We’d like you to meet Abby Wambaugh. Abby is a marketing manager for an iconic, international travel company. She tweets, writes and loves the mountains. Above any professional goal, her heart desires to see justice in an unjust world. Abby will be contributing seven blog posts in a series called “On the Ground.” The series focuses on real people making a difference through volunteer work. We’re so excited to have Abby contributing to our blog. So, we hope you enjoy the first of seven posts from Abby. With no further ado…

Two years ago two friends drove to meet a man they spoke with on the phone about volunteering to help the homeless. He told them he would take them to a soup kitchen, so they picked him up in front of City Hall in downtown Dallas. When they got to the soup kitchen the man sat down with the homeless and began to eat. Ironically, he too was homeless.

Haylee Ryan and Amanda Page started ministering regularly to the homeless in Dallas in 2008 and are now living in Bend, OR., working for Icon City in an effort to reach the homeless in a state with one of the highest populations of homelessness in the United States.

“The homeless population in Oregon is completely different than Dallas,” Ryan said. “The demographics are young Caucasian people who are sticking it to the man by not getting jobs. Up here the numbers are staggering and it’s almost viewed as cool to be homeless.”

For the year and a half that Ryan and Page worked at Cornerstone in Dallas they formed relationships with the homeless. The first real friendship they formed was with a young couple named Shamika and Lydell who had moved into a local shelter newly built by the city.

“Shamika kept telling us how horrible the conditions were and that she felt safer on the streets,” Page said. “Finally one day she took us to the shelter and it took Haylee and me about a week to get over the shock of seeing the situation. Men and women are not separated and the women are often raped. It was overrun and we could not believe this was our city.”

While ministering in Dallas, they met with an old friend Tim Bach who was moving to Bend, OR, to start Icon City, a church plant and homeless ministry. Bach was once homeless and through the persistent love of a man was able to overcome homelessness and get off the streets. Armed with his inspiring story, overwhelmed heart for the homeless and a string of miraculous events, Icon City was formed and Ryan and Page were brought on as interns.

The two women said one of the most important things they learned in interacting with homeless was from the pastor of Cornerstone in Dallas. He told them to always look a homeless person in the eyes and shake their hand because they deserve it. They are people just like you and me. Ryan is an artist and decided that she wanted to start to draw the people she had met and give them the sketches as a gift.

“I would take my sketch pad there and I would need them to look at me to draw them,” Ryan said. “They could barely look me in the eyes and they had trouble because they were ashamed. Eye contact is very personal. Eye contact was like they were valued. And then I’d give them the sketch and it was like they’d never gotten anything. It would bring tears to their eyes. I’ve painted multiple paintings of them since because they are the most beautiful people, and friends often ask me who the beautiful people in my paintings are and then they are shocked to hear it is a homeless man or woman.”

Page said a lot of the volunteers she and Ryan have encountered are very detached, and they decided from the beginning that they wanted to be different. They wanted to truly form friendships with the homeless.

“We didn’t want an us and them situation, but rather an us situation,” Page said. “There were times when we couldn’t give them a dollar since we ourselves were poor, but friendship seemed to be what they wanted more than anything else. We really felt like they were our real life friends.”

Due to the overwhelming homeless problem in Oregon, there are numerous nonprofits and individuals committed to helping end homelessness; however, Ryan and Page noticed that they often refuse to work together for religious, moral or simply pride reasons. Icon City exists to help bring all the organizations together in a non-hostile way and to create consistent events to help the homeless.

“One thing we’ve noticed is that when it comes to helping homeless there is mostly always one huge event a year or two, but it only helps people for a day or two,” Page said. “Sometimes it forms relationships, but we are trying not to have one big event but to have something ongoing. Something that the entire community and every profession can be involved in, from hair stylists to dentists.”

The women recently sent a letter home to one of their closest homeless friends in Dallas, Larry. They didn’t think he was going to respond and then they received a letter in return.

“In his letter he included two black beaded necklaces that he usually wears around his neck,” Page said. “We have never given him anything and he mailed us these necklaces with a note saying that the necklaces are a sign of love and friendship until we see him again.”

Today we will do something a little bit different. This post will profile another business who is doing some good in the world. We would like to introduce you to Hello Rewind. Simply put, Hello Rewind takes old t-shirts and recycles them into laptop sleeves. Now, you may think that we are covering them for their sustainable ingenuity. Truth be told, the company is much more than that. Hello Rewind is looking to rid the world of sex trafficking, one sleeve at a time.

