Starlettes Raise over $150 for Haiti Relief!

by Aly Lewis

The San Diego Roller Derby Starlettes raised over $150 for Plant With Purpose’s Haiti relief and recovery program at one of the most exciting—and fascinating—fundraising events I’ve ever attended.

The Starlettes battled the Bakersfield Diamond Divas in a high-energy roller derby bout on Saturday night. Rumble Pie, the Starlettes’ star jammer, whizzed past the Divas’ blockers, racking up points as the crowd cheered for the home team. At halftime the Starlettes were leading the daring divas and the crowd relaxed to enjoy a hip hop halftime show performed by girls with seriously stellar dance skills and a killer break dancing duo who flaunted their sweet moves on what else but roller skates.

During the second period, the Divas launched a fierce dose of competition into the Starlettes’ galaxy and our persistent home team lost their lead. Although the mighty Starlettes lost the bout, Plant With Purpose was inspired by their creative fundraising efforts, awed by their star-studded performance and honored to be the beneficiary of their benevolence.

Thank you for your support, Starlettes!

Plant With Purpose's Marketing Coordinator, Kate-O-Mite, poses with Starlette, Wonder Whoop'em

And they're off! The skaters whizz around the rink in a blur as they attempt to knock down the competition.

Plant With Purpose Grant Writer, The Alexacuter, and Haiti Relief Intern, The Colinstigator, show off their awesome new blue Plant With Purpose t-shirts and our newest item--temporary tattoos(!) as they work the Plant With Purpose table.

REVO San Diego

posted by Corbyn

There is an awesome event that I want to invite you all to. If you live in the San Diego area and are free Sunday night, come on down to Bondi Bar and Grill in the Gaslamp Quarters Downtown! I have been working with staff from other San Diego non-profits (Amor, Invisible Children, Eleho, and Grace Church) to host an event that will raise funds and awareness for Street Angels. Street Angels works here in San Diego to get at-risk youth off the streets.

