Ten Thousand Villages Featured in CultureMap

Extra! Extra! Read all about it…

Announcing the Finalists in Austin’s 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards

Ten Thousand Villages celebrates women locally and globally with our 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards on Friday, March 8th, 6-8pm at our fair trade store (1317 S. Congress). The Ceremony will be hosted by 2010 IWD honoree Sara Hickman, who will present awards to three finalists and a winner from each category. “Through actions and influence these women are distinguishing Austin as a city that’s leading in social change,” Store Manager Kitty Bird said. The Finalists are:

 Humanitarian

   • Leslie Beasley – Founder, Open Arms 

   • Kay Firth-Butterfield – Consortium for Street Children

   • Christy Pipkin – Executive Director, The Nobelity Project

Environmentalist
   • Paige Hill – Founder, Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms
   • Elisabeth Welsh – Program Director, Austin Youth River Watch
   • Sarah Young – Youth Director, Discover Green – YEL

Animal Advocate
   • Karen Cole – Founder, Lizzy’s Hospice
   • Liz Parker – Emancipet Board & Austin Pets Directory Publisher
   • Sheila Smith – President, Shadow Cats Rescue

Finalists were chosen by a judges panel comprised of previous IWD winners and leaders in Austin’s nonprofit community: Brandi Clark Burton, Founder of Austin EcoNetwork; Meg Goodman Erskine, Executive Director of Multicultural Refugee Coalition; and Abigail Smith, Chief Animal Services Officer for the City of Austin.

“The judges had incredibly tough decisions to make,” Kitty said. “At the same time, it’s inspiring to learn about so many amazing women in our community who are making meaningful social impacts. This event is about celebrating all of them.”

For five years, Ten Thousand Villages has been celebrating and honoring women at this time of year. One day isn’t enough, so Ten Thousand Villages celebrates International Women’s Day for a week with cultural events and benefit shopping nights that support other nonprofits, culminating in the IWD Awards Ceremony on March 8th.

All events are free:

Monday 3/4
5-9 pm: Out of Africa
See Nobelity Project’s Building Hope documentary, enjoy traditional African food, and get 10% off all fair trade products handmade in Africa. A portion of all purchases supports local nonprofit Well Aware, which brings clean drinking water to rural villages in Kenya.

Tuesday 3/5
10:30-11:30 am: FREE Yoga Class! Courtesy of Mimi Curry at beradiantbliss.com
5-9 pm: South Asian Bazaar: Mehndi, Mandalas & More
Sari wrapping, henna art, music, food and 10% off all fair trade products handmade in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. A portion of all purchases supports Austin-based Tender Heart Foundation, which helps bring education and socioeconomic development to rural communities in Northern India.

Wednesday 3/6
5-9 pm: Latin America Romance
Come hear Latin American music performed live and get a 10% discount on all fair trade products handmade in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras or Colombia.

Thursday 3/7
5-9 pm: 1st Thursday on South Congress
Ten Thousand Villages stays open late for this popular monthly block party that lets Austin fly its weird flag. This event is about as Austin as it gets — don’t miss it!

Friday 3/8
6-8 pm: 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards – Hosted by Sara Hickman! This night is all about celebrating women who have made exceptional contributions in our community and who make a difference in the lives of those around them. Limited seating; RSVP required: Facebook or email.

It’s going to be a week about social change and powerful women. Hope you will come and celebrate with us — and share this news with your friends!

Who Benefits from Benefit Nights?

You may have seen our tweets, posts, etc. about our “Benefit Shopping Nights,” but have these left you wondering what exactly is a “Benefit Shopping Night”? And just who “benefits”? As we will be having Benefit Shopping Nights all this week leading up to our 4th Annual International Women’s Day Awards Ceremony on Friday, we thought this might be a good time to clear up how Benefit Nights work, while also featuring the non-profits we will be supporting throughout the week.

So, first things first: What are Benefit Shopping Nights and why should you be excited about them? For a Benefit Shopping Night, Ten Thousand Villages of Austin selects a local non-profit partner interested in raising some money and spreading the word about its mission. After setting a date, we both work to promote the event; at the end of the night the nonprofit partner takes home a percentage of store sales. However, while Benefit Shopping Nights are opportunities for local non-profits to do some fundraising, they are also opportunities for you, our customer, to learn about, connect with and support these non-profits. Well, AND to do some shopping at Ten Thousand Villages.

Now to answer the question of who benefits. We already know that the non-profits benefit at the end of the night by taking home some money, so this section will explain to you what the non-profits that will be here this week do with their money.

