Our hearts go out to the families impacted by the oil spill disaster. I cannot imagine those in commercial fishery who have unsuspectedly had their livelihood threatened overnight with no means for relief in the near future. There are many great organizations who have stepped up to the plate and provided venues in which we can assist; two of these I’d like to highlight on Your Trendy Stylist and chip in with.
The first, is a really neat organization called Matter of Trust. This grass roots team has put their heads together and come up with a number of ways we can all find natural, otherwise disposable items, and creatively re-use them to help clean up the shores impacted by the spill. Talk about recycling at its finest! They collect hair (human and animal), feathers, and nylons and use them to create booms that absorb the oil. Its honestly quite ingenius!
The second, is the Greater New Orleans Foundation Gulf Oil Spill Fund. One third of the seafood in the US is harvested from Louisianna waters. There are 6400 commercial fisherman; 4,000 of which are estimated to be now without sustainable means for their livelihood. This area is one of the most heavily impacted by the spill and unfortunately, there is no immediate sign of relief in sight for them. With the impact of Katrina not long behind them, the spill is perhaps more devastating to this region than to others.
So what can we do? Donate. Donate our prayers, time, our hair, feathers, and nylons, and our money. I am going to commit to giving to both of these organizations this month. I am giving 10% of all proceeds back to charitable organizations as a recurring commitment; this month it will be split amongst both above. Additionally, I was inspired by an article in the Fashionista Blog, called “Fashion You Can Feel Good About….Our Top Picks That Benefit The Oil Cleanup”. I want to encourage YOU to give back! So why not use jewelry (beautiful jewelry I might add! :0)) to do so. I am going to give away, what in my opinion is one of the prettiest and most versatile pieces in the Stella and Dot jewelry line. The Josephine Pearl Lariat necklace. This necklace is one of our most popular. It can be worn as a choker or a pendant necklace; with casual attire or even as a trendy piece for a bride. If you have a wife, family member, or friend that you think would like this item, enter in today. If you’re a jewelry lover yourself, reward your good deeds and enter in to win this lovely piece.
I will be using Raffle King (an objective, random select) to select a winner from all entries on May 31, 2011. There are multiple ways you can win. In fact, if you are ambitious and do more than one of the items below, let me know - I will gladly honor each new step as a separate entry and would love to hear about it!
1. Check and see if your favorite local salon is donating their hair clippings to Matter of Trust. If not, take 5 minutes out of your day and talk with them to see if you can encourage them to join. Comment about your experience below and Twitter or Digg about this contest.
2. If your salon is already participating as a donor for Matter of Trust, stop by, call, email, or send them a card and thank them for their efforts. Let them know you recognize them for their philanthropy and are proud to be their client. Next, send them a shout out on this blog and twitter it to your friends! Who knows, you might inspire them to be a patron of your good hearted barbers also.
3. Send in pet hair or old nylons to Matter of Trust. As of my last check today, they are not actively accepting donations at this time, as their 19 warehouses are full. However, they are encouraging everyone to continue collecting and to sign up to be notified when they can accept donations again. Instructions for how to package your collections is provided on their website, http://www.matteroftrust.org. Let me know you are doing this below and sign up to follow this blog.
4. There are over 5,000 volunteers helping Matter of Trust create their absorbant booms and hair mats. If you have the money and time for a road trip, commit to helping out! We’d love to hear of your efforts, leave us a note below and sign up to follow the blog to see if you have won a small thank you for your charitable heart and efforts.
5. If you can’t afford to travel and put your hands to work in the Gulf, we understand. Efforts at home count too! Check out how you can help make hair mats at home and give it a try! Give a shout out to others and encourage them to make a difference by blogging your efforts below. Sign up to follow us on our blog or twitter and you are entered in!
6. Make a donation of $5 or more to either GNOF or Matter of Trust today. Every little bit counts and really does make a difference. Let us know you donated by commenting below. Retweet this contest to your friends or link this page to another site and help create awareness. We appreciate it!
7. Sign up to host an in-person or online party and donate your proceeds back to either organization. It will take approximately 2 hours of your time and is FUN! The free jewelry that you earn can be silent auctioned (32auctions.com is a free silent auction tool). Post a comment below and we will hook you up!
8. Purchase a piece of Stella and Dot jewelry and let us know your selection below. 10% of all items purchased will be donated directly back to GNOF and Matter of Trust. Shop Stella & Dot at my e-boutique: www.stelladot.com/jenniferdunn
Hoping to see everyone pitch in, collectively this really will make an impact! Our thoughts and prayers are with the families in the Gulf.
Please help contribute in some way, either through the 8 methods listed above, or whatever means you’d like on your own. Every little bit helps and together we can make a difference!
www.stelladot.com/jenniferdunn
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