Grandmothers' Initiatives
"Good Words for Africa" Scrabble® game tournament
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Can you imagine helping African grandmothers caring for AIDS orphans by playing
a board game?
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Over the next two months, hundreds of grandmothers from five provinces across Canada will invite their families and friends to take part in local Scrabble® game tournaments to raise funds for African grandmothers. All proceeds will be donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign (www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm).
This idea was first conceived by the GANG (Grandmothers in Alberta for a New Generation) which held a “Good Words for Africa” Scrabble® game fundraiser in 2007 and raised $50,000 in one night! This year, 20 participating grandmother groups will hold Scrabble® events between September 11th and November 2nd, 2008. The community with the highest average score could win an evening with Stephen Lewis!
Visit the Grandmothers Campaign website (www.grandmotherscampaign.org) to learn more about how you can start your own Scrabble® game fundraiser and to find a Scrabble® event in your area.
We also have a number of materials and resources to help you plan and publicize your event:
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Good Words for Africa: Scrabble® Kit (.doc) (compiled by the GANG)
- List of participating Grandmother Groups (.doc)
If you have any questions, please call (toll-free) 1-888-203-9990 ext. 230 or 416-533-9292 ext.230, or email campaign@stephenlewisfoundation.org.
Quinte grannies calendar
As many of you may have already read in our Summer 2008 issue of Grassroots, the Quinte Grannies for Africa of Belleville ON have created a ‘calendar girls’ fundraising calendar for 2009. Each month features a beautiful black and white photo of one of the grannies proudly wearing nothing but her Kazuri jewellery and a few strategically-placed items. The calendars are in the printing stage and will be available soon. They are $20 each and all of the proceeds go to the Grandmothers Campaign. Our very own Stephen Lewis is also featured in the calendar but he’s fully clothed. The calendar also includes inspiring and informative quotes. Visit www.quintegrannies.ca for information on how to order the calendars, call 613-398-7219 or send an email to jdavisbss@yahoo.com.
bwob
The Beds Without Breakfast programme is gradually adding more homes, so please check out the website if you are interested in staying with other grannies when you travel and remember to tell your friends as some homes accept non-grannies. Guests make a donation to SLF and the hosts are eligible for a tax receipt for the donated amount. If you have trouble accessing the site from the link, please simply type the address in your browser www.bedswithoutbreakfast.org and note that the site is NOT password protected. If you wish to add your home please use the Contact Us link on the site. General questions may be directed to lindataberner@yahoo.ca
Glacier Grannies' 'Planting Seeds of Hope: Textile Art from the Heart'
The Glacier Grannies in Comox Valley, Vancouver Island, proudly present 'Planting Seeds of Hope: Textile Art from the Heart', a coffee table book produced by the North Island Quilters for Community Awareness to raise money for the Grandmothers Campaign. Stories of grandmothers in Africa raising their orphaned grandchildren captured the quilters' hearts and imaginations, and in response they created 40 beautiful pieces of art that respond to the question "Who Will..?" when a whole generation has been lost to AIDS. The art, with accompanying stories, are beautifully gripping, presented in an African motif soft cover book.
The textile art was recently on display at the Comox Valley Art Gallery , hosted by the North Island Quilters for Community Awareness and the Merville Grand Mothers (MGMs). Stephen Lewis visited the display on June 27th and left the following comments in the guest book: "This is the most thrilling and accomplished artistic undertaking in the history of the Foundation. Thank You." The individual art pieces will be auctioned off in October by the MGMs, with proceeds going to the Grandmothers Campaign.
Glacier Grannies and North Island Quilters are happy to make this book available to granny groups as a fundraising initiative. Shipping plus the print cost of the book is around $15.00/ book; however both costs vary depending on distance and size of the print run. The $15.00 price is based on a print run of 200 books. Possibly a few groups in your area could order together to make up 200 copies. The Glacier Grannies are selling their copies for $30.00. Forqueries and orders, please contact Merrilee Cameron at myhouse2@telus.net.
To view the fabric pieces, go to www.tidechange.ca, scroll down to Community Groups, and click on Merville Grand Mothers.