Markets and Partnerships!

Hey all!

Here's a little recap of the past couple of events we've had over the last two months. Get excited! :)

For the second time, Milwaukee's Newest Artisans had their own booth at the Wauwatosa Farmer's Market on August 4th. They sold 35 baskets, and made a combined total of $632 . Looks like they are still kickin' booty!

Just crochetin' and chillaxin'

The baskets with the blue bags have been a hit!

The women were also invited to be the Featured Artists at the Silver City International Festival held on September 8th and were even paid a small stipend for participating!  They sold 23 baskets and earned $387!  Thank you to our friends at Layton Boulevard West Neighbors for the invitation. 

It was a great day to be alive!

In other news, we're excited to announce that the women's baskets can now be found in two more local stores... Milwaukee Home, located in the Third Ward, and The Waxwing which is located on the East Side. Both stores are pretty rad and we are grateful for their partnerships.

Yes, we are ALWAYS in need of plastic bags, so please continue to save them for us! The women's number one request is for more and more plastic bags. It keeps them busy, their minds occupied, and fills them with hope. Yes, just a simple plastic bag. :) 

We also just completed our first fiscal year, so we'll have an update soon about the impact you all have made!

As always, thank you for your support!

A Sweet Summer of Updates

When summer in Milwaukee rolls around, we better make good use of it! And so far, we sure have.

On June 2nd, the women of Milwaukee's Newest Artisans ran their first booth at the Tosa Farmer's Market.  They were up and ready to go by 5:30am! Needless to say I think they were quite excited. :)

It was an awesome day, one where I truly believed the women realized their potential and were amazed at how many people loved what they are doing. In just 4 hours, they sold 34 baskets, 1 outdoor mat, and earned a combined total of $792...every single penny going back to the artisans. They left that farmer's market with not only money in their pockets, but with a new hope in knowing the possibilities that lie before them. Thank you to everyone who came out to support them!

Their booth looks pretty good!

The artisans....as always...busy working. :)

On June 10th, thanks to Devon Liebl and Lizzy Bauer, we were able to take some kiddos to see the movie Show Dogs. Not gonna lie, it was a pretty funny movie. Adults you would like it too!

Time to see some Show Dogs!

The women also had a booth at World Refugee Day this year. Here we were able to raise more awareness not only within the refugee community, but with locals of downtown as well. The women sold another 21 items and walked away with $407 in earnings! Boomshakalaka!

Looks like the little man was the boss for this booth!

 The 2nd Annual Milwaukee Run for Refugees was a huge success. For more pictures and details, check out other blog post specifically about the run. We had 72 participants and raised over $1600 which we will be using to help out local refugee families. Not to mention we were blessed with such gorgeous weather!

At the start line!

Explaining the course route :)

The women have continued to meet on Fridays and have been cranking out baskets like crazy! They are also beginning to make tote bags AND backpacks! It's clear they're gearing up for the next Tosa Farmer's Market this Saturday, August 4th. Stop by and say hello...they'll be crocheting and learning how to run this booth on their own one day! :)

Her kitchen is where she clearly does her work!

We're excited to share that we'll be partnering with a few new local stores in the upcoming months. More on that to come....And as always, thank you for all of your support!

2nd Annual Milwaukee Run for Refugees!

We could not have asked for a more perfect day for the Milwaukee Run for Refugees this year. Beautiful weather, delicious food from all over the globe, and a bunch of pretty awesome people...what more could we ask for?!
 
Here are a few pics that captured the day.....

A big thanks to Carly for working the registration table!

On your mark.....get set.....

Goooooooooooo!

This year we had 72 participants which included 30 of our newest American friends. We had a lot of children participate and one of the little guys from the Congo almost ran the entire 3 miles of the race. It was unbelievable!

They were honestly all speedracers!

The women who are a part of Milwaukee's Newest Artisans were able to showcase their baskets and walked away with a few good sales from the day...AND more plastic bags that were brought by all of you!

These baskets were pretty darn quick to sell!  :)

Because of all of YOU, we raised a little over $1600 this year and will be using it to help local refugee families with different needs and for various activities for the children; to give them the opportunity to experience things they may not otherwise have the chance to.

He was cruisin!

 Thank you so much to everyone who supported the event and made this day possible. You know who you are! :) We were so blessed to have such a great turnout and we're already looking forward to next year! Start praying for great weather!

What a bunch of good lookin' people!

                                                www.whynotnowmissions.org

Plastic Bags! They're pretty darn useful....

 Who would have thought collecting plastic bags could be so much fun?! Our newest neighbors have saved over 5,000 bags so far from going into the landfill, AND have had a blast doing it!

