Harnessing the power of the Craft Swap

Hello everybody...

I am so excited to announce the date for the 2010 Mid Winter's Craft Swap:
























This time, the Swap will be on Friday, February 26th and will start at 6:00 sharp, so show up early if you want to get some munching done and get the best "Swapping Seats."

There will be no Sewing Lounge that night and we should all start planning and executing our crafts NOW, because February 26th is just 6 short weeks away.

I can't think of a better way to while away a Winter's night.

And speaking of such things, for some time now I have been very pleasantly surprised by the popularity of the Craft Swap and wanting to somehow "harness" that power and do something good for the community.

I think the time has come to put that plan into action, and tonight I cannot think of a more worthy cause than the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Not only do I wish to help because of the magnitude of this disaster, but because I feel I have a special connection to Haiti and a bit of a "legacy" to carry on...

Here's the reason why:

Betty Mahan, the lady who used to own the house that Oliver, Reuben and I now occupy, was known locally as the "Haiti Lady."

I met her eleven years ago during my first Summer working at Alewives and she was unlike anybody else.

Not only was she uber-stylish, smart and full of personality, she was also a lady of great faith and a humanitarian.

Every year she made trips to Haiti and brought back handmade cards, jewelry, and other crafts that she sold locally to benefit the people of Haiti.




Ironically, Betty Mahan passed away just a few short months ago at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.




She was a grand person.



We still have some of her belongings in our home and many of them are treasures she brought back with her from one of her trips.

If she were still here, she would probably be in Haiti right now, and I know she would want me to help in any way I could.

And while I may not be in a position to go to Haiti myself, I am in a position to "harness the power of the Craft Swap."

While the Craft Swap will always be free and open to those who would like to participate, anyone who is planning on coming to the Craft Swap, if you are in a position to donate, you are officially asked to do so and the proceeds will be sent to the Red Cross.

So, there you have it: the Mid Winter's Craft Swap will be here before you know it and while we are all having a good time stealing from each other (always encouraged by me), we can also feel good about doing something to help those who need it most.

I've already seen similar blog posts harnessing the power of "Craftivism" to help the people of Haiti.

Isn't it wonderful that crafting can help change the world?

Who woulda thunk it?

(Betty Mahan would have thunk it, that's who.)

Thanks so much and I hope to see you there: let's have us some good, clean fun and see what we can do together.

XO,

Rhea at Alewives

PS...
The customers at Alewives have an excellent track record for coming through in the clutch: during our 2009 Holiday food drive, we were able to donate over 200 lbs. (!!!) of non-perishable food items to our local food pantry.