Families Forward & OCMA Making Good Happen!

For the past few months, we have been having mindful knitting classes with the Orange County Museum of Art.

In our knitting classes, we made this beautiful blanket:

And these beautiful bath kits:

which were knitted with love by class participants.

CLP and OCMA really wanted to donate these beautiful items to a good, local cause. We decided to donate to Families Forward! Families Forward is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping low-income and homeless families in Orange County. They were founded in 1984 and provide transitional housing, food, career coaching and counseling. If there is anything else that a family needs, they will refer them to the proper resource so that they get what they need! When they first opened they only had five apartment units and one part-time counselor, but because of the need of the community they grew quickly. Now Families Forward has twenty-eight transitional housing units and a comprehensive array of services to prevent homelessness. Last year, Families Forward helped over 7,000 people in need. According to their website they helped:

- 172 families avoided homelessness through the homeless prevention program

- 33,834 bags of food were distributed through the food pantry

- 250 parents received career assistance

-1,032 children received school supplies

It is so great to see a local organization doing so much to make good happen in our community! Thank you to OCMA and all of our participants from our knitting class for making such beautiful items! And thank you to Families Forward for your commitment to people in need!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Living Peace Workshop with Richard Reoch!

Richard Reoch has been involved with human rights, peace efforts and humanitarian work almost his whole life. Richard Reoch began working at  Amnesty International in 1971, and by 1978 he was appointed to head Amnesty’s global media operations. Currently, Richard Reoch serves as the President of Shambhala, which is one of the world’s most influential Buddhist communities. He is also on the board for the Center for Living Peace, the Chair of the International Working Group on Sri Lanka, as well as a trustee of the Rainforest Foundation. In his spare time he speaks at schools and colleges, is trained in oriental medicine, teaches tai chi and qigong, and travels throughout the world to help spread the ideas and principles of Living Peace.

On February 19, 2011, human rights activist Richard Reoch will be visiting the Center for Living Peace to lead the first of a four-part series on cultivating inner and outer peace. The beginning of the series opens with the question, “What is Living Peace?”. Delving deep into this question, participants will explore the definition of living peace and how it is applicable to their own lives. Richard Reoch will guide the discussion and exercises based around these ideas in order to discover more about how we experience living peace on a personal level, and reflect that into our respective communities. The agenda for the day includes presentations, dialogue exercises, and meditation.

To find out more or sign up for the class, click here.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

 

 

Create Eco-Friendly Art With Us!

On Saturday, February 19th, the Ecology Center will be showing us how to create beautiful pieces of art using vegetable stamps, water and plant-based ink and recycled paper!

Here are some examples of vegetable stamps to get the creativity flowing!

Images from here.

This is also a great idea! Carving a stamp out of a heartily made vegetable– like this potato-shamrock stamp!

Image from here.

 

The possibilities of what you can do with veggie stamps are endless! You can dress up a paper bag with stamps and use it as gift wrap or stamp cards to send out to your friends and family! The class will be led by Sasha and Shannon of ♥art&.

For more information, or to sign up for the class, click here! Hope to see you there!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Peace in Motion Movie Night: Let Freedom Sing!

In honor of Black History month, we will be screening Let Freedom Sing, a documentary about how music inspired the Civil Rights Movement.

This documentary follows the development of the Civil Rights Movement and the music associated with it. The music of the 1960′s Civil Rights Movement inspired and encouraged its listeners, enabling them to stay strong in a time of struggle and turbulent change. The songs gradually transformed from spiritual to freedom songs; serving as a common thread that connected people across the country as they fought for change. The music motivated people in the darkest times and inspired them to persevere with hope and optimism. The effects of this movement are permanent and continue to resonate with a messages of equality and hope. Most of the songs that came out of this movement are widely recognized now– but the context and history of these songs is known only by a few. Let Freedom Sing sheds a light on the story behind these inspirational songs.

Here is a teaser clip from the film:

Some of the songs included in this documentary are “We Shall Overcome,” “A Change is Gonna Come,” “Free at Last,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “People Get Ready.”

Here is one of the songs that is featured in the film, “I Shall Not Be Moved,” by The Harmonizing Four:

Another song, feautred in the film is Billie Holiday’s song, “Strange Fruit”

 

It is going to me such an amazing film screening! I cannot wait! To find out more about the film screening, or to sign up for the class, click here.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.