This is how it works. Hello Rewind works to show victims of sex trafficking that once they are rescued life can go on. Hello Rewind trains and teaches these survivors fundamental skills, like sewing, English and basic business skills. In fact, many of the laptop sleeves are sewn by these very survivors. To top it all off, the company’s profits are recycled back into the business so that it can grow and support more survivors.

Here’s the process:
1. You purchase a laptop sleeve in your laptop size (13″, 15″ or 17″)
2. Hello Rewind will mail you a pre-paid envelope to send in your chosen t-shirt
3. Hello Rewind will sew a custom sleeve using your t-shirt
4. Within 4-8 weeks, your computer will have something new to wear

We love this kind of thinking, a creative way to solve two problems and make a real difference in the world. So, check out Hello Rewind. Maybe you have a naked laptop at home that is in need of a comfy sleeve.

Watch the video and then take part in Love146’s Valentines Day. Love146 offers a few ways to get involved.
1. Send a Valentine to a survivor – let a perfect stranger know that you care.
2. Grow a “Tree of Love” – Set up a tree at work, church, etc. Except donations on behalf of Love146 and every time someone donates you hang another heart on the tree.
3. Celebrate Love – View the “I Shall Not Be Moved” pack for some ideas.
4. Purchase a “I Shall Not Be Moved” t-shirt
5. Send your special someone a Love146 Valentine

The old saying goes “If you love someone, set them free.” Love146 does this everyday. And we love that.

Amy Power

214-618-3318

amy@powerpublicrelations.com

Project 7 Announces Winners of  $105,000 Grand Giveaway

Over 43,000 votes were cast and the consumers have spoken.

(SOUTHLAKE, TX) February 4, 2010 – Over 43,000 people cast their vote for their favorite charities and causes in January, and Project 7 is proud to announce the winners of their first annual Grand Giveaway.

The non-profit winners from each cause category are listed below with a summary of what their funds will provide. Two of the non-profit winners’ projects benefit Haiti, meaning $30,000 is headed to Haiti to help with the relief.

“We are so pleased our consumers chose to make a difference not only with their vote, but also in how they buy. This is why we started Project 7.” says founder Tyler Merrick. “$15,000 means water wells in Uganda and better health for Haitian orphans in this dire time of need. We feel fortunate to be able to provide these much-needed funds to deserving charities.”

Project 7 will continue in their mission to donate at least 50 percent of profits to seven areas of critical need globally. You can purchase Project 7 bio-bottled water, gum, mints and eco-friendly t-shirts at Whole Foods Market, Caribou Coffee and other national retailers and online at shop.project7.com.

Build the Future: HOPE International
HOPE International will provide 300 small loans and training to entrepreneurs who have the skills to run a business but lack access to capital. With loans, clients expand their businesses, increase profits, and break the cycle of extreme poverty for their families.

Feed the Hungry: Blood:Water Mission
Blood:Water Mission will drill three wells in three communities in Northern Uganda, providing clean water for more than 1,000 people, along with training in hygiene and sanitation. These wells will help restore health and hope to these war-torn regions of Uganda.

Heal the Sick: Partners in Health
$38 provides a vulnerable child in Haiti the support he/she needs to overcome their barriers to health. If a child doesn’t have adequate access to food, potable water, or if they simply need help paying for schoolbooks, this grant will bring a better future for 400 orphans and vulnerable children.

Help Those in Need: Stop Child Trafficking Now
The average child predator pays $30 to violate a child for 15 minutes, while same $30 puts a highly trained SCTNow operative team in the field for 15 minutes. $15,000 will send operative teams across the United States and take child predators off the street.

Hope for Peace: Invisible Children
Invisible Children will provide a university scholarship and a mentor to twelve girls in the war torn area of northern Uganda. These scholarships will provide the opportunity for promising young women to become leaders in their community and ensure lasting peace.

House The Homeless: SOS Children’s Villages
SOS Children’s Villages provides loving homes for orphaned children worldwide. This grant will give beds and safe homes to 120 children in Niger, Africa who have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDs and other devastating circumstances.

Save the Earth: Plant With Purpose
Plant With Purpose will plant 15,000 trees and construct 15 miles of soil erosion barriers in Haiti. Together, tree planting and soil conservation replenishes soil, improves crop yields, and allows families to become self-sufficient and transform their lives.

