Artists for Hope

2011-11-18T12:59:00.001-08:00

http://store.artistsforhope.org

Our Blog Has Moved

2011-02-05T16:16:00.001-08:00

Our blog has now moved! To make things simpler (and better!) for everyone ~ our blog is now located at our website address.

Now you can go to our new website to see the wonderful things we have for sale to help children and families in Haiti AND you can read blog posts and lots of information about everything that is going on with Artists For Hope. See you there!

New Artist Coming Soon

2011-02-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give you all a sneak peak of an amazing new artist that is using her talents to bring hope to children in Haiti. This piece will be for sale soon (don't you just LOVE it???), along with some other wonderful donations from artist Pamela Spiro Wagner. It's always such an honor when new artists contact us!

Website and Exciting Things To Come

2011-01-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

Did you know that we currently have things for sale from our Art Co-op in Haiti on our website?

Very very soon we will have more things available and we will be integrating this blog into our website so that there will only be one place for everyone to stop in and see what is going on AND what is for sale to help kids and families in Haiti.

We were thrilled to have a huge order of bracelets that will be sold to help women in Haiti in honor of an exciting theater production in Minnesota coming up soon. We will have more info coming up about that and some new artists soon too!

Dissecting Duvalier's Return

2011-01-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of getting things photographed and ready to list. Until then, here is a link to one of my favorite blogs. While we were in Haiti, former Haitian Dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier very unexpectedly returned to Haiti. This surprised everyone and we weren't sure if we should be concerned or scared of what! There was a lot of speculation as to why he chose to come back and this blog does a great job of going over these possibilites. So, while you are waiting to see amazing new things listed from Haiti...check it out.

From Oil Lamps to Battery Kits

2011-01-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl is Claudette. She was living at the Rescue Center getting dressing changes while we were in Haiti last week.

She was lighting an oil lamp when her clothes started on fire. Her mother is bedridden and told her to quickly run next door, but as we all know fire and running don't go well together. By the time she reached her neighbors and they helped to put out the fire, she had burned the entire front of her little body. These burns are not uncommon in Haiti. I just read about this new Battery Kit project starting that will give Haitians an alternative to using oil lamps. Kind of an interesting idea.

(*This photo was taken when Claudette was thankfully
on Morphine and able to smile for a bit.)

Home From Haiti

2011-01-25T11:09:00.001-08:00

We are back from Haiti and it was such an incredible week! I will have a lot more coming up here, including some wonderful things for sale, but for now here are a few pictures from our week. We taught classes on jewelry making, made gorgeous pendants from coconuts, sewed adorable chickens and donkeys, filled a huge order of recycled plastic bracelets for a theater company in Minnesota, worked with people in the community, and loved on some of the cutest kids ever. More to come soon...

Why I can't wait to be back

2011-01-11T22:09:00.001-08:00

There are SO many reasons I can't wait to be back. The beauty of Haiti, the strength and joy of the people, and the amazing children at the Rescue Center are just a few. We will be working with artisans throughout the week and teaching new classes, which means we will have some exciting new things available soon! Have a wonderful week and here are some pictures that show what I love about Haiti.

Artist Suzanne Carter

2011-01-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

We are so thrilled to have Suzanne Carter as one of our new artists! I love when lives intertwine from different parts of the world for one reason. To help some beautiful kids in the mountains of Haiti have the food and care they need. Suzanne has offered to donate 50% of the proceeds from sales of her art from her website to help provide food and care for children at the Rescue Center in Haiti.

Suzanne Carter is a New Zealand Intercessory Worship Artist. She is a mixed media artist who uses primarily acrylic, but loves using texture and exploring new ideas and techniques. Suzanne is a member of the New Zealand Art Guild and has exhibited her work all over New Zealand. We are so excited that she is doing so much to help.

Thank you Suzanne for your generosity and for sharing about Artists For Hope in New Zealand and around the world through your art!

Visit Suzanne's website to learn more about her and view her work for sale to feed kids in Haiti. To purchase her work in the states, you can also buy prints from Red Bubble.

Artist Dori Settles

2011-01-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

Funky Dori and daughter, Funky Erin work with fabrics and glass to create one of a kind accessories you just have to have!
Like so many other Lampworkers, Dori  fell in love with the flow of the  glass and the challenge of either  making it do what she wants, or better  put, giving in to what the glass  wants to do.
Artist Dori Settles not only donated some  amazing jewelry to Artists For Hope, but she also came to our Open  House and made herself available to speak with shoppers about her work  and see firsthand what Artists For Hope is all about. We loved spending  time with her and everyone loved her jewlery! We will be listing some of  her donations on our website very soon. Be sure To check out her website and her ETSY site to see more of her work.

New RHFH Blog

2011-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the new Real Hope For Haiti website? If not....go check it out right now. Seriously. It's great~ and you can see why we love these kids and the people who run the Rescue Center and Clinic SO much. They poor their hearts and souls into helping people in their community and it's an honor to use creativity and art
to be a small part of everything they do.

We are counting the days to when we return to Cazale to love on kids and work with more people in Cazale!
Buy art. Feed kids.

It Won't Be Long

2010-12-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

In just a few short weeks I will be back in the place where a piece of my heart always is. I'm SO excited to have the opportunity to return to Haiti to work with more artisans, teach some classes, and work on some exciting new things. Of course the added bonus to all this is spending time with the children in the Rescue Center. Little Darlens (pictured above) came very close to death a few weeks ago. He caught a really bad bug during the Cholera outbreak and truly by a miracle his is OK today and as adorable as ever. I can't wait to kiss his cheeks and spend a week in this wonderful place. We will be returning with lots of great new items to help make a difference in the lives of Haitian people. I hope you are as excited as we are!

Strength and Beauty

2010-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Ever get tired doing your laundry? Does your laundry basket sometimes seem way too heavy to carry up and down those stairs?

This is the picture I have hanging in my laundry room.

This strong and beautiful Haitian woman has some incredible laundry carrying skills. I honestly think of her every time I wash my clothes. I tried a few times to carry my laundry basket on my head, but I didn't come close to the poise and elegance of this lady. I totally need a lesson during my next visit to Cazale. Amazing!!!

So Stinkin' Cute

2010-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Even babies love our baskets from Haiti! :)

Wish You Were Here

2010-12-07T20:46:00.001-08:00

I wish everyone could have been here on Monday night for the first official Caribbean Christmas Open House for Haiti! It was a fun, bustling, inspirational night for everyone and we were thrilled with all the people that came out to support Artists For Hope, learn about the children and people we love so much in the mountains of Haiti, and purchase great artwork and handmade Haitian items that will make a difference in someone's life. Thank you to everyone who helped make this night a wonderful success! I will let the pictures show you just a little taste of what you missed and we hope to see you at the next one!

The Time Has Come

2010-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Our Open House for Haiti is tomorrow night. We are so excited! I mean really REALLY excited. This is the first time we are showcasing everything all at once and debuting the handmade Haitian items that are helping to create jobs for people in the mountains of Haiti. We promise to take lots of picture and post them here soon. :)

We have taken everything "off" the website and our Etsy site so we can have them available for viewing and purchase locally for tomorrow night. Once the Open House is over...we will have lots of amazing things for sale again online. Thank you for your patience and for all the excitement over the last two years. Your purchases and donations have made such a difference in the lives of children at the Rescue Center and for the Haitian people we are working with!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot

2010-11-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like an Open House for Haiti!

My amazing friend/designer extraordinaire has been over helping me decorate my house for the Caribbean Christmas Open House that we are having to showcase and sell all the beautiful artwork and Haitian crafts that we have. We are hoping to raise a lot to help the kids at the Rescue Center! We will be adding more items to our etsy site after the Open House. Most of the items have sold that
we just listed...but we like that problem!
Promise there will be MORE to come!

