Meet Sarah Allan! A busy 18 year old with lots of hopes and dreams.  What stands out about Sarah is her passion for travel which might explain her other passion regarding diverse cultures and… Zulugrass! I recently caught up with Sarah when I visited one of our partners (a store who carries our products) Bella Boutique in Springfield.

Here is my interview with Sarah!

Me: Hi Sarah…you are a busy 18 year old with lots of hopes and dreams!  Tell me what you are passionate about?

Sarah: My number one passion is traveling.  I’ve been to Peru, India, Morocco, and Costa Rica all for over a month. I love being in the mountains so I enjoy hiking, snowboarding, and kayaking. What gets me excited is the feeling of making other people feel better and that’s why I am going to school to be a nurse.

Me:   Is being a nurse one of your life goals?

Sarah: Yes, my life goal as of right now is to be a nurse and get my BSN. I see myself in four years after school joining the Peace Corps to pursue my love of traveling while practicing my career.

Me:  What attracted you to Zulugrass?

Sarah: I love Zulugrass because I know it is going to a great cause and even though I’ve never been to that part of Africa I can picture the women there working hard to support their family. When I was in Morocco I gave the little girls of a small village each a Zulugrass strand off of my arm, so we would always remember each other and we would always share a bond even from across the world.

Me:  How do you wear YOUR Zulugrass?

Sarah: I wear my Zulugrass everyday because all the colors work so well with my constantly changing style.  I never take them off because they work with everything I wear. They add so much funky flare to my everyday look!  I wear them not only up and down my wrist…which is about 24 strands and I also wear three of my favorite colors on my other wrist.  I also wear some on my ankles and currently have some around my head as a headband!!  To say the least I love Zulugrass and I wouldn’t leave my house even to go hiking without some on!! I feel naked without them!

Jan:   If there was one thing you could change about your corner of the world, what would that be?

Sarah: The one thing I would want to change about where I live is the bullying. It is all over the media and it is finally getting addressed. I have seen it everywhere. Kids get bullied because of where they come from, how much money they have, what they look like, and what they like to do. I don’t understand why and how people can be so mean. We are all the same and we all face the same problems so be kind to everyone you meet because you don’t know what is going on in their life. People are the meanest to people who they don’t know, so why judge someone by their beliefs or appearance? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

Illinois is filled with women who love our company, all special people who care about the world  and want to do their part to make a difference.  This is why we created the “I AM”  feature of our blog. It is a way to pay tribute to people we have been fortunate to meet, and who truly make a difference in their own way.

I  introduced you to J Parkes Originals in an earlier post. It is a beautiful store and owner Jan Parkes designs the most beautiful jewelry. She combines  many of her original pieces with our Zulugrass enhancing her own designs.     Jan’s sister Ann, is an expert when it comes to showing the versatility of Zulugrass jewelry in the ways you can mix it with other jewelry.

Later, I stopped by Bella Boutique,  also another beautiful store in Springfield.

Owner, Regina Santarelli made me feel so welcomed along with several of her staff! The store was full of  beautiful, creative merchandise with her artistic touches through-out.

It was great to meet Jenna who is the Zulugrass buyer! She is the “Go To” person at Bella when it comes to Zulugrass and is always looking for new ways to wear it! We had a great visit…found that we have so much more in common, and again I met several very caring women who are now thinking about what else they can do to make a difference in the world!

Springfield, IL. is one lucky town with these two great stores and women who truly make a difference!!!

Wisconsin Mommy included our Beads for Learning in her Holiday Gift Guide. “Suitable for: The socially conscious person on your list. It also makes a great teacher gift!!”  Bravo!

It’s the middle of fall, and some days the San Francisco weather proves to be more gloomy and gray than sunny. Bring a little sunshine to your wardrobe with vibrant and versatile Zulugrass strands from the Leakey Collection.

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Also, check out our Autumn Sale ~buy one Maasai Inspired &  get one free plus a free bracelet clasp

Shop here now!

Read about The Leakey Collection’s  growing social and environmental movement which relies on fairness and it’s having a positive, global impact on the lives of women and children world-wide; it’s called Fair Trade.

Read the full article

What an amazing three days!   The first course concluded and we have begun the second running of the same for women from further up in the northern section of the group ranch.  What a success!  The women learned everything from dressing wounds, determining a dangerous pregnancy, prenatal and post natal care and proper nutrition during pregnancy.  They also added to their mid-wife skills as their teacher is a Professional Mid-wife from Oregon who volunteers her time to teach women in Africa about this and more.

The funniest part of the course for the women was seeing what sperm looked like, tales and all.  The most interesting questions revolved around pregnancy; such as: can twins be from two fathers?  Is the milky substance on the babies face due to the fact that the mother had extra marital affairs?