About Project 7

Project 7 is a consumer goods company passionate about social change. The Southlake, Texas company manufactures bio-bottled water, gum, mints and T-shirts. For every purchase of a Project 7 product, the company donates 50 percent of its profits to seven areas of critical need in the world – Build the Future, Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Help Those in Need, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, and Save the Earth.

Project 7 invites consumers to help “Change the Score” by purchasing Project 7 products, volunteering their time, and educating others. To learn more about Project 7 and to purchase Project 7 merchandise, visit www.project7.com. You can also become a fan of Project 7 on Facebook and follow @Project7 on Twitter.

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These ovens harness solar energy and convert it into fuel to conveniently and easily cook food. With so much of the infrastructure of Haiti compromised, these sustainable ways of harnessing the earth’s power may play a big part in stabilizing this hard hit country.

A $40 gift pays for a solar cooker, cooking pot, and WAPI for a Haitian family.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the warm and friendly volunteers. Their energy and joy was infectious. We learned about Mercy Street’s mission and what we were going to be doing that day. Our task was to help set up the meals for the children, sit and converse with one table full of shiny faces and then help with their craft project.

After serving a delicious meal of lasagna, carrots and zucchini bread (Yum!) we each went to a different table to meet the kids. The children at my table were young and bright and completely suspicious of the stranger sitting with them… at least to begin with. We chatted about their lives (by chatted I mean I asked questions and they reluctantly answered back) and school and what Mercy Street meant to them. By the time the meal was over, they had warmed up to me and we were all excited about the quickly approaching craft time.

Our project was simple, or so I thought. We were to create a crown out of construction paper, plates, pipe cleaners, foam sticky things and other accoutrement. I looked around the room and all the other Project 7 employees were attacking the task with the same amount of joy and zeal as the kids. After the allotted crown making time, they held a crown fashion show where the kids got to model their amazing craft feats. As I watched one of the kids from my table gingerly hold this paper crown onto the top of his head, I realized that we had done more than share a meal and do a craft with these kids. We had spent quality time with children that may or may not get that much in their lives, for whatever reason. It reminded me how lucky I was as a kid to have two very loving and devoted parents who always showed me how special I was to them. This day also reminded me that time is one of the most precious things we have to give and give it freely we should. And, as I watched a smiling little boy with an orange paper crown, that I had helped him make, stuck to his head, smile big enough to light up the world, I realized I had done something good that day… and that I was stuck to the table thanks to the glue we had been using.

What will they do with the $15,000?
Watoto will hire and train three full-time Trauma Rehabilitation Field Workers in war-torn Northern Uganda to reintegrate former child soldiers and other war-affected individuals back into society through trauma counseling, education, vocational skills and discipleship.

What do they do?
Since 1994, Watoto has been making a significant impact in the lives of orphaned children and vulnerable women in the southern region of Uganda. In the war-torn region of Northern Uganda, Watoto created a Trauma Rehabilitation Program. At least 100 local volunteers have now completed intensive training in Trauma Counseling.

To learn more or to cast your vote, click here.

What will they do with the $15,000?
Kiva will fund approximately 50 loans (~$300 ea.) to global entrepreneurs. The repayments will then become donations to support Kiva’s operations which can help leverage up to $150k more in loans from the internet community.

What do they do?
Kiva was born of the following beliefs:
• People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
• The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
• By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

To learn more or to cast your vote, click here.

What will they do with the $15,000?
GEMS “Pathways to Healthy Adulthood for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth in New York City” will prepare girls who have been victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking with the supports, opportunities and services for school, life, and work.

What do they do?
Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) recognizes that victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking require a trauma-based treatment approach which acknowledges the high level of trauma and violence they have experienced as young people involved in the commercial sex industry. GEMS uses a strengths-based positive youth development approach that recognizes their resiliency, their strength, and their potential to develop into fully engaged, economically independent adults.

To learn more or to cast your vote, click here.

What will they do with the $15,000?
Blood:Water Mission will drill three wells in three communities in Northern Uganda, providing clean water for over 1000 people along with training in hygiene and sanitation. These wells will help restore health and hope to these war-torn regions of Uganda.

What do they do?
Blood:Water Mission provides clean water to the war-torn regions of Lira District in Northern Uganda. After 2 decades of conflict, families are returning to their homes. But the conflict has destroyed basic infrastructure, and communities are without even basic things like clean water. Many walk for miles to fill buckets from rivers while others collect it from springs trampled and polluted by cattle and other livestock.

To learn more or to cast your vote, click here.