Beth Shepherd, Photographer, Launches Card Collection to Benefit Emerge

Posted by Alia on Wednesday, June 11, 2008

In Spring 2007, Beth Shepherd read about Emerge online. The next thing she knew, Beth made her way to Sri Lanka as a volunteer.

While volunteering in Sri Lanka, Beth visited an Emerge jewelry workshop. She is now launching her new collection of cards to benefit Emerge, entitling it "The Colour of Hope." Her website describes her experience with Emerge:

http://www.bethshepherd.com/page10.htm

On her flyer promoting the cards, she describes Emerge as demonstrating the "true meaning of hope":

"The Gift of Hope

This card collection has been inspired by the colours of Sri Lanka during a recent trip there, and symbolizes the feminine colours of life, joy and hope. I have therefore linked these cards with ‘Emerge’, a charity I worked with whilst I was there, which has shown me the true meaning of hope, and that it is possible for any of us to achieve things far greater than we have imagined.

Emerge, is small, non profit, charity project set up by Alia Whitney-Johnson, and works directly with young teenage mothers who have been survivors of rape and incest. Emerge has spent the last few years working with these young girls creating a safe and supportive community for them to live in, and offering them the gift of hope by teaching them art jewellery making. The Jewellery is then sold on behalf of the girls with all profits going directly to each girl individually. Emerge has turned these young girls lives around and has helped them to create financial security and independence, as well as building their sense of self worth and self reliance, offering them hope for their future.

Emerge is currently raising the money needed to expand the community the girls live in to give them a better quality of life and more freedom. 10% from the sales my cards will go directly to Emerge." Read more »

Announcing Our New Emerge Sri Lanka Team

Posted by Alia on Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Four incredible women will pack their bags and head to Sri Lanka in September 2008: Ellen Sojka, Lauren O'Toole, April Wachtel, and Karen Noiva.

Ellen Sojka- Emerge Sri Lanka Director- Ellen has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and minors in Management and Chemistry from MIT. From her involvement in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, as well as MIT's Panhellenic Society, Ellen has developed a passion for empowering women and promoting women's issues. Ellen began working with Emerge in October, 2007, as the Emerge Finance Director. She has deferred Teach For America to move to Sri Lanka as Emerge's Sri Lanka Director, where she will oversee all of Emerge's activities in Sri Lanka, including expansion of the Bead Program and the development of the Emerge Village Project. In her spare time, Ellen loves going to musicals, yoga, and reading fiction.

Lauren O'Toole- Emerge Community Director-Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University. In her senior thesis, she studied gender stereotypes and the impact of youth groups on the development of confidence and self-efficacy. She is excited about the mission of Emerge and is passionate about using entrepreneurship to empower women and fight poverty. While in Sri Lanka, she will be the advocate for all with whom Emerge works. She will study the impact that Emerge has on the women involved, research other successful community programs, seek out new beneficiaries, and build needed partnerships. Lauren enjoys traveling, foreign cultures and cuisines, recreational skiing, running, soccer, Salsa dancing, psychology, and reading non-fiction.


April Wachtel- Emerge Creative Director- April has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University, where she also focused on communications, writing, languages, and logic. April spent 2004 to 2006 working in fine dining restaurants and finding her intellectual path through a wide range of internships. In 2006, she discovered the Hundred Dollar Laptop project at MIT, and became enamored by the thought that simple design+ strategy+ amazing people can solve world problems. Inspired by the project, she entered the Massachusetts College of Art’s (MassArt) Industrial Design Certificate program. April is thrilled to be working with Emerge, eager to combine her creative and business interests to serve others. As the Emerge Creative Director, April will carry Emerge's mission forward, expanding the Emerge Bead Program and working on Emerge's general programming.

Karen Noiva- Sustainability Coordinator - Karen has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT with a concentration in Sustainable Design. She approaches engineering as a way to balance human needs with environmental concerns as well as the growing disparity between those with access to technology and those who don't. She first became interested in Emerge in 2006 when living with Alia and was touched by the stories of the girls and how such a seemingly small thing as stringing brightly-colored beads on a necklace could be such a positive force of change in their lives. She became involved in December 2007 through her work on the architecture of the Emerge Village Project. This fall, Karen will coordinate the next steps of Emerge Village Project's physical design, investigating local materials, collecting information about the building site and surrounding community, and identifying opportunities for environmentally conscious technologies like solar power and rainwater harvesting. Read more »

Alia Whitney-Johnson is Featured Charitable Person on Thinkgiving.com

Posted by Alia on Saturday, May 24, 2008

Thinkgiving.com "is a resource for locating charities that are created and managed by young people, celebrities and truly creative and caring individuals." In May 2008, Alia was listed as their Featured Charitable Person. (see: http://www.thinkgiving.com/charity/charitable-people/) Read more »

Thank you for your kind words!

Posted by Alia on Wednesday, May 07, 2008

I cannot begin to describe the outpouring of support that flooded my email box after the Boston Globe article. Thank you all for your enthusiasm! It is words like yours that keep us going. I thought I'd share with you all some of the wonderful feedback we have received:

"Thank you for making this big impersonal world a smaller, more compassionate one.”

“Great programs & initiatives get recognition when there is great leadership, great vision, and excellent execution of the ideas.”

“I am proud to support such an organization.”

"It is a beautiful the kind of community you will have created for these girls"

"your story is inspiring! And the jewelry is beautiful."

With much love to our entire Emerge community,

Alia
Read more »

Boston Globe Article!

Posted by Ellen on Thursday, April 24, 2008

Today Emerge was featured on the front page of the Lifestyle section in the Boston Globe, and the outpouring of support has been truly inspirational. I can't tell you how many emails I've received from people supporting our organization. The emails usually come in one of three forms:

1) I want to buy jewelry but you're Etsy store is sold out!! Help!

2) You guys are great! Keep on saving the world!

3) You guys are great AND I want to buy jewelry!

For those of you in the first camp, my advice is (1) check the Etsy site again ... we are posting products as fast as we can and (2) if you're in the Boston area, come to our Mother's Day Sale on May 2nd and 7th. We're getting a brand-new shipment of jewelry soon, and will have much more inventory at that time. In addition, thank you for supporting our cause. It's through the sale of jewelry that Emerge has been able to have a positive impact in the lives of over 60 Sri Lankan teenage mothers.

For those of you in the second camp, thank you for your support. I got involved with Emerge a little over 7 months ago, and my heart and soul has truly been poured into this project. Your encouragement and positive reinforcement is a perfect example of the type of community that Emerge is aiming to build in Sri Lanka and between Sri Lanka and the United States.

Finally, for those of you in the third camp, you're my rockstars. Keep spreading the word about Emerge!



All my best,
Ellen Sojka Read more »