tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63228633282137870462008-08-09T12:14:11.834-04:00Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00850088197731981819noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-16230197583636865092008-08-09T11:41:00.006-04:002008-08-09T12:14:11.848-04:00

I knew the event in West Lafayette I had been planning for months was going to turn out well when at 7:15 PM, fifteen minutes before the scheduled start time, I saw people walking in the door. Although it meant I had a little less time to put the last–minute finishing touches on my presentation, it was fabulous to see people so excited to come that they arrived early! I was born and raised in

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00506646675273070802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-897909772044534932008-06-11T16:09:00.005-04:002008-06-11T16:26:05.305-04:00

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

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-87672143737645496182008-05-27T17:00:00.001-04:002008-06-11T17:42:55.316-04:00

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

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-66547544348638890922008-05-24T18:15:00.001-04:002008-06-11T18:17:59.976-04:00

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/)

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-40608071504703472352008-05-07T13:30:00.000-04:002008-06-11T18:40:50.915-04:00

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

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-86447290267814784842008-04-24T20:48:00.004-04:002008-04-24T20:59:23.006-04:00

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

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00506646675273070802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-47620833887618148902008-04-20T15:25:00.000-04:002008-06-11T15:35:36.754-04:00

Alia Whitney-Johnson presented at the MIT Global Poverty Initiative Millennium Campus Conference on April 18-20 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The conference, which hosted other speakers such as Senator John Edwards, Administrator Henrietta Fore, Dr. Paul Farmer, and Amy Smith, aimed to motivate, inspire, and educate students to tackle the many facets of global poverty. Alia was one of 6 students

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-4118980181409449552008-04-15T18:20:00.001-04:002008-06-17T09:34:49.915-04:00

Ellen and Alia were invited guests to the April 12, 2008 85 Broads conference held at BU. Through their table at the event, the discussed Emerge's activities and mission and solicited support for Emerge's activities. Perhaps most excitingly, they met Lauren O'Toole, the BU Chapter Co-President, who will be working with Emerge in Sri Lanka, beginning Fall 2008!

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-36232016025901861792008-04-13T09:30:00.002-04:002008-06-17T09:33:15.503-04:00

By Charlotta Chung, Emerge Volunteer I came back from Sri Lanka almost 3 months ago, but every day something reminds me of the remarkable girls I came to love in only a month’s time. Whenever I get dressed for the day, I put on a piece of Emerge jewelry and think about the girl who made it. When I turn on my computer, I see the group picture we took, right before we had to say good-bye, and

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-50038392807573972982008-04-08T17:00:00.001-04:002008-06-11T15:48:41.506-04:00

Alia Whitney-Johnson, Emerge Executive Director, and Ellen Sojka, Emerge Business Director, presented at the Leadership Training Institute on April 6, 2008. "The goal of the Leadership Training Institute is to teach motivated high school students the philosophy behind leadership, the importance of teamwork, and to promote self-reflection and the comprehension of self-identity." (http://

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-83354397535798921882008-03-12T20:00:00.001-04:002008-06-11T17:56:07.069-04:00

On March 11, 2008 Ellen and Alia were the featured guests at the Innovation Dinner Series, hosted by the Harvard College Entrepreneurship Forum. After a short presentation on Emerge, the students joined Alia and Ellen in a discussion about entrepreneurship and new models for social change. Since the discussion, Emerge has been mentioned in at least two entrepreneurship blogs: Xconomy: http://

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-48233887379143654482008-01-22T18:44:00.000-05:002008-06-11T18:46:28.994-04:00

3 different languages: Sinhala, English, and Sign Language. The workshop was alive beyond the structure that any one language could impose. On this hot and humid Monday, the girls who I had trained over the past two years transformed into teachers for 25 other young women from a variety of backgrounds. The table was full…full of beads and supplies, hearing aids and crutches, small children and

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-32423225902864664722008-01-21T09:20:00.001-05:002008-06-17T09:26:02.293-04:00

"Emerge Snapshot" By Dilini Warnakulasuriyarachchi, Emerge Volunteer The 21st January of 2008 is a day that would forever stay with me in my memory. It began as any other day. Early morning rush to get ready for another day and another meeting. Yet, there was an underlying excitement as well. This was the day I finally got to meet the girls at Ma-Sevana. I have heard many stories about various

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-88983531590685355592008-01-08T11:00:00.002-05:002008-06-11T15:56:07.421-04:00

As I glance over Sarasi's shoulder to look at her long, colorful necklace, I feel a tug at my back pocket. "Auntie, auntie." I turn around and glance down to Yohan, my three-year-old trouble maker. His hair is oiled and his apricot and maroon daycare uniform is neatly pressed. His bow tie (yes, bow tie) is cheerful like his smile. He has managed to escape from daycare next door. He looks up with

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-57696713796089971632008-01-04T22:00:00.000-05:002008-01-04T22:53:56.995-05:00