Monday, March 5: Austin Community Foundation & GivingCity Austin

GivingCity Austin is a magazine all about doing good here in the great city of Austin. As stated on its homepage, GivingCity “offers actionable community content with the goal of connecting more Central Texans to philanthropy and improving communication and collaboration across the community.” This effort has seen tremendous growth since its initiation in 2007 by Monica Maldonado Williams (who, BTW, is a judge in our 2012 International Women’s Day Awards) and Torquil Dewar, starting as as a blog and side project for Williams and transforming into a magazine that is distributed to almost 8,000 people via email and about 3,000 print readers in Austin and beyond.

GivingCity Austin is now a project of Austin Community Foundation (ACF), the non-profit for which Williams is Communications Director. ACF’s mission, according to its website, is to promote “philanthropy in Central Texas to improve the quality of life for all, for today and for the future.” ACF lives out this mission by working with Austinites with philanthropic goals in making funds.

Tuesday, March 6: Well Aware

On Tuesday, come out and support the Austin-based non-profit Well Aware, which provides life-saving water for those who have none. Founded in 2006 by Sarah Evans (who was nominated for an International Women’s Day Award this year!), Well Aware has installed 8 clean drinking water systems in rural Kenya, improving the lives of 45,000 people! As stated on its blog, “We are well aware that our responsibility to the communities in which we work goes far beyond the drilling of a hole. Over 60% of existing water wells in Kenya are currently not working due to NGO neglect. Our project planning and budgeting includes lifetime technical support, community oversight and development consultation.” Well Aware’s biggest fundraiser is its annual Shower Strike, which has been moved from hot-hot-hot July to April 22-29 this year. Shoppers can sign up to participate in the Shower Strike or make donations during this Benefit Shopping Night.

Wednesday, March 7: Austin Humane Society

Formed in 1952, the Austin Humane Society (AHS) is “Austin’s largest, longest-standing no-kill, nonprofit animal shelter,” according to its website. AHS works to promote the well-being and is dedicated to eliminating unnecessary euthanasia of dogs and cats.  Some of its primary initiatives include:

• Innovative, life-saving adoption programs
• High-volume spay and neuter programs
• Engaging the community to be part of the solution
• Serving animals and people in times of crisis

In honor of International Women’s Day, we’ve asked AHS to focus the money it earns during this Benefit Shopping Night on getting lady kitties and puppies spayed!

International Women’s Day – Thursday, March 8: Austin Wildcats

The purpose of this Benefit Shopping Night is to raise money and awareness for the Austin Wildcats‘ 2nd annual Tournament for Hope (March 31-April 1, 2012), a two-day, all girls basketball tournament in which 100% of proceeds go to benefit Austin’s first facility dedicated to breast cancer treatment. More than 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life, and The Austin Wildcats is raising money for construction of The Seton Breast Cancer Center. Shoppers at this Benefit Night can purchase tickets for the Tournament for Hope.

So, as you can see, lots of people stand to benefit from your contribution through shopping during a Benefit Night!  So come on down and support a group you feel passionate about, or spread out your shopping and support all the groups!  Hope to see you soon

Celebrate women all week at Villages of Austin

This year, International Women’s Day is March 8.  At Ten Thousand Villages of Austin, we will be celebrating the economic, political and social acheivements of women around the world and in our own community all week long!

The majority of our beautifully handmade items in the store are made by women artisans, and your purchase directly benefits women and their families in developing countries around the world.  This week, we will host benefit nights each night to benefit fellow nonprofit organizations in Austin.

Monday:  GENaustin
Tuesday:  Mother’s Milk Bank
Wednesday:  SafePlace
Thursday:  Ann Richards School

Come join us in the store and support women right here in Austin and around the world!

Click here to read an excellent article on challenges women face today, including gender equity, political freedom and health care.  Thanks for reading! …Taylor

VSA Arts of Texas Benefit Night – Thursday, July 24

You can help make the arts accessible to all!  Join us at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin this Thursday, July 24, from 5-9pm, for a night benefitting VSA Arts of Texas, a local nonprofit organization that promotes the creative power in people with disabilities by facilitating full access to the cultural and educational arts.

A portion of all proceeds from purchases made between 5-9pm this Thursday will go directly to VSA Arts of Texas.  You’ll be supporting both fair trade and a great, local, nonprofit organization right here in Austin.  We hope to see you in the store!  For more information, please click here.

From the VSA Arts of Texas website:
Disability affects 1 out of 5 Americans in their lifetime. According to the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, there are approximately 4 million Texans with disability, and according to the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, the number of people with disabilities living in Texas is expected to increase by 30% by the year 2010.

Children and adults drive our organization every day. They inspire our programs and services and guide our vision of an inclusive, creative world. We serve approximately 5,000 adults, children, and educators directly, and over 25,000 students, parents, and community members indirectly each year. We offer programs, services, and events based in four expansive core areas: arts education, professional development, cultural access, and public awareness and outreach. We are a leading force in a movement to transform the way we teach, the way we learn about each other, and the way we live.