The idea behind a REVO event is for a community to draw together by utilizing the assets and skills that they have to support a good cause. Artists, musicians, and lots of other San Diegans will be joining together Sunday night to enjoy each other's company and be involved in a movement and network called REVO. All ages are welcome!

~~~~~

Corbyn Small serves as Plant With Purpose’s Outreach Coordinator. He cultivates relationships with donors, churches, artists and musicians to generate interest and enthusiasm for Plant With Purpose’s life-changing programs.

Balboa Park Goes Green(er)!

by Mackenzie Miller I can’t believe it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet, and I am already looking forward to Christmas. Poor Thanksgiving. Shoved between Halloween and Christmas. Store displays are already red and green, with candy canes, mistletoe and lights springing up all over San Diego. Balboa Park is no exception. Sunday, November 22 is the annual tree lighting on the Old Globe Plaza, which includes performances by the cast of The Grinch! The tree lighting kicks off the season, immediately followed by “Balboa Park December Nights,” the largest free community festival in San Diego. December Nights is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors between December 4th and 5th alone. In the spirit of the holidays, participating Balboa Park museums open their doors free of charge from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. both evenings. I know what you’re thinking. Crowds. Trash. LIGHTS. Christmas festivities – traditional as they may be –

CAN be a little wasteful at times, can’t they? That’s why I was SO happy to find that Balboa Park is going GREEN for December Nights this year! San Diego Gas & Electric is covering the center of the Plaza de Panama with an energy efficient canopy of LED holiday lights, illuminating the Park for the entire holiday season. SDG&E is also offering to trade free LED holiday lights for old incandescent ones! As if that weren’t enough, guests will receive a free Home Energy & Water Savings Kit and a reusable shopping bag. The Balboa Park website gives great tips for San Diego Public Transportation, too. Who knew that the holiday season could be so energy-efficient? Thanks for looking out for the environment, San Diego! For more information on Balboa Park December Nights, and the Tree Lighting ceremony, visit: http://www.balboapark.org/

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Knocking Socks Off and Transforming Lives

by Aly Lewis

The verdict is in: my socks were knocked off. By Plant With Purpose’s 2009 Planting Hope Gala last Saturday, that is. It was a delightful evening of high energy Plant With Purpose supporting, socializing, and celebrating.

Here are the top 3 reasons my socks really were knocked off:

1. I didn’t trip in my heels all night, as I gallivanted around catching up with old friends, classmates, and coworkers, sneaking Hershey’s kisses off the silent auction tables, and sharing my Plant With Purpose savvy with anyone who would listen.

2. Journey to Africa By far one of the most meaningful parts of the evening was getting to meet Edith Banzi. Edith is our local director in Tanzania and we had the honor of hearing her talk about the amazing work and progress that is taking place in our program there. Mama Floresta, as she’s know throughout the communities, shared about the latest projects—double dug gardens, wood saving stoves, and Village Community Banks—talked about the transformation she’s seen in the lives of the farmers she works with—improved incomes, increased confidence, and hope for the future—and gave us a little taste of the excitement, dedication, and compassion she shares with farmers and families in her part of the world. It’s a privilege to join with partners like Edith in this transformational work.

3. Rolling in the Benjamins I’m not going to spill the financial beans or steal Kate’s Gala recapping thunder, but I will say that this year’s gala was our most successful gala in Plant With Purpose history! The big bucks aside, the fact that over 300 people chose to spend their Saturday evening learning about, celebrating, and supporting Plant With Purpose is a huge encouragement to me. Seriously. I’ll stop here before the Aly Lewis Cry Fest has a chance to begin.

Anyways, check out these fun pics from the evening and stay tuned for Kate’s Official Gala Recap to be posted tomorrow.

*PS If anyone has found my knocked-off-socks please return them to the Plant With Purpose office at your convenience. My sockless feet are not liking the cold fall nights.

Oo-la-la Ga-la-la

Confessions of a non-schmoozer and new owner of a “little black dress”

by Aly Lewis

I don’t attend many “black tie optional” events. Sure, my friends occasionally get married at venues other than the beach and require their guests to wear apparel other than sun dresses and flips flops, but I must admit it’s not often. My tendency toward introversion and my general aversion to high heels often compel me to shy away from fancy-dress frolicking and gala gallivanting. But this weekend is Plant With Purpose’s 2009 Planting Hope Gala, and, somewhat to my astonishment, I couldn’t be more excited to gear up for some good ole mingling and the chance to test drive my newly (thrift store) purchased little black dress. And here’s why:

Top 10 Reasons the Gala Will Knock My (and your) Socks Off*

1. Hershey Kisses as Hors d'oeuvres

Who doesn’t love tasty pre-dinner chocolate treats?

2. Business Casuals Dressed to the Nines

Seeing my coworkers primped and preened: priceless.

3. Family Reunion

For me personally the gala will serve as an actual family reunion. My parents are coming in from Northern California for the event and my brother and his girlfriend will be attending as well. What’s more, the gala serves to reunite old friends, coworkers, and classmates. And beyond family lines, the gala unites us all as one Plant With Purpose family, joining together to transform the lives of the rural poor.

