Team World Vision Ozarks hosts an Urban Orienteering Challenge at Global Fayre!

Who is Team World Vision Ozarks?

Team World Vision Ozarks is a local marathon team that trains to run the Chicago Marathon in 2010.  The group raises funds locally for clean water in Africa.

How your donations go to work?

TWVO is a sub group of Team World Vision in Chicago IL.  In Chicago they will meet up with a 1000 other runners that share the same passion for Africa.  The funds Team World Vision Ozarks raises go directly to World Vision Organization.  World Vision is a Christian Humanitarian group that that helps poverty stricken countries around the world for more information visit www.worldvision.org.  In the past years, Team World Vision has raised close to two million dollars.   Team World Vision Ozarks has raised close to 30,000 in the past two years.  World vision has taken the money raised and works in Zambia, Africa to build water wells which service 600-900 women and children in a village.  World Vision has also built medical clinics in the same region.  This year Team World Vision’s focus is now in Kenya, Africa because their need for clean water is greatest.

How your Team World Vision Ozarks raises funds?

The group raises funds in various ways:

1. Child Sponsorship- They will have sponsorship packets available at Global Fayre on April 2^nd from 6:15-9:45pm.  When a child is sponsored you directly make a connection to the Kenya community.  You will receive information about your child; receive a progress letter, and child communication every few months for a small monthly fee of $35.  Our team in return will receive a credit of $420 for your sponsorship of the child.
2. On April 2^nd Team World Vision Ozarks will be hosting an Urban Orienteering Challenge called Time Talent and Treasure.  The race consists of a $10 per person registration fee and forms can be found on our blog spot www.twvozarks.blogspot.com or at www.omrr.org. under events.  The group will have a sponsorship table inside Global Fayre and outside in the patio area on the corner of Walnut and Campbell St.
3. The group will also take cash donations as well.  Global Fayre will also donate $1 for every purchase made in the store during the evening.

Fair Trade and the fun of working directly with producer groups

One of the unexpected delights of working in the world of Fair Trade has been the opportunity to work on customized products with our producer groups. Unexpected, because as a retailer we source our products primarily through importer/wholesalers who have the direct relationship with the producers.

However, in several cases now we’ve been able to work through the importer to request custom products (we talked about this before when we launched the vegan market baskets from Ghana).

Our latest adventure in product design has been in the world of finger puppets, working with our friends at Inca Kids.

Since we are based in Springfield, natural habitat of the Red Cardinal (and home of the Springfield Cardinals!) it seemed obvious to have some Red Cardinals made…..this is how they turned out:

The next major event coming to downtown Springfield is the 30th Annual Saint Patricks Day Parade, so now we’re scratching our heads thinking about what finger puppets we should have made……ideas anyone?!

Tonga baskets have arrived!

We’ve blogged about our Tonga baskets before; they are similar in pattern to Binga baskets from Zimbabwe, but much deeper and more robust.

Since we’ve struggled to source Binga baskets for the past year, we’ve moved more towards the Tonga baskets, though they too are prety hard to come by.

So it’s great to get a fresh batch in, though they are unlikely to be around for long! Full details can be found in our online store.

Here’s what the largest one looks like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Vision Experience: AIDS

We’re excited to play a (small) part in the second visit of “World Vision Experience: AIDS” to Springfield.

The exhibition opened today at Remingtons, on Republic Road, Springfield, and will continue until next Sunday.

The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness of the plight of children in Africa, and to encourage people to sponsor children in Africa. Global Fayre is delighted to contribute to the sponsorship pack; sponsors are entitled to a 25% in-store discount and will also know that every time they make a purchase at the store in 2010, 5% of their spend will go directly to World Vision.

Find out more about World Vision Experience: AIDS here.

Find out more about Global Fayre here.

Fair Trade Vegan Market Baskets from Ghana

We started Global Fayre early in 2007, and opened our store in Springfield, Missouri in the December of that year.

There have been many many rewarding aspects of having the store (and now the online store too) but one element that becomes increasingly important to us (and to our customers) is the closeness between the end purchaser and the producer. We may be many thousands of miles apart physically, but through the close contact we have, either directly with the producers or via our importers, our customers get a real understanding of the producers and their world.

Better still, our customers get to ask for custom products – a real revelation in these days of mass production where the producer and end consumer have never met, have no interaction and live in different worlds (in all senses).

One great example of this closeness is the recent delivery we took of market baskets from Ghana. Of course we get market baskets all the time, as do thousands of retailers (fair trade or not) throughout the USA. We know that our market baskets are a little different – we source through the same importer everytime (Basket of Africa), we know that Cael uses the same weavers all the time, and we see the direct impact of this in the wonderful quality of the baskets that they make. So, when we had some customers asking for a vegan version of a market basket (vegan meaning no leather handle or straps) we were confident we could oblige. What surprised us was how quickly it could happen. The first sample arrived in the spring, and our delivery today included a dozen of the same type.

Isn’t that awesome?!

We haven’t added them all to our site yet, but you can see the images on our facebook page.

26.2 Miles 4 Africa

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?!

It’s the title of our next First Friday event at Global Fayre.

When?: Friday September 4th 2009

Where?: Global Fayre, 324 S Campbell Ave, Springfield, Missouri

What?: Go to www.run4africa.info and find out more!

Baskets of Africa featured in Crafts Report

We’ve often mentioned Cael from Baskets of Africa who is our main supplier of African baskets.

Cael got a great write-up in Crafts Report last month; you can download the whole article here.  (note:it’s a large file)

First Friday at Global Fayre, featuring “Images from Africa” by Cher Piche

The First Friday Art Walk (April 3, 6pm to 10 pm) sees the opening of a new exhibit from Cher Piche. “Images of Africa” runs from April 3 to April 26.

Cher was born in Southern Africa in a time of peace and prosperity, and grew up on a farm enjoying the natural beauty around her. She and her husband lived in Africa for 40years raising 3 children there, before moving to the USA 9 years ago to open a business. They have had ties with the Springfield area for 15 years, and are happily settled on a small acreage just outside town.

Here’s how Cher describes her work:

My love of sewing and a natural designing ability have allowed me to run my own business for many years, and quilting has become a passion over the last 10years. I soon learned I was not a conventional quilter, and branched out into Art Quilts where I could express my creativity!

I am inspired by God’s creation and love the scenery and animals of the world, which are embellished into my quilts. I do my work mostly freehand on my Longarm machine which has allowed me to express my subjects in a unique style of thread painting.

Please enjoy my quilts as I enjoy making them.

War Dance – watch a movie, change a life

Team world vision ozarks will be showing War Dance at McBride Elementary School on Friday Sept 27th.

There will be a silent auction at 6:30

The movie will start at 7:00pm

Admission is free.

What is War Dance? – a documentary revealing the redemptive power of music, even in the most horrific places. Focusing on three children in their early teens in war-torn Uganda, War Dance tracks the efforts of the school of a refugee camp called Patongo to compete in Uganda’s countrywide music competition.

Who is team world vision ozarks? – a group of runners who have a passion for those less fortunate. Currently training for the 2008 Chicago Marathan and raising money to help struggling communities in Africa.