I hope you are all getting in the Holiday spirit too and thank you for shopping to make a difference this year!

The Girls ~ Week 5 and 6

2010-11-23T09:29:00.001-08:00

Love it. Love it. Love it!!!

Week 1

Week 5

Week 6

Our Name In Lights

2010-11-22T09:11:00.001-08:00

We are so thankful and overwhelmed to have had someone offer to pay the expenses so we could get our Non-Profit status. We are over half way through the process and we have started to get things in the mail that are specifically for Artists For Hope. Last week we got this photo from an Ad Agency that showed our name in lights...and it was truly a moment for us. Years of hopes and dreams ~ that stem from a passion for creativity and a love for the Haitian people.

It is fabulous to see our name in lights!

Haitian Proverb

2010-11-19T11:08:00.001-08:00

Dye mon, gen mon.
Beyond the mountains, more mountains.

Coming Soon

2010-11-14T18:56:00.001-08:00

We have lots of fun things planned coming up, and we're excited about some new ideas that we will be working with our artisans on. One of my favorites right now is this cute ball made completely with recycled materials. Watch for these to be for sale on our website in the future!

My awesome Veterinarian/Friend

2010-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

My awesome friend (and our Veterinarian extraordinaire) is doing a blogathon to help raise money to get A Puppy For Bradyn. This puppy will help this adorable little boy survive with uncontrolled Epilepsy.

Shawn wrote this wonderful article about Artists For Hope and is a talented blogger, writer, and Vet. She's just all around very cool.

Check out her blog, Riley and James, and everything that is going on to help this little boy! I love seeing people come together for such a great reason.

Go AWAY Cholera

2010-11-11T22:19:00.001-08:00

This adorable little boy, Onelson, went home from the Rescue Center 3 weeks ago because he had won his fight with malnutrition.
He was healthy and happy.

He came back today and has been diagnosed with Cholera. He has lost 6 pounds since yesterday. He's fighting for his life.

I can't begin to explain why this is happening. I've read so many articles about Cholera in Haiti and why it is spreading and what should be done about it. Tonight, I'm feeling helpless and wishing I could do something to make things better for Onelson and for everyone else who is suffering and dying.

They are setting up a make-shift hospital in Cazale tonight. They have had people arriving the past several hours with severe vomiting and diarrhea. They know there are more to come. They don't have electricity in the house they are using as a hospital. They are hoping they have enough supplies to help the people who are sick. Once again....please keep Haiti in your thoughts and in your prayers. They have suffered so much. Too much.

I can't sleep...so tonight I will stay awake and pray for the Haitian people and for Onelson and for Cholera to GO AWAY! :(

2 Sweet Girls

2010-11-10T11:58:00.001-08:00

These 2 sweet girls, Kephania and Erline, lost their fight with malnutrition today. These days are so hard to understand. We're so thankful they aren't suffering anymore, but it's very hard from this side to not be completely heartbroken when another child (or 2) dies because of poverty. So very hard.

Thank you to all of you who have helped to make a difference in the lives of these children. I hope more and more people will want to do something this Christmas to make life a little easier for children and their families living in poverty. As we go about our day in our comfortable homes with our pantries full of food, a lot of people around the world are struggling to live because they don't have the food, shelter, and health care that they need.

I hope children like these 2 sweet girls won't be forgotten or overlooked as just another statistic. Their lives were cut short, but we can do something to change the lives of children in this same situation. What will you do this holiday season to make a difference in the life of someone who is hurting or hungry?
Someone just like these 2 sweet girls.

Great Weekend and New Items

2010-11-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful evening at the World Wide Village Festival For Haiti and left feeling encouraged, hopeful, and even more excited about the possibilities of empowering the Haitian people through art and job opportunities. We will be returning to Haiti in January to work with more artisans and teach some classes to people who are interested in art and creating things to earn a living for themselves and their families.

We just listed some beautiful handmade items from our art co-op in Haiti on our Etsy site and
we will be continuing to list new items,
so be sure to check back often!

We also have amazing works of art that have been donated to us to help feed and care for severely malnourished children at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center in Cazale. They are for sale on our website and 100% of the proceeds go directly to help these children. Can you think of a better reason to shop for Christmas. These gifts will give more than you can even imagine!

This Weekend

2010-11-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to a wonderful event with World Wide Village this weekend and we're honored to be sharing a beautiful basket of many of the handmade items we will have available for sale with them to help raise money for all the things they do to help Haiti.

I know we will be thinking ALL weekend about the children at the Rescue Center and our friends in Haiti as they prepare for Tomas. They are currently boarding up all the buildings at the Rescue Center and Clinic and they are hoping and praying that the river that runs in front of the Rescue Center doesn't flood. They are prepared to bring the children up to the second floor if needed, but they have 70 children in their care, many who are very sick and I can't imagine having to move them all. Please keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers as you go about your weekend activities. They have been through too much already.

If you would like to see what Haiti is like right now, 10 months after the earthquake, here are some powerful photos to show you.

Week Four for the Girls

2010-11-01T12:39:00.001-07:00

Don't you just LOVE this???
The girls look amazing! You can read more about how they are doing and how you can help RHFH and the Livesay family raise money to provide Medika Mamba for these beautiful kids HERE.

You can also purchase artwork from us! Remember 100% of the proceeds go to RHFH and help provide food and care for the children in the Rescue Center. Christmas shop with a purpose!!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

2010-10-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

Some friends gave me a batch of this homemade laundry soap and I'm quite excited to try it. I love finding ways to save money.

Thought I would share the love.

Check back often this week.
We will be listing new items on our etsy site!

Week THREE for The Girls

2010-10-25T16:17:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness!
Wait until you see these girls in their new picture!

Look at those smiles!!!
That is the miracle of Medika Mamba and the amazing care given at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center.
Doesn't that just warm your heart?

A True Horror Scene

2010-10-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

With Halloween quickly approaching and commercial after commercial of movies and events involving horror scenes....this article really got to me because it truly describes a horror scene that is happening at this very moment. Can you imagine having severe vomiting and diarrhea and not having bathroom facilities or a bed to lie down in. What about not having any clean water to wipe down the area or yourself with? What if it was your child or baby who was so ill and all you wanted to do was make them feel better?
I cant even imagine. :(

Here is a good article about the horror scene that is the Haiti cholera hospital.

Cholera Outbreak

2010-10-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

It is hard to imagine Haitians having one more horrible thing affecting their safety and health...but there is a Cholera outbreak beginning that could become so devastating to the people that have already suffered so much. They need clean water. They need access to health care if they become sick. They need help. You can learn more about it here and here.

I heart LITE-BRITE

2010-10-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Gotta love a video created with 700,000 LITE-BRITE pegs.
Such a beautiful song!

Clemene and Kwashiorkor

2010-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Kwashiorkor is something I had never heard of 5 years ago. Now it is on my mind almost daily as I think and pray for the kids at the Rescue Center in Cazale, Haiti.

I was showing pictures that I had taken in Haiti last year to a group of teenagers and one of the teenage boys laughed and pointed at one of the pictures of a swollen baby and said "that kid isn't malnourished. She's chubby!" They all laughed...until I told them what Kwashiorkor was, and that because of protein deficiency that baby's life could end soon. The poor teenager hung his head and looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. I reassured him that most people have NO idea of this condition. I'm thankful that he will never point and laugh again at one of these photos.