We're very blessed to be working with many great people in the community who have opened their doors to us.  In the beginning of April, Cloud 9 Workshop welcomed us into their studio which gave local community members the chance to meet their refugee neighbors and learn more about the work they are doing. The women were awesome teachers and were happy to be using their skills to share with others!

Thank you again to Cloud 9!

At the end of April, the women were the featured artists at Four Corners of the World for the West Vliet Street Art Walk. They were kind of a big deal! They crocheted the day away and raised awareness about how they are doing their part to save the earth and using plastic bags to create something beautiful!

Featured Artists - No Big Deal  :)

Working Hard!

The women also made an appearance at a local Milwaukee school where they demonstrated to the kids the endless possibilities of making different items using plastic bags. We had a lovely interpreter, the kids asked some great questions, and the women were thrilled to be sharing their skills with kids who were eager to learn.

Some of the kids have already made jump ropes and headbands using plastic bags!

 Currently the women have sold 90 baskets for a combined total of $2,078 with every single penny going to the them!

https://www.whynotnowmissions.org/impact-to-date/

In other news, we had our first refugee planning committee meeting to prepare for Milwaukee's 2nd Annual Run for Refugees...we were doing so much planning, we almost walked out without paying our bill! Whoops!

Yes, planning can be fun, but we should still pay the bill!  :)

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to support our mission!
It's been a spectacular spring.......here's to an even better summer!

www.whynotnowmissions.org

March Madness in Nepal!

 My journey to Nepal was extra special this time (yes, of course because of the free adult beverages on the plane) but also because my dear friend Katie was able to join me as well. I'm thinking the trip was extra great for her too since she got to hang out with me 24/7.  :)

We weren't even using a selfie stick! :)

Traveling with Katie was awesome...for many reasons. It was one of the bigger trips she's taken in her lifetime and she embarked on this journey across the world with no expectations and an open heart. What more could anyone ask for?!

With a new pair of eyes, she offered me a fresh perspective on familiar people and places. Once again while in Nepal, time seemed to slow down and the present moment was where we always seemed to find ourselves.

Hanging with the fams!

Katie also brought along some great energy and ideas that we were able to implement in the classroom.  From positive affirmations, to mindfulness, to yoga poses, and a little piece of herself that she left with them, I'm pretty sure the kids had a blast and didn't want her to leave. I had to remind them that I was still there for a few more days and also pretty cool...just in case they forgot!  :)

Yoga time! :)

While in the classroom, we also discussed with the children their educational aspirations for the years ahead.  We talked about the importance of a higher education and began to plant the seed of why graduating from high school and college is so important.  They understood the visuals we showed them about how education directly correlates with families being lifted out of poverty. In turn, they had some excellent questions and thoughts to contribute to the discussion.

Class 6 guys...they are growing SO. FAST!

Ladies of Class 6  :)

I also wanted to give you a little update on everything we were able to do on this past trip in Nepal because of  all of YOU who continue to support the kids. As they get older, the children are starting to better understand the support that they receive and that people across the world believe in them and their education. So, thank you so much!

We were able to provide the children and families of Maitidevi Boarding High School the following:

• 10 - children provided with scholarships for this past year.
•  6 - children provided with books for this upcoming school year (beginning at the end of April)
•  5 - children provided with uniforms for this upcoming year
•  5 - children provided with backpacks for this upcoming year
•  4 - families who received assistance to subsidize the costs of books and uniforms, medical bills, and daily living expenses.

Scholarship recipients....aka Tough guys ;)

A few more of the scholarship recipients :)

I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Nepal going on for 4 years now, and have started to notice a reoccurring theme. The children attending Maitidevi Boarding High School take a great sense of responsibility in wanting to improve their country's education system and make their nation a better place to live. In almost every discussion, and without my prompting, they always bring up their desire to make their country better in every way possible...especially for the poor and those who are discriminated against. At such a young age, their determination to make such a positive impact in the lives of others is unbelievable.

Each one of these kiddos is full of an incredible amount of potential and they are going to continue to do spectacular things, whether that be for their country or on a larger global scale....who can say. It's only a matter of time though and I'm excited to see what's in store for them!

New artwork at the school, designed by the kids. :)

The kids continue to inspire me in more ways than they will ever know. And they always remind me that I, too, have a responsibility as well. With all that I've been given, how can I use my blessings to make this world a better place?  As I departed Nepal this last time, I was grateful for the 24 hour journey home, because clearly I had a lot to pray about. :)

Currently Why Not Now Missions is working on putting together a more formal sponsorship program in order to keep the scholarship recipients inspired and motivated to succeed. In the future years to come, we will also be offering more organized trips to Nepal. In the meantime, we are always open to new ideas and would love to hear your feedback! 

www.whynotnowmissions.org

A Season of Joy

Hey everyone!

