year old Sitka Spruce . . . that would be 1015 A.D. if the sign marker was new, which it’s not.

World's Largest Sitka Spruce

 

On a wintry Illinois day, “being tree.”

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I’m with Hildegard.  “Be strong like a tree.”

In the Spirit of Love

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Wa-hoo!!! Today marks Maher’s 18th Anniversary!!!  The theme for the year is “Clean Self. Clean Maher. Clean Village.  Clean India.”  

Sr. Lucy and all the dear people who founded Maher embody the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King’s quote, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

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Eighteen years ago, they could not have known that Maher would grow to:

  • 34 homes in 3 Indian states,
  • provide care & shelter 1,100 children, women & men on any given day,
  • make it possible for so many children to be the first in their families to attend and complete primary and secondary school,
  • support 530 self-help groups of 10 to 20 members in surrounding villages,
  • inspire people around the world with their commitment to love, interspiritual harmony, & justice.

Maher Sports Day

According to the World Bank, 33% of the world’s economic poverty is in India.  India has more economic poverty than any other country.  Maher is a shining example of Margaret Mead’s famous quotation, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

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On this special day and throughout the month, please pray for and/or send positive thoughts and intentions to Maher.  www.maherashram.org  I also ask that you consider a financial gift to affirm Maher’s bold work in our world.  No gift is too small.  The cost of a flavored coffee drink in the U.S. provides food and shelter for a woman or child for more than two days.  Tax- deductible donations can be made online at:  www.the howleyfoundation.org or by check to The Howley Foundation, 36 Kinsington St., South Burlington, VT, USA 05403.  Sr. Lucy, in concert with the Board, directs the use of all funds based on Maher’s needs.

May your February be filled with peace and beauty.

Love & gratitude,

Sherry