You can read more about Kwashiorkor HERE and you can help us to help these kids by creating something to donate to Artists For Hope (100% of the proceeds go to the Rescue Center to help feed and care for these kids!) and you can buy items from our
Etsy site and our website.

This is Clemene. She was just admitted to the Rescue Center this week. This is her 2nd time being in the Rescue Center. She is 2 1/2 years old and weighs 24 pounds....but a LOT of that weight is from the Kwashiorkor. She is so swollen and in a lot of pain. Can you imagine how painful that swelling must be around her little nose? :(

All of the swelling is causing extreme pressure which is making her skin split open on her legs. It will be a long road to what will hopefully be a full recovery for Clemene. Thanks to RHFH, she's already started on the Medika Mamba program.

Please spread the word about Artists For Hope to all of your artsy friends and to everyone you know for Christmas shopping. We will be listing new things soon and I can't imagine a better Christmas present than to know you purchased something that will help feed kids like Clemene. Thank you!

Week Two for The Girls

2010-10-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Remember Daphna, Lysemene, Fabienne and Loudia?

They are on week 2 of Medika Mamba and you can already see a difference. I love seeing these comparison pictures! It shows how amazing the Medika Mamba is for these kids and what incredible care they receive at the Rescue Center.

*Daphna has the bandage on her leg because her skin was cracking open from the kwashiorkor. She had to have a feeding tube put in because she wouldn't eat or drink anything and she has those big things wrapped around her arms because she was trying to pull out her tube. I hope she uses that awesome feisty spirit to get better soon!

Albertine

2010-10-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those songs you relate to so much you can FEEL it. This is that song for me. I love Brooke Fraser's voice and music and this song is exactly how I felt after visiting Africa and then Haiti. You can't come back and ignore what you've seen. It becomes a part of you. The people you meet become a part of you and you want to do everything you can to help their voices be heard.

I know not everyone can travel to third world countries...but if you are given the opportunity to go and help people in a different part of the world, I hope that you take that opportunity and run with it. You will never be the same! If not, I hope you will do what you can with the talents you've been given to help others around. Whether they are your next door neighbors or people suffering far away.

Daphna, Lysemene, Fabienne and Loudia

2010-10-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

These four sweet girls are not at the Rescue Center for the first time. They have been there before. They have improved and gone back home to their families, only to return again very, very sick. Why do you think this happens? What can we do about it?

I get overwhelmed sometimes with the poverty in Haiti. It seems impossible to fix the problem. The one thing I do know is that the Rescue Center is a beacon of HOPE in the darkness...and they will continue to love these girls and do everything they can to get the healthy. They will work with the families and try to help them so this doesn't happen again.

I hope we will be able to watch these girls get better over the next several months. Medika Mamba truly is a miracle product and has helped SO many kids get better!

It's Fall....come say Hello!

2010-10-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

It's fall! I always go through a bit of a mourning period when summer ends. I'm not a cold weather lover. I know every year around this time that it's not long until we will be freezing and bundled up from head to toe just to make it out to our car. Makes me a little grumpy just thinking about it.

Anyways, I do enjoy the tree colors changing, the smell of the air, and I love love love taking my kids to the pumpkin patch. What do you love about fall (or perhaps not-so-love)? Let me know you are out there. I get emails. I talk to people. I know you are out there...and I want to say HI!

Madame La Rousse Jn. Pierre

2010-10-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

I love meeting the older generation in Haiti. I can only imagine all of the things they have endured throughout their lives, and yet they still carry on with joy and grace. You can sense their strength and you can't help but want to learn from them.

This is Madame La Rousse Jn. Pierre.
She is 81 years old and the last person in Cazale to know an intricate style of weaving that is used to make baskets. The younger generation has taken to a simpler method of weaving, that while being faster, lacks the beauty and style of the earlier ways.

She has been making these long containers for many, many years. In Haiti they are often used to carry tools to work.

Her mother died when she was three years old and her father was bed ridden. Her father couldn't read or write and they needed some way to survive. She watched people make things...and her and her father taught themselves how to weave. I tried to picture her and her dad sitting together weaving, talking, and enjoying their time together.

I enjoyed watching her work. Thinking of the years that have passed in her life and how much she has experienced at different times when she was making these same containers. She has had 13 kids. Only 6 of them are alive today. She had 2 sets of twins and both sets died. Can you imagine? Her surviving children have all left Haiti, sadly because it was the best way to earn a living and send money back to support themselves and their mother.

She survives and hopes to have enough to eat through the money her children send her and from making these containers.
I could have just sat and watched her for hours.

These are the fibers from a plant that is used to braid around the lid of the container and also makes the strap.

We are hoping that Madame Jn. Pierre will teach some of the younger generation in Haiti to carry on this beautiful tradition and then they will be able to earn an income from it as a result. I can't imagine this weaving technique just disappearing. We are going to do all we can to make sure it doesn't.

We will have some of these containers (and some small storage containers) available for sale, lovingly handmade by Madame La Rousse Jn. Pierre, in our future kits and online.

Own a piece of the greatness made by this wonderful woman!

To Haiti With Love

2010-10-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Haiti is a beautiful island nation with a rich history that has been marred with a turbulent existence. During the summer of 2010, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Haiti for the first time. I traveled to Haiti as part of a team of design professionals that went to master plan the new site for a NGO’s medical rescue center, clinic and various support facilities that will be located on the Real Hope for Haiti campus in Cazale, Haiti.

This book tells a vivid story of Haiti through various personal images highlighted with some famous quotes that capture the essence of the Haitian spirit. Proceeds from the book will go to help fund future humanitarian mission trips to Haiti and other disenfranchised communities in countries throughout the world.

By Author Ronette Belizaire

Visit Blurb and purchase one of Ronette's amazing books to help her fund future design trips to help places like Real Hope For Haiti. We love seeing people use their talents to make a difference!

Sean Penn awarded for Humanitarian Work

2010-09-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sean Penn will be awarded for his Humanitarian Work in Haiti.
Sadly, his camp was just devastated by a strong, sudden storm that swept through Haiti. I was in a very hard rain storm in Haiti a few weeks ago and it was tough to ride out in a cement building. I can't even imagine if you were living in a tent or under a tarp. What if you had young children or a baby? SO sad.

Oh The Possibilities....

2010-09-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

What do you think about this new liquid mixture that allows you to literally spray on your clothes? I would love to feel if it is comfortable. Sounds itchy. I'm guessing it could be not terribly flattering....but SO fun to try new designs with. One of the possibilities for this new concept is for spray on bandages. I like!
So really. What do you think???

Coming Soon.....

2010-09-28T13:14:00.001-07:00

I am back from Haiti. I already miss it.
Somehow a little bit more of my heart always stays behind.

It was an amazing time~ working with artisans, helping in the community, and loving on lots of sweet malnourished children in the Rescue Center. I'm hoping to start posting a LOT more on this blog. We want more people to know about AFH and how easy it is to help feed starving kids and help Haitian men and women earn a much needed income through the arts.

We are in the process of organizing kits that people can help sell from their homes, schools, churches, and more to directly help people struggling in the mountains of Haiti.
Do you want to help? :)

We're In Haiti

2010-09-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

We'll be in Haiti September 5-10.
We're so excited to visit the people and children
we have grown to love so much.
We will be teaching some classes, loving on kids,
and working with artisans in the mountains of Haiti.
We will also be coming back with more artwork from Haiti to sell.

If you would like to follow our journey in Haiti you can go
to our Artists For Hope in Haiti blog.

Let the artists you know in the states how they can help feed starving children through their art. Could there be a better reason to create???

Check Them Out

2010-08-16T07:19:00.001-07:00

Because of the amazing artists that have donated recently to Artists For Hope, we have been able to help the children at the Rescue Center find Hope and receive the nutritious food and health care they need to return home to their families.