This is the first blog post on behalf of our new nonprofit, Why Not Now Missions, that we recently started. In due time, we'll move these blog post over to our website. But for now, we'll hope you enjoy our first update for the year 2018! 

February was a busier month than we were anticipating.....but God did a lot of amazing things and so we wanted to share them with you.

On February 3rd, an amazing parishioner of St.Robert's Parish invited the Congolese women to showcase and sell their handmade baskets after a Saturday evening church service. This was their first event and it was clear that they absolutely loved it!  Within 15 minutes, they sold 13 baskets and earned a combined total of $350.  Most importantly though, they left that church praising God, their hearts were full, and we know they were filled with a new hope and strength.

If you can't tell, she was quite happy....

As of February 28th, the women have sold 60 baskets and have a total combined earnings of $1,506 which is more than we ever thought possible! We hope to be invited to more churches this year and also hope to be participating in a farmer's market this summer as well.

On February 16th, we held our first event for the year.....a Pub Crawl for Nepal in good ole Cudahy, Wisconsin! The bars were great, the drinks were tasty, and we we were able to raise over $1,000 because of all of YOU, all of which will go towards the annual scholarship awards for the children of Nepal this March. Thank you to everyone who joined us and for you generous donors who were definitely there in spirit!

This month we were also blessed with the opportunity to release the book Miracle Moments in Travel. Written by 14 women from across the states, they all shared their experiences of how they experienced God through travel. Whether that be across the world in a developing country or on the roads here in America, each woman's story is unique. We are so grateful they were able to express and articulate their stories in such a wonderful way. Our hope is that this book will inspire people to travel, but more importantly bring them closer to God.

*All proceeds from the book benefit the children of Nepal

We'll be visiting Nepal this month, so we'll keep ya posted on the adventures yet to come...

Best wishes,

Shannon

 https://www.whynotnowmissions.org/

A Little Taste of Poland!

After receiving numerous signs from some of our little angel friends, it was clear that our next adventure should be to Poland......so we decided why not?  May as well check out our Polish roots and see why we're so darn....Polish.


Upon arriving, we discovered we weren't fluent in the Polish language (definitely a surprise to us.) Communicating with the locals and figuring out the public transportation system ended up being a little more work than we had anticipated. But after walking around in circles, getting yelled at in a language we didn't understand, and asking people for directions (who couldn't understand a word we were saying), we somehow figured it out. :)


Warsaw and Krakow are both beautiful cities packed with a ton of history. Warsaw had been completely rebuilt after WWII so it was pretty darn amazing to see the architecture....and I'm not even into architecture!

Old town, Warsaw

Krakow's city center has the largest medieval market square in all of Europe with a beautiful castle overlooking the city. Both Warsaw and Krakow seriously made us feel like we were walking into a fairytale land. And that's not a joke! It felt like we were constantly walking into the scene of a movie.

Core must be looking at something....

It didn't take us long to find some quaint little restaurants that smelled exactly like our grandma's homemade cooking. We definitely took advantage of the ridiculously cheap prices and splurged on hot mulled wine, traditional polish soups, potato pancakes, pierogis and a whole bunch more....even polish lard. It was gross.

I think she was getting excited to try the lard....

Although we knew it wouldn't be an easy visit, we spent a day visiting both Schindler's Factory and the sites of the Nazi extermination camps- Aushwitz and Birkenau.

Schindler's Office

I think it goes without saying that the extermination camps were quite a disturbing place.  As Core and I neared the ruins of the gas chambers, we noticed a very distinct smell. Instantly we knew what it was....it was the smell of burning bodies. I looked around expecting to see a lot of incense burning or something like that....but there was nothing. It was coming from the ruins....and there was of course nothing that remained there. Extra prayers are clearly still needed for these millions of souls.

Ruins of the gas chambers.

Our final destination was to a small mountain town, Zakopane, located in the Tatra Mountains bordering Slovakia. It was the perfect place to eat the local smoked cheese and enjoy many of the small mountain pubs - they were so cosy! Most of them had a fireplace and served up some pretty tasty polish cuisine.
We ventured out for a day hike to Morskie Oko, located up in the mountains. The views and journey along the way were spectacular...and the company wasn't too bad either!  ;)

Morski Oko!

Poland was an interesting country to visit and has darn good reason to be known as the Paris of Eastern Europe.  If you're looking for a budget trip to Europe with a ton of history, super tasty food, and awesome mountain hikes, check it out. :)