I am filled up to the brim with joy. No, I am bursting at the seams. It's uncontainable (hence, my second post in one day). I got to see each and every one of my wonderful, incredible, inspiring, persevering girls. My children. My sisters. My family. I squeezed them and played games with them and stuffed my face with chocolate cake with them. Two boys sat on my lap, one on each leg. Another girl

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-9450098990321257642008-01-03T22:42:00.000-05:002008-01-04T22:45:00.299-05:00

4:45am Thursday morning. I arrived in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka felt calm. Somehow, it didn't overwhelm my senses as usual. I'm not sure if this is the result of growing acclimation to Sri Lanka or if in fact it was more mild than usual. But whatever the reason, it was calm and welcoming, and all the fears and anxieties that had surfaced on the 32+ hour transit subsided as I found myself at home.

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-40969474315831613872007-12-28T08:48:00.001-05:002008-06-17T08:51:19.754-04:00

By Nirukshi de Lanerolle, Edited by Nadiya de Lanerolle As the Emerge Bead Program Coordinator and Sarvodaya’s Donor Relations Manager it had always been my deepest desire to share the beauty of Christmas holidays with the lovely children I work with just as I share it with my loved ones. For many of the young girls and boys, the concept of Santa Claus was an alien one, until a few days ago.

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-10772621728718531392007-12-17T22:00:00.001-05:002008-06-11T16:08:14.351-04:00

Happy holidays! Thank you all for making our MIT sale a success! Our best sale yet, we made over $5300! Many of you have contacted me to ask how you can purchase jewelry from other parts of the US (and, in fact, other parts of the world), and the great news is that we plan to start marketing online, hopefully by the end of January 2008. There are other ways you can continue your involvement with

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-68734298643065652742007-11-29T17:00:00.001-05:002008-06-11T16:41:45.918-04:00

On November 28, 2007, Alia presented “Emerge: A Tool for Transformation” at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC). Serving more than 8,500 individuals in 2007, "the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), established in 1973, was one of the first rape crisis centers in the United States to advocate for and support survivors of sexual assault" (http://www.barcc.org/whoweare.html

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-68926692851459460852007-10-21T08:55:00.000-04:002008-06-17T09:09:30.553-04:00

MIT's Women's Independent Living Group (WILG) has added a new dimension to Emerge: young women helping other young women. Nearly half of the 45 members of the women’s living group signed up to provide a girl at Ma-Sevana with a birthday shopping trip, a personalized card, and a small gift. In honor of her birthday, each girl will now get to go shopping and pick out a present of her choice, the

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-51629607549937641802007-09-18T11:00:00.000-04:002008-06-17T09:11:21.624-04:00

On September 17th, 2007 the Sri Lanka Bead Coordinator, Nirukshi, took past and current members of Ma-Sevana along with their children for a day out by the Bolgoda Lake in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. The girls greeted her early in the morning, anxiously awaiting their trip. Nirukshi worked with “Janakaraliya,” a local theater troupe, to organize games and activities for the day. Janakaraliya created

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-18434856785326302222007-08-01T23:58:00.000-04:002008-06-11T16:03:28.414-04:00

I would like to welcome our new Bead Program Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Nirukshi de Lanerolle! We are are so lucky to have her working with us. Nirukshi brings compassion to everything she does. She is not only the mother of her 21 year old daughter, but a mother figure to countless more in Sri Lanka through her work with orphanages and children's programs across the country. In the past, she has

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-4987760827001543692007-05-01T14:00:00.000-04:002008-01-04T23:54:46.986-05:00

13 years old. Imprisoned with female criminals. Pregnant with her father's child. Handcuffed and abused, physically and verbally in the prison system. Forced to testify for years against her own family. Doesn't she too deserve a home? What about education? Respect? Community? She hasn't had ownership over anything in her life...not even her own body. I want to help her and many others in her

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-53932596666714329452007-04-29T12:00:00.000-04:002008-01-04T23:48:30.166-05:00

There is nothing like having such a tiny country go to the cricket world cup to build a sense of pride and spirit in Sri Lanka. Everywhere I turned, there were signs pasted on store doors reading "Sri Lankans are winners!" There was a buzz in the air. Every Sri Lankan was sure they would beat Australia. I was a bit dubious, but of course enjoyed being scooped up in the enthusiastic atmosphere.

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322863328213787046.post-38944330963370157662007-04-20T01:17:00.000-04:002008-01-04T23:17:34.508-05:00

I feel so behind in my updates... They are all bottled up inside, waiting to be poured out onto paper. I don't know where to begin. Do I tell you about the Sinhala New Year celebrations? Or the little boy with whom I spent a good 20 minutes exchanging funny faces? Or the family who lives on the street corner? Or updates from Ma-Sevana? This email will be a bit of a sketch, painting small images

Aliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318756180050633015noreply@blogger.com