If you are an artist, or you know of one who would like to make a difference in the life of a child in Haiti through their art, please have them email us at artistsforhope@gmail.com. 100% of the proceeds go to the Rescue Center!

Now go check out....

Joey Breed at the Painted Pineapple

Sonya Raven's Encaustic and Mixed Media

Tracy Hanson at Junk Posse

Kate Stelow at Crimson Sky Designs

You can still purchase some items by these amazing artists on our website and on our Etsy Site. Thank you for helping bring hope to kids in Haiti!

Amazing Before and After

2010-07-20T21:50:00.001-07:00

I often think "What if the Rescue Center wasn't there? What if there was nowhere for these kids to go? Where would they be right now? Would they even be alive?" When I think of the kids that I've posted here...I'm pretty sure the answer would be No. They probably wouldn't be alive if the Rescue Center wasn't there to take them in and love them and care for them. These kids were in desperate need of nutritious food and health care and without it they would have died. Every day, kids like these die in Haiti because of poverty. It's heartbreaking and I hope it motivates you to do something to help them in the same way it motivated me when I realized this was happening in a country SO close to the US.

These amazing transformations are what is happening at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center in Cazale, Haiti. These before and after pictures speak for themselves. These kids were starving to death. Now they are smiling and active and even a little bit chubby! This is why we help this amazing place. They need funds to feed and care for these kids so that they have hope for their future and a chance at life.

Please take a moment to marvel at these before and afters and think about how you can let your creativity make a difference in the lives of children that will be at the Rescue Center in the future. Create something to donate in honor of these children or shop for something amazing to make a difference.

Darlens Before:

Darlens After:

Marie-Lange Before:

Marie-Lange After:

Soline Before:

Soline After:

(portrait of Soline by artist Alexis Studenberg)

Kervenson Before:

Kervenson After:

The Co-op Begins

2010-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Last November, before the earthquake, I met this family in the mountains of Haiti. I've written about them before because their impact on me was very strong.

This desperate father was trying to figure out how he was going to take care of his family when he had no job and no possibilities for work in the future. I talked with someone at the Rescue Center where we were working because I wanted to figure out how this man could find a job. The response I got was "there are no jobs." All I could think was WHAT is he going to do??? How are you supposed to feed your kids when there are no jobs and no food pantries or shelters to go to for help? It was one of those moments when reality hit me hard.

Marie-Lange, one of the children, was admitted to the Rescue Center because she was obviously severely malnourished. Seeing her little ribs sticking out made me realize that we needed to do something to help people in this area earn a living. It's so overwhelming to think of this problem as a whole. Our hope is that we can start to make a difference one little step at a time by providing outlets for people to sell the things they create and by teaching classes to people with an interest in the arts and a need for income to be able to support themselves and their families. We want to lesson the amount of families that have to suffer in this way.

We have started to receive items from Haiti and we will be listing new things in the weeks to come. We listed our first items last week and are very excited to say that most of them have already sold! Below you will see a few of the items that have/will be for sale. We will be also be sharing more about these items and the artisans who create them. We are so excited about the possibilities and the hope this will bring to families in the Cazale area.

You Can Make a Difference

2010-07-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Buy Art.

Feed Kids.

A Print For a Dream

2010-06-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

We have listed an adorable print created by artist Rose-Nadine who is currently living in Cazale, Haiti on our Etsy site. You can read more about little Rose-Nadine in the post below. We are hoping that by selling these prints we can help bring her family closer to their dream of having their own home. They have been living in a tent since the earthquake and now that Rose-Nadine is so much closer to recovering from her injuries, it is time for them to think about what there life be from now on. We hope that with the help of many, they will no longer be struggling just to get by. Will you help to make their dream a reality? How often can you say you helped someone's dream come true???

You can go HERE to our Etsy site to purchase a 5 x 7 of this beautiful drawing OR you can donate even more on the RHFH website to help this family have a home!

Rose Nadine

2010-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to spend time with Rose Nadine in April while we were in Haiti. Her and her Mom are two of the sweetest people I have ever met. They went through more after the earthquake than I can ever imagine. You can read more about their story on the Rescue Center's Blog and learn how you can help their family have their very own home.

And The Winners Are...

2010-06-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Cindy~ who won the yellow and green set
and
mtcmom~ who won the multicolored set!

Please email me at artistsforhope@gmail.com with your info.

Way to go ladies and we hope you love them and have lots of opportunities to talk about where they were made! Thanks to everyone for sharing about Artists For Hope.

There is Still Time....

2010-06-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

There is still time to Blog, Facebook, or Tweet about Artists For Hope so you can be entered to win 2 sets of these fun recycled plastic bracelets lovingly made in Cazale, Haiti.

The Giveaway will end TOMORROW NIGHT and the winner will be announced on Thursday! Good luck to you all and thank you SO much for sharing about these amazing women and the children at the Rescue Center with others so even more people can be given hope. We appreciate it and they appreciate it more than you could ever know!

Giveaway on Junk Posse

2010-05-18T08:07:00.001-07:00

We have gotten to know Tracy from Junk Posse over the web and we have been so impressed with her spirit and love for children all over the world. She is doing a giveaway for us to help spread the word about Artists For Hope. Visit her BLOG HERE to see how you can win 2 sets of the beautiful Recycled Plastic bracelets that were lovingly made in Cazale, Haiti by some amazing women. The women who made the bracelets in these sets are featured below. We gave the women some creative license and then pieced the bracelets together in the end to make sets of three.

Yanick is a mother of 2. She has a 5th grade education, but they realized at RHFH very quickly that she is extremely intelligent. She has been working in the clinic for a while now doing dressing changes and currently has a house packed with people because of the earthquake. She is working towards building a house for her and her extended family. Her smile is infectious and she loved creating the bracelets!

Ginette has four kids and her house was destroyed in the earthquake. She does not have anywhere to work. She is learning to sew and loves being in the community group in Cazale. We are hoping to start some sewing projects in the future to help women like Ginette.

We've posted about Nadiege before and you can learn more about her HERE. She worked SO hard on the bracelets she made and really did a wonderful job. She definitely showed a talent for working with her hands and we're excited for future possibilities for her and her family.

Regine came to Cazale severely malnourished. She couldn't even walk. She has five kids and she used to buy and sell food to try to provide for her family, but she became too sick to do that. Her dream is to have a house for her family. I wish I could introduce all of you to her in person so you could experience her fun personality and great sense of humor. I will do a longer post about her in the future so you can get to know her a bit better. ;)

The women who made these bracelets were so thankful for work. They want to do whatever they can to make life easier for their families. They want possibilities and hope for their future. I had choke back tears at they end of our day together when they thanked us for coming to help them and for remembering them in Haiti. It definitely lit a fire inside us to do whatever we can to help these women and hopefully many more.

Thank you for caring about these women and spreading the word about Artists For Hope! It helps more than you can even imagine!