The funniest part of the course for the teachers was watching the re-enactment of a Maasai women giving birth with her mid-wives in attendance.  It was absolute pandemonium; yelling, pushing, shoving, laughing, cajoling, bating, and rocking the poor mother until the baby came out.  I have never seen such excitement in my life!  The teacher’s and I agreed that if nothing else it served to scare the baby out of the mother in good time, thus shortening labor.

The women were interested to learn what an important part nutrition plays in not only the babies development and general health for years but also how good nutrition also helps the mother during birth and after.  A long standing custom in this area is that a woman should not eat much during pregnancy for fear of growing a large baby.  Without hospitals large babies can prove fatal so it is a real concern.  The teachers explained ways of gaining proper nutrition without endangering mother or baby and insuring proper health and deliveries.

The women are volunteering to become trained health care providers in their communities.  The Leakey Collection is hosting refresher courses every two months and will oversee the development of this ongoing education.

Day One of our November 2010 Women’s Health Initiative Workshop was exciting and productive.  It started off with tea and japatis so the women could visit and become acquainted with our teachers, Bonnie and Emily.The morning we spent discussing concepts of Health Care workers and what their rolls will be within their communities.

Bonnie made the most realistic renditions of wounds and it was so fascinating learning the traditional healing methods used here in the bush as compared to what can be offered using the same ingredients and medicinal plants. Although it is difficult to see here – the women are wearing the replicas of wounds that Bonnie made.  These brought to life and helped us all remember the best treatment for each serious wounds.

I was a consummate aunt, so my two nieces and one nephew say, self-styled after Auntie Mame, and my grandmother whom I adored.   Our family has remained close over the years by meeting every Saturday morning for “Family Breakfast”.  Even the youngest generation attends and instigates the breakfasts which are loosely organized 24 to one hour before and held at a variety of local restaurants that have become favored standards for their patience at letting us hold a table for 10 from nine am until noon.  We are good tippers.

My nieces and nephew are in my heart as if they were my own children. I couldn’t possibly love them more, so this wedding was an especially joyous occasion that I had been anticipating for months.

As the music started, I was suddenly caught in the moment, tears streaming down my cheek as soon as I caught a glimpse of my brother, and Claire, who gracefully stepped to the music, with her strawberry blonde hair swept up in a sophisticated soft set of curls, her arm draped comfortably through her fathers, as he escorted his calm, assured daughter down the aisle.

As I watched her glide down, I marveled at her beauty and thought she was one of the most beautiful brides, I have ever seen and all of a sudden, `I let’er rip and cried during the entire ceremony.  It was better than a good old fashioned mint scented sauna for me.  Even my father leaned over and asked if I had an extra Kleenex.

Pastor Bob Barnett, Claire’s new father-in-law, gave the most touching and wonderfully personal service as he married his third, youngest son, and last child to marry, Kellen, to Claire.  Claire and Kellen’s attendants were not only their closest friends some were also family members.  Kellen’s brothers, and Claire’s cousins were his groomsmen and Claire’s cousins and Kellen’s sister-in-laws were among the stunning brides maids.  Both sides bonded by blood and friendship across the aisle.

The reception was fun and the best part for me was when my other niece, Kimberly, Claire’s maid of honor, gave her speech which began with a sweet, charming, funny song she had written in Claire and Kellen’s honor.  Here are a few pictures of the night.  My nephew Robert and his lovely girlfriend Jennifer, both of whom were in the wedding party, were tearing up the dance floor when I pulled out my camera for a few quick snaps, but here are some photos of Philip at the wedding with Claire, Kimberly and Kellen.

Here is one of Rob and Jen from another function.  It was a wonderful wedding!  Two more to go!

Have  you ever visited a store that has a story behind it? You know the feeling.  You enter through the door, and you find yourself wandering and wanting to look at every little piece. You could literally spend hours and not even realize it because you’re surrounded by PASSION!.

J Parkes Original is one of those stores. Located in Springfield, Illinois,  Jan started her store 23 years ago on $2000 with 1700 pairs of earrings that she made in thirty days. She sold them from a kiosk at White Oaks Mall. She knew at that point she had a passion to make her dream a success.  Springfield’s Own Magazine recently featured Jan Parkes and her business born of passion.

Jan  beautifully displays  Zulugrass  in her store which is  full of hand-crafted treasures. In our eyes, Jan’s passion for color and hand crafted treasures is truly making a difference for the Massai women in Kenya, who are so grateful for the opportunity to share a little of their passion in every piece.  Is there a hidden boutique treasure in your town?