4. Goody bags

They were the best part of childhood birthday parties and, if we’re honest with ourselves, they’re still pretty great. This year we even have goody-bag-size bags of coffee from our friends at Malindi Coffee. Can you say cute caffeine?!

5. Killer Deals at the Silent Auction

Trust me, there are some sweet deals and packages in the silent auction this year. We’ve had companies from all over donate lots of unique, elegant, and just darn fun items. Here’s a little sneak peak: San Diego Sightseer and Lego My Eggo includes tickets to an array of local San Diego museums as well as to Legoland. Inline Fun with In ‘N Out Yum features a Skateworld party and In ‘N Out gift certificates. Little Kung Fu Guru offers authentic Kung Fu training for kids. And we have loads more of exciting packages, exclusive getaways, and entertaining ways for you to spend your days. (And if you’re wondering who wrote the clever package names, let’s just say I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I did enjoy a week of snickering at my desk while scheming up rhymes and alliterations)

6. Mix and Mingle

I admit I’m not usually one to schmooze, but even I find it fun to meet and talk to people who care about the same things I do. And perhaps I’m biased, but Plant With Purpose supporters are some of the coolest, most interesting people I’ve ever met. I dare you to introduce yourself to at least 10 people you don’t know. Make that a Double Dog Dare.

7. 25th Anniversary

This year marks Plant With Purpose’s 25^th year of working to reverse poverty and deforestation around the world. That's right, Plant With Purpose was working at the intersection of poverty and deforestation way before creation care was cool. In honor of this milestone, Cesar Lopez, one of the founders of Plant With Purpose, will travel from the Dominican Republic to give a special presentation. Woohoo Plant With Purpose!

8. The Bidding Frenzy

I never cease to be amazed by the supersonic speed with which auctioneers “call” a live auction. Don’t let all the “Um diddle diddle um diddle ays” distract you because you’re going to want to bid on these awesome packages from an Adventures in Fatherhood father/daughter or father/son wilderness excursion to a magnificent Diamond Delight ring (to be modeled by my wonderful roommate) to an All Season High Sierra mountain retreat. Get your paddles ready!

9. The Giving Frenzy

Even more scintillating than the live auction is the Fund A Need “auction” of sorts. Instead of outbidding fellow tablemates, this is a chance for guests to pledge their support to Plant With Purpose’s life-changing programs. Every year I’m blown away by how much people give. I find myself saying to my neighbor (usually another broke college student), “Did they seriously just raise their paddle to give $20,000?” It’s inspiring and amazing and really really really cool to watch the excitement as people give joyously and generously. So inspiring, in fact, that I made my friend hide my paddle the first year I volunteered at the gala for fear that I would commit myself to give thousands of dollars that I didn’t possess. Building a cistern in Tanzania or paying for a semester of college? Seriously, it’s a tough choice.

10. The [Aly Lewis] Cry Fest

I will cry. And yes, this is a good thing. Every time I hear anyone speak on our life-changing programs or talk about the stories of transformation and restoration that Plant With Purpose is helping to bring about, I am moved to tears. I wish I was the kind of person who could cry on demand, but trust me, I can’t. So if you see my eyes glisten while our Executive Director, Scott, talks about Plant With Purpose’s accomplishments over the last 25 years, know that I’m legitimately moved. Witty banter and sarcastic comments aside, I am deeply grateful to be a part of this ministry, to connect with and empower rural farmers around the globe, and to join with others in taking baby steps of selflessness and compassion that spur us toward becoming more loving, more compassionate, and more fully engaged in our world. I think that’s something worth celebrating.

Don’t miss out on this amazing evening! To r.s.v.p. online, please visit http://www.floresta.org/gala2009/index.html or contact Kate McElhinney at (858) 274-3728 or kate@floresta.org.

*Don’t worry, I will not actually be wearing socks with my little black dress. My socks will only figuratively be knocked off.

International Day of Peace

by Corbyn Small

In case you missed it, the 21st of September was not just the last day of summer… it was also International Day of Peace as well!

In 2002 the UN declared this date the permanent Day of Peace. It has been suggested that "Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

Yesterday Plant With Purpose joined hundreds of students, faculty, and non-profit organizations at the beautiful campus of the University of San Diego as the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice hosted a celebration of peace. The event included a peace march, dove release, moment of silence, and inspirational speakers from around the world encouraging anyone and everyone to celebrate peace.

If you are ever interested in hosting a Plant With Purpose table at an event or even just joining staff and volunteer to help out, please contact corbyn@PlantWithPurpose.org Also keep your eye on the calendar of events on facebook or our webpage.

http://internationaldayofpeace.org/about/background.html

http://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/news/events_calendar/international_day_of_peace/

Great Addition to the Events Calendar!

by Corbyn Small

On July 18^th our friends, Jason and Brooke Evans, are hosting a one of a kind evening of art, music, and refreshments. The two of them have created a wonderful series of forestry-related pieces of artwork to present over the course of the evening. In support of the agricultural development work that we do, Jason and Brooke have decided to donate 15 % of the sales from their beautiful artwork to Plant With Purpose!