From Tracy Hanson of Junk Posse

2010-05-18T07:38:00.001-07:00

“To Love what I do and feel that it makes a difference-How could I ask for anymore!”
That is how I feel about my Jewelry that I design and Create to help support many non-profits and Families that are Adopting. It is passion with a purpose. My first Love for Jewelry started in High School classes I had taken and I continued to take for several years late in to my adulthood. My father was a Jewelry Designer and My mom was a talented Artist. My parents gave me a desire to want to learn anything new . I really liked designing Jewelry and It became a Deep love for me when I started donating a nice portion of the sales to others.
My Muse are the Orphans that have been given a second chance by incredible People that take the risk to open their Hearts and Love the unloved.
I am touched by The Mom’s that send me Thank you notes & pictures of their little ones and I think of each one as I put a Sweet name or message on the necklace. I love to make a treasure , Something tangible that they can have close to them as they wait for a baby to come home or as a reminder of how they chose to be a Mom and how they Love their children.
The connection between women and my pieces is also something that continues to amaze me. I have had moms connect in line at Disneyland because they were both wearing one of my necklaces. I have also met many wonderful Husbands that want a one of kind piece that will show how much they appreciate their wives and daughters. I have such a Great respect for single Mom’s who make the decision to Adopt Children and sometimes older Children and to do the best that they can to raise them, These people are just some of my Hero’s that drive me each day to be so excited to get to make my Jewelry in my little studio, each piece by hand for someone that I admire and look up to because they have chosen to Be the Change our Children Need,
The Hope."

Tracy has generously donated one of her beautiful Haiti Hope necklaces to us to help the children at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center. It is for sale on our website and ALL proceeds go to RHFH. What better way to donate to help starving kids???

More bracelets!

2010-05-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

We have a few more sets of bracelets listed! We are excited to be able to send some more supplies down to Haiti with a team that will be visiting the Rescue Center this month so that the women can continue to create more. We have been working on some new ideas for more people to become a part of the art co-op (one of my favorites being adorable Haitian baby dolls!) and we can't wait to see what is to come!

Be sure to check out Omaha.net to read an article written about AFH and Cazale!

Houses For Haiti

2010-05-10T11:19:00.001-07:00

First of all...our website issues are fixed and you can now proceed with buying whatever beautiful artwork you like to help the children in Haiti. Yay!

Did you know that we have TWO places where you can purchase art? One is our Etsy site...where we sell things made by members of our co-op, both in the states and in Cazale. The other place is on our Website where we have some amazing original artwork that has been donated by some very talented artists from all over the world. Be sure to visit both places to find that perfect thing for your home or business and feel GOOD knowing you are helping starving children and struggling families through your purchases!

Now on to more exciting things! We are in the process of listing some of the Houses For Haiti that local artists created after the earthquake. We haven't listed them until now because they have been busy being shown and sold in local art shows and galleries and we are now excited to list some on Artists For Hope. We have decided that there really isn't a better reason to use the proceeds from these houses than to help build houses for some people in Cazale that have been left homeless either from the earthquake or from severe illness. We will have some more information very soon about the women we will be helping and how you can get involved.

Thank you again to the wonderful artists and people who have been contacting us and helping to make a difference in the lives of people in Haiti!

We've Having Issues...

2010-05-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

We're not sure exactly what is going on, but the shopping cart on our website is having issues. We are in the process of fixing it, but until then if you are interested in buying something, please email us at artistsforhope@gmail.com and items will be sold on a first come/first serve basis. I will try to update things as SOLD whenever possible.

We appreciate your patience with this. We are strictly volunteer based, so that all the proceeds go to help the kids at the RC...so occasionally these issues come up and we do our best to get them fixed as quickly as possible. Thank you!

New Artist: Tracy Hanson of Junk Posse

2010-05-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

This beautiful Hope For Haiti Necklace was donated by artist Tracy Hanson and is for sale on our website. You will want to act quickly on this one!

Tracy Hanson designs and creates these beautiful pieces of jewelry by hand and she says "My Adoption Jewelry is my Passion with a purpose. I love to get to my Studio each day and design and Create for others." Tracy is an adoptive mom herself and also had the privilege of traveling to Ethiopia to bring home her second grandbaby last year! What a great reason to be creative!

Tracy has a wonderful blog that I know you will enjoy and you can visit her Etsy Site here to view more of her amazing designs. Thank you SO much Tracy for your generous heart and helping the children at the Rescue Center in Haiti!

More Bracelets!

2010-04-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

We have more bracelets listed!

We also have some exciting new items by some wonderful artists
that will be coming VERY soon so check back often!

We love this Problem!

2010-04-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

We are once again sold out of all the bracelets listed...but we will have more for sale very soon so please check back often on our Etsy Site.

Thank you SO much for helping the children and women in Cazale! You really are making a difference in someone's life!

More Bracelets and some CUTE kids

2010-04-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

We listed more bracelets on the etsy site. More have sold already, but if you go quickly you might be in luck...

This adorable little guy is Nadiege's son, Daniel. He had just finished eating a bowl of rice and beans and then crawled through the dust when I took this picture. He was cleaned up shortly after, but I'm so happy I caught him while he was still messy. The kid is too cute.

Older children are always helping
and loving on younger kids in Haiti.
Those deep human connections are very important and something I think we really lack here in America sometimes.

The cutie on the right is Nadiege's daughter. Quite a difference from the pictures below. Isn't she beautiful?

Purchasing the bracelets these ladies made will help these kids and their moms to have a brighter future. What better reason to buy some new jewelery, right???

Nadiege

2010-04-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Nadiege spent the day with us in Haiti learning to make bracelets and I really enjoyed spending time with her and was very moved by her story.

This photo was taken from the Rescue Center blog. Two employees of the RC found Nadiege and her two children living outside where they burn their garbage. They were able to find her a tent and realized quickly that she was very ill. She couldn't walk at all on her own. They took her in for testing and found that she is HIV Positive. Thankfully, both of her children are negative.

They moved her tent back to an area where several earthquake victims have been recovering. I was able to spend part of the day in this little "community" that has been established under the Mango and Coconut trees behind the RC. It was amazing to see all of these different people and families from so many different circumstances that have come together. They take care of each other and watch each other's children and laugh and talk together. I love the relationships we were able to witness there as these people heal and try to figure out what their futures will hold.

Nadiege shared with me about her kids. She has two adorable kids! Dad is not around to help them. She really wants a place to live. Our hope is that in the future we can establish ongoing projects through the art co-op in Cazale so that women like Nadiege can have their dreams come true. Until then, I'm extremely thankful for the caring people at the Rescue Center and Clinic that didn't just walk past Nadiege and her two children, but found her shelter and moved her to a loving little community that can help her and support her for now!

New Haitian-made Bracelets

2010-04-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

We have started listing these fun recycled plastic bracelets that were made by women from our new art co-op in Cazale, Haiti on our Etsy Site. The perfect summer accessory! They are colorful, eco-friendly, and help provide for the basic needs of our artisans and their families!

All of the bracelets we had listed have sold already! We will be listing more soon. Thank you for helping these beautiful women and children!

Denise

2010-04-11T20:52:00.001-07:00

It was truly an amazing week in Haiti. Meeting the ladies who we would be teaching the class to, I was very moved by how eager and excited they were to work and learn something new. They wanted an opportunity to be able to take care of themselves and their families. It gave me a lot of hope for the future possibilities of what an art co-op could be in the mountains of Haiti and what it could mean for the people who live there!

One of the ladies who came to the class is Denise. She is a victim of the earthquake and is living in Cazale with Lori, who runs the clinic there. Lori actually gave up her own house so that several people who needed a place to recover would have a place to do so. A lot of people who were taken to the Comfort Ships for care with very serious injuries had nowhere to go after their surgeries and amputations. Thankfully Lori welcomed them in and they are doing SO much better now.

Denise was trapped under her house for four days. Even more amazing than that was her newborn baby, Annika, was with her. Her parents were also in the house but they did not survive.

Isn't her baby gorgeous?

Annika had to have her arm amputated because of severe injuries. Denise had many injuries on her arms and legs and also had a badly infected bed sore from being trapped for so many days in the same position.

She tried so hard to learn the process of making the bracelets during our class and was really good at it. She has nothing right now. She has clothes and food thanks to RHFH, and she hopes to be able to have a house for her and her baby someday.