The evening will kick off at 6 pm at the Hawthorn House on 3143 Hawthorn Street with music by the Adams and Eves starting at 7 pm. Plant With Purpose staff and friends will also be there to enjoy the evening and support Jason and Brooke as they share their eye pleasing and incredibly affordable pieces of art. Come enjoy some delightful melodies comprised of an accordion, banjo vibraphone, trumpet, and guitars while mingling with some like-minded folks who enjoy music, art, and good company. Here are a few of the pieces that will be displayed, and you can see more here.

For more information, contact Jason and Brooke:

Email: fire.n.flowers@gmail.com

Phone: (619) 717-6372

Click here for directions

RSVP here

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Home from Flourish 2009

Doug and I just returned from the Flourish conference at Cross Pointe Church in Atlanta. What a wonderful and refreshing few days! We had a tremendous list of great speakers, among them Joel Hunter, JoAnne Lyon, Andy Crouch, Chris Seay, Rusty Pritchard, Tri Robinson, Mathew Sleeth, and Peter Illyn. The conference was under-attended, which I am sadly getting used to, but it was a wonderful opportunity to meet and mix with a wide variety of people working in creation care, and to share with them a little of the work that we are doing. Finally, it was a blessing to catch up with so many old friends, many of whom have been involved in this work as long as I have, as well as to meet so many of the new voices. Jonathan Merritt and his father James Merritt, who pastors Cross Pointe, were our hosts. David Neff of Christianity Today provides a bit of a summary of the conference in his blog. Jonathan Merritt also shares his analysis.

Win $100 Bucks just by inviting friends to our Facebook Cause!

The easiest $100 dollars you ever made! We are having a contest to see who can get the most of their friends and family to join the Plant With Purpose facebook cause! (This contest excludes staff! Which means the current leaders who are staff; Corbyn, Scott, Doug, Kate, Becky and Aly will not be competition!) The contest will end May 28th and the person who has recruited the most people by 2 pm to our cause will get a $100 visa gift card! This is a great way to share the Plant With Purpose message and helps us spread the word across the country. Inviting people is easy! Just click here, then click “JOIN” and it will ask you to log into facebook, join the cause by allowing the Cause Application and invite up to 60 of your friends to join each day! You can add a personal message to your invite asking your friends and family to join and why you support Plant With Purpose. Taking the pledge to invite 100 people will help you choose people to invite! If you have any questions feel free to email Corbyn@PlantWithPurpose.org

Scott Sabin added as a main speaker at creation care conference in Georgia

Check out the Flourish Webpage here!

Scott Sabin, the Executive Director at Plant With Purpose has been asked to be a main speaker at the Flourish Conference in Georgia this week! Tomorrow Scott and Doug Satre, Director of Outreach and Development, will be heading to Duluth, Georgia where 150 pastors from around the country will come together for this national creation care conference. The conference will feature influential speakers such as Leroy Barber, Margaret Feinberg and Andy Couch. Plant With Purpose found out about the Flourish Conference through Rusty Pritchard, one of the conference organizers and resource economist. A great advocate of Plant With Purpose, Rusty understands the impact of the community development work that Plant With Purpose does internationally and the importance of restoring people’s relationship with their land as a way to not only improve the environment, but also as a way for subsistence farmers to overcome poverty. Check out one of the articles that Rusty recently wrote about Plant With Purpose . If you and your small group, church, family, or club would like to advocate for Plant With Purpose, contact Plant With Purpose’s outreach coordinator, Corbyn, at Corbyn@PlantWithPurpose.org.

Earth

This Earth Day, Disney released its new movie, appropriately titled, Earth. There’s nothing like cutesy, crawly animal cubs and big screen footage of the wild’s most ferocious predators to remind us of the abundant beauty and perils of our shared Earth home. Parading birds of paradise. The vast borealis forest. Elephants, dazed and confused, journeying to quench their epic thirst. It doesn’t take much for me to be enamored with nature. But as Earth week comes to a close, let’s remember that celebrating and protecting Creation isn’t just a one-day or one-week event. After all, our children and cubs, calves and chicks, hatchlings and pups are depending on us.

Earth Fair 2009 Balboa Park! Sunday the 19th

The largest Earth Day fair gathering in the world is right here in San Diego this Sunday! Come by our booth (#157) and see what all the excitement is about for our brand new Plant With Purpose launch! During the Earth Fair 2009, we will be giving out our new brochures, stickers, and key chains, as well as selling stylish new Jedidiah designed t-shirts! Where: Plant With Purpose will be at booth 157. We will be on the right hand side if you are coming from Laurel Street and crossing the bridge into Balboa Park in the section before the large fountain. When: Sunday, April 19 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Visitor Map: http://www.earthdayweb.org/Maps/VisitorMap2009.pdf Transportation Tips: http://www.earthdayweb.org/EarthFair.html#Trans (it’s probably easiest to ride your bike, or walk) Floresta has been at every Balboa Park Earth Fair since it started 18 years ago, and now we are continuing to raise awareness by inviting others to help us ‘Plant With Purpose’ as we find environmental solutions to humanitarian problems. Hope to see you there! If you have any questions please feel free to contact Corbyn@PlantWithPurpose.org