I was privileged to be able to spend some extra time with Denise the day after our class and her positive attitude and smile were infectious. Even after everything she has been through, she has hope and a lot of that hope has come through RHFH and all they have done for her.

We will be listing the bracelets we made in Haiti in the very near future. The money will go to help Denise and other women like her.
Thank you for your purchases and for helping the women and children of Haiti!

Making Bracelets Today in Cazale

2010-04-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

I wish there was time to write more, but soon...
Lori, the lady who runs the clinic in Cazale helped to translate, which was hugely helpful and was really the only thing that had slightly stressed me out about teaching this class. I really wish I spoke Kreyol and I hope to learn more before I return.

The ladies learned quickly and really enjoyed making them.

Here's the whole group.
They were all wonderful

In Cazale

2010-04-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

We had a productive day of painting, weighing the kids, and sorting LOTS of baby formula. It was much different driving from Port au Prince to Cazale this time, seeing all the tent cities everywhere. I can totally understand why people don't want to go inside, after seeing all the crumbled buildings and cracks in the walls.

Tomorrow we will start painting the mural in the eating area of the Rescue Center. It's so wonderful to see some of the kids we spent time with in December and to see so many new kids that are receiving the care that they so desperately need.

On Our Way...

2010-04-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

We are on our way. To Haiti that is!
We hope to be posting from Haiti if the internet and electricity and all that cooperate. It will be an amazing week and I'm so excited about the beginning of an art co-op in Cazale and all that can mean for helping families in the mountains of Haiti.

Thank you to the artists who have contacted us recently and please continue to tell your friends about Artists For Hope and the children in Haiti that are searching for Hope in their future.

Check back soon!

SO Excited

2010-03-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

We are working on some exciting things here at Artists For Hope. In a week I will be flying to Haiti, for many reasons, but one of them being that we are hoping to start an art co-op in the mountains of Haiti where the Rescue Center is located. One of the things that impacted us the most while we were in Haiti was the lack of jobs. That lack of jobs leads to the horrible cycle of poverty that results in starving kids and we don't want to stand by and just watch the cycle continue.

We will be teaching some women a few simple art ideas to begin with and then we'll continue to teach more projects in the future. We're really excited about being able to provide some women with much needed income and we'll be posting from Haiti to share about this and those sweet kids that are living at the Rescue Center and fighting to get better.

We'll be looking for different venues to sell the items made in Haiti, so please let us know if you have some great ideas for us! Continue to spread the word and let's help even more kids (and women!) in Cazale.

Haitian Proverb

2010-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Men anpil chay pa lou.
Many hands make the load lighter.

Kwashiorkor

2010-03-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

Whenever I used think about malnutrition, I always envisioned children with round little bellies and almost every bone in their body showing. I had never heard of kwashiorkor and I had no idea how deadly it was. I was shocked at what it could do and how it was that I had never even heard of this. It's definitely one of the most tragic, awful things that are a result of extreme poverty.

Kervenson just came into the Rescue Center with severe kwash. His body is rotting from the inside and he is extremely swollen with fluid.

It's so bad that his skin is starting to break down and fall off.
As you can imagine, this is extremely painful.

We are hoping and praying that this baby will be able to recover. They tried to give him medika mamba and some juice, but his stomach couldn't handle it and he threw it all up. He is now in a place where they will do everything they can to get him better.

Maybe you are asking WHY did this happen?
Imagine if all you have is a small amount of rice to feed your family and nothing else. Rice will at least fill up your belly and make you feel full, but it doesn't give you any of the protein or vitamins that you need to live. If this is all you have to eat, eventually your body won't be able to take it and the symptoms of kwashiorkor take over. Such a sad reality of what people deal with every day.

If you would like to help us help children like Kervenson, please spread the word about Artists For Hope. Donated and purchased artwork gives funds to help feed nutritious meals to these children and provides medical help to them so they can get better. ALL the proceeds go to these kids. Everyone who works with Artists For Hope are volunteers. So if you want to know that your money is really going to make a difference~ this is the way to help!

Wanna See More Of RHFH?

2010-02-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

They have posted a wonderful short tour of the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center and Clinic on their blog. It shows so much of what is going on there every day. So many people being seen in the clinic and lots of malnourished kids being cared for (outside still, since the earthquake).

You can see it all HERE.

Another New Child Admitted

2010-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

A 5 pound 1 year old was admitted to the Rescue Center.
If you remember seeing the picture of Darlens (on the left) you know that he is a 12 pound 2 year old. Hard to imagine, isn't it?

I don't post these pictures for shock. I just want people to see WHY we are doing what we are doing. It almost seems too simple that art can help these kids~ but the money raised from donated and purchased artwork provides Medika Mamba and meals and medical care for them.

Not everyone can fly to Haiti and help, but I know a lot of you out there can create something or purchase something to help these kids. It really is simple, isn't it?

New Etsy Items

2010-02-17T21:10:00.001-08:00

We have a lot of fun new items for sale on our Etsy Site.
Check them out.

Sweet Darlens

2010-02-05T16:23:00.001-08:00

Wow.

This is Darlens. His aunt brought him to the Rescue Center because both parents were killed in the Earthquake. He is probably 2-3 years old, has a full set of teeth, is 78 cm tall and weighs 12 pounds. He is suffering from Marasmus.
12 pounds. Wow.

This little guy just breaks my heart.

New Artist

2010-02-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

We are so excited and honored to have had four AMAZING Encaustic Paintings donated by artist Sonja Raven. Encaustics are created by painting with beeswax and the results of this ancient artform are so striking and look beautiful in any home or business.

Sonja says "my passions are far beyond the physical artwork itself. I want to provoke spiritual awareness, the importance of every moment of energy being utilized for unselfish results. We are all a piece of the puzzle. We need to be awake and proactive in thought and spirit no matter how unprofound some things may feel."

Sonja's work is for sale now on our new website.

Houses For Haiti Night

2010-01-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to The Art Mill and all the wonderful people who came to make Houses For Haiti~ we had such a fun night creating things to help the children at the Rescue Center in Cazale.

We displayed photos and information about Haiti...

...and displayed Haitian artwork purchased in Port Au Prince while we were in Haiti early December.

The clay ~ ready to be transformed.

Learning how to create our houses.

One of my favorite things about the night was watching a group of people, with the exact same materials, create COMPLETELY different and amazing works of art.
Some people had a plan and a vision and went straight to work. Others, myself included, let the clay become whatever it was meant to be....and each house turned out so unique and wonderful.

Here are some of the houses, ready to dry for the next 7 days.

Even in this form they are too cute, and I can't wait to go back to paint them next weekend and see them after they've been fired in the kiln.

I decided to make mine based off of some of my favorite things about the houses I saw in Cazale. I loved the woodwork and the iron patterns in a lot of the houses we saw. Mine also has a thatched roof and I loved all the chickens running around ~ so decided to make a little rooster at the last minute.

Thank you to all who made this a possibility. We will let you know when they are available for purchase to help the Rescue Center!

2 New Children

2010-01-29T12:47:00.001-08:00

These two children arrived at the Rescue Center this week. They aren't there because of the earthquake. They are there because of the tragedy that is poverty.

This is Darlens. They don't know exactly how old he is, but he weighs 11 pounds. 11 pounds! Wow.
Can you even believe how tiny this little guys arms and legs are?

Gedeon is suffering from Kwashiorkor, which is a severe protein deficiency. That is why he is so swollen~ and you can see from his face how awful he feels. We saw a lot of this while we were in Haiti and it's very dangerous and painful for the child. Many many children die from Kwashiorkor in Haiti.
It is truly a tragedy.

Poverty will continue to affect Haiti and we thank you all for your continued support to help these children. Thank you.

Items Needed In Haiti

2010-01-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

I've had several people contact me wanting to know what else they could do to help in Haiti. Some of you asked if certain items were needed and where they could be sent. Licia, the wonderful lady that runs the Rescue Center, posted a list of items that they really need. You can send any of these items to MN and they will be kept in a warehouse there and then shipped to Haiti.

You can check out the list HERE!

Who Is Artists For Hope?

2010-01-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

Over a year ago, I was totally crushed after seeing pictures on Licia's blog of some children that were just skin and bone from severe malnutrition. I've been to Russia, Guatemala, South Africa, and Madagascar. I've seen poverty. I've seen hunger~ but I had never seen children that were literally starving to death. It especially hit me that this was in Haiti, just a few hour plane ride from Miami. How could this be happening?

I talked to a few artist friends and we discussed what we could do to make life a little better for these kids. We knew the people at the Rescue Center did everything they could to help these kids. They loved them and provided them with all they could...but we also knew funds were hard to come by for them and they needed more to be able to help more children.

Pictures of children like little Emmanuel (above) are what motivated us to do something. What if we donated some of our artwork to sell to make some money for these kids? What if we talked to friends to see if they wanted to do the same? What if we talked to artists who also wanted to DO something? What if we could advertise for these artists so other people could learn more about them and their talent?

These after pictures are why we are doing what we are doing. Isn't the difference amazing?

The week after Thanksgiving I was able to lead a small group to visit the Rescue Center for the first time. The thing that hit me the most while we were there was the huge feeling of HOPE that was within the Rescue Center. Some of the kids were so sick, but the nannies and staff treated them like they were going to be OK and with all the respect they deserved. There was always singing. There was always playing. There was always hope.

I took this picture of Emmanuel while we were there. I hadn't seen his before picture and I could not believe that was him. This smiley, goofy little boy couldn't be that sad, solemn little guy in the first picture! He was TOO cute and we're so happy knowing he is home with his family now.

Knowing that the kids we loved and spent the week with have been sleeping outside and that their food and formula supplies were running out has been extremely hard. A lot of the kids are medically fragile and some are on IV's and have feeding tubes. How difficult it must be to be outside 24/7 with 50 babies and kids. Can you imagine your own kids being outside on the cement day after day? ugh.

We again want to thank all of you that have come forward to donate and for all the people who have been purchasing artwork! It makes such a difference and it will truly help these kids. If you are interested in donating or even if you just have questions, please email Roberta @ artistsforhope@gmail.com.

We've also added some new items to our etsy page and will continue to, so please check HERE often!

Houses For Haiti

2010-01-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

Artists For Hope is teaming up with The Art Mill in Omaha for a wonderful FREE event to help the Rescue Center in Haiti.

Friday, January 29, artists are invited to The Art Mill to make these beautiful house shaped vases that will be sold on our blog and website. We're so excited to have different artists come together to create something that will make a difference in the lives of the kids in Cazale.

So...if you live in or near Omaha and you would like to be a part of this fun event~ here's the details.

January 29, 2010 |
6 - 9 p.m.
A Free Event
15512 Spaulding Plaza Suite D09
Located at the NE corner of 156th and Maple next to Hollywood Diner.
Call 402-932-7846 to register to attend.
email: jane@omahaartmill.com

Hope to see you there!

More New Items and THANK YOU

2010-01-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

We have been adding new things every day to our etsy site and they have been selling almost as fast as we can list them. We are thrilled about this problem. We added some new things, so go check them out. We have been contacted by some wonderful new artists and we will be sharing about them on our new website in the near future.

We also want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have purchased things and donated to the Rescue Center. It has been amazing to see so many people who care about these kids!

Please continue to spread the word!
We would LOVE if you would add our button to your blog or website.
Thank you.

Rescue Center Kids

2010-01-15T17:37:00.001-08:00

These are a few of the older kids we were having fun with just weeks ago at the Rescue Center. It's hard to believe how much has changed in the last couple days.

We are frantically trying to finish our website so we can list Artists directly from there and share all the information about our generous donors so art lovers around the world can learn more about their talents. We started Artists For Hope because of the extreme poverty we saw in Haiti and a heart to make a difference for these kids. We had no idea that within a year we would be sending money because of such a terrible tragedy.

Thank you for your generosity.
You are helping more than you can know.

Who we are helping

2010-01-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

A few short weeks ago we were doing art projects with the children living at the Rescue Center in the exact spot where this make-shift medical clinic has now been set up.

Thank you to all the generous artists who have already contacted us. We will get things listed as soon as we can and please know that we will be sending the money immediately to Haiti when items are purchased so they can have it available to them. Thank you.

New Listings

2010-01-14T23:28:00.001-08:00

We were able to get a few new things listed before etsy started having issues. We will have more coming very soon. Thank you to those of you who have emailed and purchased things already. You really are helping! The kids at the Rescue Center need basic things right now, like food to eat~ so we will be sending all money that comes in directly to the Rescue Center to help with the things they so desperately need right now.

Please spread the word. More donations would be wonderful. Create something, help Haiti, and share your talents with the world!

Please Check Back Often

2010-01-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

We will be listing new things as they come in. It takes awhile to get them listed, so please check back often. All the proceeds will be sent quickly to the Rescue Center to help them with the daily struggles they are having right now as a result of the earthquake.

If you would like to donate, please email me at artistsforhope@gmail.com

Thank you.

The Kids

2010-01-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

The kids at the Rescue Center are sleeping outside again tonight. It's safer than being inside with the aftershocks and the walls of their buildings cracking from the earthquake. There are so many injuries in their area and homes and buildings destroyed.

Thank you to those of you have contacted me already about donations. We will be listing things on our Etsy site as they come in. Everything helps. They really need it right now.

Donations Now Being Accepted

2010-01-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

We are a new organization located in Omaha, NE. We recently returned from Haiti and the earthquake has obviously affected us very deeply. We feel for the children and people we worked with there and we are having a hard time thinking about how they are going to handle this devastation. The children and families we worked with are struggling to get by on a day to day basis. This is going to be beyond hard for them.

We are asking for donations of any medium to help with the relief efforts in Haiti. ALL proceeds will go to help the children at the Rescue Center to make sure that they have the food and medications that they need to survive and anything beyond that will go to relief efforts in Port Au Prince. I know the news is talking mainly about Port Au Prince, but areas like Cazale were greatly affected also. They have enough food to last for a few days at the Rescue Center but they are worried what they will do beyond that. Please email me at artistsforhope@gmail.com with any donations or ideas of how you would like to help. Thank you.

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you know, but I wanted to ask everyone to keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers after the devastating earthquake that has occurred. The children that we help at the Rescue Center are all OK right now. They evacuated the Rescue Center and the children and the nannies that came in are sleeping outside under a shelter.

I will let everyone know if I hear anything of how we can help. Thank you.

New Jewelry Listed

2010-01-11T15:15:00.001-08:00

Artist Joey Breed has once again generously donated some beautiful jewelry to us and we are so happy about that! All proceeds from these amazing sets will go help the kids at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center. The only money we ever take out is what it costs for shipping. The rest goes to Haiti. Generous donations like these from Joey make a BIG difference in the lives of the kids at the RC. As always, I'm sure they will sell quickly~ so go check out Etsy right now.

You can also see more of Joey's work at her
Etsy site- Painted Pineapple.

One Of My Favorites

2010-01-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite kids AND my favorite photos from my trip to Haiti. This is Alma and can you believe he is 6 years old? I'm sure his growth is far behind because of how many times he has had kwashiorkor, but he is seriously one of the sweetest and cutest kids I have ever met. Even when he was in pain because of his swollen legs he was trying to smile and he LOVED to be held. It was such an amazing experience to bring these moments of joy to these kids and to be able to see the children that we have been helping through Artists For Hope. They brought us even more joy than we could bring them.

Do you want to be a part of that joy?
They need you. We need you!
Be creative and change the world.

You Can Bring A Smile

2009-12-15T21:16:00.001-08:00

You. Yes, YOU can bring a smile to the face of a hungry child.

I knew it would be difficult to see a starving child in person. I don't think you can really even imagine it until you actually see it. It left a huge impact on me and has lit the passion even more that I had to help bring hope to these children.

Every week children come into the Rescue Center with empty stomachs and a hopeless look in their eyes. After a week or two of nutritious food and extra love, they start to get that sparkle back and you can see the hope creeping back in. That hope is why we started Artists For Hope and we want YOU to help us help these children.

We're thankful again to have the problem that we need more artwork and artists. Things have sold quickly and we're excited to be able to expand Artists For Hope and share art with art lovers who want to make a difference in this world. Check out these pictures and think about the artists in your life that you can talk to. I can't think of a better reason to create something. Help bring a smile back to their faces.

Haiti Is Amazing- Spread the Word!

2009-12-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

I knew traveling to Haiti and meeting the children in person would spark my passion to do even more to give every child that comes into the Rescue Center the HOPE that they deserve. The Rescue Center and Clinic do so much for the people in Haiti and I thought over and over again "what would people do if they weren't here???" What if there wasn't a place here to provide nutritious food for kids that are starving? What if there wasn't a medical clinic here for the baby whose arm was severely burned in a pot of boiling water? Real Hope For Haiti truly is giving hope to people and it was such a gift to experience it first hand.

I'll be sharing more about our week in Haiti soon, but wanted to at least post a few pictures. Even in pictures, it's amazing to see the children who have recently come to the center and how solemn, frail, and weak they look....and then to see the kids who have been there awhile as they are getting stronger and healthier and have huge smiles on their faces. How amazing to see the joy return to their eyes.

I've already had several people ask me how they can help these children. Spread the word about Artists For Hope! Tell the artists, etsy people, and friends and family in your life so we can add more artwork and raise more money for the Rescue Center. ALL proceeds from donated artwork go directly to the Rescue Center. Plus we'll give free advertising to all artists who donate.
What better reason to buy or create artwork?

Next Week~ In Haiti....

2009-11-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

....we will be sharing our love of art with the older children at the Rescue Center. We have some simple art projects planned and one of the things we made to bring along is something I loved to make as a teacher. We recycled old broken crayon pieces into Cupcake Crayons. They are fun and swirly and they make beautiful designs. Kids love them because they are easy to hold, so hopefully some of the younger kids who are feeling better will be able to join us too.

If you want to make your own, gather some willing participants and have them pull the paper off the crayon pieces and separate them into a cupcake tin or segmented pan that has been coated with cooking spray. I found a triangle pan at a local thrift store that I think used to be meant for corn bread. I recommend using old pans so you don't ruin your favorite one. (I'm speaking from experience. ugh.)

Put them into a 250 degree oven until they start to melt together and get all swirly and shiny. It doesn't take very long, so keep a close eye on them. You'll know they are done when the tops are totally smooth.

This is how they look when they are finished. Sorry about the terrible picture. I only had my camera phone available because my camera and lenses are all in getting cleaned before we head to Haiti.
At least you get the basic idea.

Hopefully some of you will try this fun project. I'm so excited to spend time with the children at the Rescue Center and hopefully they will enjoy creating things as much as we do. When we return we will be adding new artists and hopefully launching our new website. Go out and create something for the children in Haiti.
What better inspiration, right?

Today.

2009-11-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

Today. The Rescue Center has 350 patients waiting to be seen. Many who slept outside overnight. Many who walked hours to get help. Today. They have 70 children in their care. They are beyond full...but how can you turn away a sick child? So they make room. Today. They have some of the worst cases of Kwashiorkor they have ever seen. Several are on IV fluids and have feeding tubes. Several are near death. Today.

I know this seems a world away. It's easy to not think about it, but it's happening. Today. Right now. Will you please say a prayer for them? Or use this as an inspiration to create something that can help them? Keep these kids in your thoughts. They need supplies and funds to keep helping these children. Think of what you can do today to help them. Today.

Can you help these runners....

2009-11-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

.....to help the women of Haiti?

Heartline Runners is a group of people who will be running together in a marathon at Disney World in January to raise money for an ambulance that will be used to save lives and to offer Haitian women better options for delivering their babies into the world safely.

You can read more about their efforts here or click on the button on the side of this blog. Sponsor a runner to help the women of Haiti. Do it because you are a runner. Do it because you are a Mother. Do it because you love Haiti. Do it because it will make a big difference in someone's life. Just do it!

Yee to the Haw

2009-11-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

Our first attempt at a fundraiser was a great success. Way more people than we expected showed up and we were able to raise over $4500.00 for the Rescue Center. There was lots of shopping, eating, and dancing (mostly by the kids) and we were able to share Artists For Hope and information about the RC with a lot of great people.

Please reach out to those artists in your life! In 3 short weeks we will be in Haiti and I can't wait to add some amazing new artwork to our site when we return. If you are an artist....imagine what a difference your work could make in the life of a child!

It's a Haiti Hoedown!

2009-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

We have been busy getting ready for a local fundraiser we will be doing for the Rescue Center. I wish everyone was close enough to attend! Our little group of 4 that will be traveling to the RC in November decided to have an old fashioned Hoedown to raise money for the kids in Haiti before we go. We're excited to have a fun and crazy night of dancing, silent auctions, food, and friends...all coming together for the children at the RC.

Please tell your friends, family, favorite artist, favorite Etsy seller, neighbor, dentist....you get the idea~ about Artists For Hope. When we return from Haiti, we hope to finish our promotional video and our Non-Profit status ~ AND launch our new website to share lots of Artists with lots of Art Lovers around the world!

Thank you again.

Look At These Boys!!!

2009-10-10T10:12:00.001-07:00

They just took a new picture of the boys and they look SO great!
That Medika Mamba stuff is amazing and thanks to Tara Livesay lots and LOTS of kids will be able to have it.
I included the picture taken the first week and a few weeks later, so you can see the amazing transformation in these boys. I can't wait to scoop these little guys up and love on them when we get to Haiti!

Marathon For Medika Mamba This Sunday

2009-10-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Because of the matching grants that Tara had been offered when she decided to run for hungry kids in Haiti, we decided to donate the money we made through Artists For Hope to help Tara raise more for Medika Mamba, knowing that it would help the kids at the Rescue Center.

They have actually raised over $53,000 and you can follow their journey on Sunday by watching Troy's Twitter updates on their blog during the race. I wish I could be there to witness her cross the finish line, knowing that SO many lives have been changed because she decided to run! Amazing! I love when people see a problem and they decide to get up and DO something about it! BIG things happen when people do that!

You can also read a great article about Tara here.

Thank you for being an inspiration Tara and helping to provide "peanut butter medicine" for all those hungry kids at the Rescue Center!

Glass Tile Necklaces available NOW!

2009-09-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our Etsy Site now has more Glass Tile Necklaces for Haiti. I'm sure they will go quick, so if you don't get one, let me know and we'll get some more up soon.

Thanks to those of you who added our button to your blogs and websites. We really appreciated you spreading the word and helping the children at the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center!

Information About Kwashiorkor

2009-09-24T09:33:00.001-07:00