Be the Love Saturday: Tomorrow!

Check out what previous volunteers are saying!

Photo Credit

“When I first started talking to the resident he wasn’t very responsive.  Then when I persisted in asking him how he was and how things were going, he lit up.  It was like he really appreciated I was there just to talk to him.”

“Upon entering the Specialty Hospital of Washington, I had my reservations about helping older people. I know that sounds bad, but I really haven’t had much time around the elderly… I was even a bit nervous about entering a room alone (I recruited a friend to be my sidekick!).  But almost instantaneously, God changed all that when I started meeting these people at SHW.  God somehow put me in touch with people at the Hospital that to my surprise have lots in common with me! From Redskins fans, to DC Natives that have seen this city through multiple generations of change and development, these folks had a lot of really neat things about them. By the end of my visit, I felt like I wanted to come back everyday. These people were so easy to get along with, and it seems as if their years of relationship development really rubbed off in a positive way on me.”

“I had a wonderful time this past Saturday thanks for the opportunity, the residents do love the conversation and interaction with them they started sharing with me about their family how many children and grandchildren they have where they are originally from, I think they just enjoy the companionship and someone taking the time to listen and show compassion.”

“I saw a woman’s face transform as she realized I wasn’t there to put in an IV or change her bedsheets, but rather, just to talk.  I also had opportunity to strike up a conversation in the lobby with a visitor in Spanish.  Her English was limited so I jumped at the chance to practice Spanish. I ended up accompanying her up to visit her friend on the 6th floor who was recovering from an operation.  I was able to speak with both of them at length about their lives and experiences.  They asked about my church and about our group.  In the end we prayed together — in Spanish and they were clearly impacted and delighted by our interaction.”
We’d love to have you join us tomorrow, November 20th!  Interested?  Email us at bethelovecampaign@gmail.com

BTL Hero: Lynn

Lynn, another amazing person who has joined the Be the Love movement, is an incredible example of using what is in her hand to impact the world around her for good.  She works in an office that has “jeans” Fridays where folks donate to a not-for-profit in order to wear jeans on a Friday.  She submitted the A21 Campaign as an organization to be sponsored and in one Friday raised over $500 for them.

She didn’t have to go way out of her way.  She simply recognized what opportunities were in front of  her.  She took action and started a ripple effect.

What can you do to change the world around you?  Let us know how you are meeting the challenge we talked about at the BE THE LOVE{a release party}!  You can email us at info@bethelovecampaign.org.

Party Pictures!!!

Thanks to all of you who came out and supported us at the BE THE LOVE{a release party}!  Here’s a few pics from the event.

If you want to see more check out this link to one of our sponsor’s pages here.

The A21 Campaign Party Guide Pt. 2

Party Ideas!

1. Host a dinner party at your home invite friends and co-workers.
2. Plan a movie night and show a film related to human trafficking (don’t forget to provide popcorn!)
3. Ask for donations to Be the Love in lieu of birthday gifts.
4. Organize an art exhibit or sale to showcase your talents and raise awareness and funds.
5. Put your incredible baking skills to use and organize a bake sale.
6. Give a percentage of your business earnings to Be the Love
7. Host a book club (see resource sheet for suggestions)
8. Organize a sporting event and show off your skillz.(Yes! With a Z)
9. Host a block party.  Let your neighborhood know what you’re all about.
10. Car wash (quick! Before it gets too cold)
11. Host a Dinner & Murder Mystery Party
12. Host a Game Night! Twister anyone?
13. Talk with your Co-Workers about supporting A21 at your office holiday party.
14. Bust out your best moves and host a Dance Party!
15. Use your incredible knowledge of trivia to support anti-trafficking.  Host a Trivia Night!
16. Ice Cream Social.  I scream. You scream. We ALL scream for ice cream!
17. Host a Super bowl Party and organize your own “halftime” show!
18. You know you can sing better than Whitney!  Prove it and host a Karaoke party!
19. Organize a scrumptious brunch and invite friends to enjoy and learn about the A21 Campaign.
20. Invite your friends over to watch the game and let them know how they can change a life.

Don’t forget to tell us about your party!  You can email us at info@bethelovecampaign.org or hit us up on Twitter (bethelove365) and Facebook (Be the Love)

BTL Hero : Sarah

We’ve been talking about different ways that you can get involved and join Be the Love in supporting the A21 Campaign!  Here’s an awesome example of someone who has done just that.Sarah, is a member of the community and an incredibly gifted artist.  She realized that what was in her hand to help fight modern day slavery was her art.  She hosted an art open house, exhibiting her beautiful work and ended up raising over $400 for the A21 Campaign.  How amazing is that!?!

It was something she had wanted to do for a long time.  She used what was already in her hands.  She’s having a profound impact on someone’s life by partnering to stop human trafficking.

Is there something in your hand that you can use?

The A21 Campaign Party Guide

10 Steps to have a Great Party!

1. Decide what kind of party you are going to have — A movie night with friends?  A girl’s night with desserts? A sporting event? We’ll be posting some more party ideas in the coming days.
2. Let us know that you are hosting a party so we can encourage you and offer some tips!  Email us at info@bethelovecampaign.org to let us know that you are hosting a party!
3. Think about whom to invite to your party and send out invites.  It can be as easy as sending an online Evite (free!) or mailing out fancy invites, whatever is your style!  You can also use Facebook and Twitter to let us and others know about your event.
4. Decide on what food and drinks you will serve — it doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, just inviting. Set the tone of generosity by having something special for your guests when they arrive.
5. Prepare your home for the party – set out food and drinks and prepare for each person you invited.
6. Welcome each person as they arrive – make sure everyone knows each other’s name and let them mingle and enjoy the food and beverages.
7. Gather everyone and tell them why you decided to host this party and how the A21 Campaign touched your heart.
8. Hand out the A21 brochures and show one of the videos from their website (www.thea21campaign.org)
9. Ask your guests to partner with you and Be the Love to support the A21 Campaign, giving what they can.  You can take donations right there, or give them information on how to donate online.
10. Send in the donations that you’ve raised to Be the Love and we will present one big check to the A21 Campaign at the Beautiful You 2011 Conference in February.  There’s no telling what we can do together!

After the party, thank everyone who came and email us (and send pictures!) at info@bethelovecampaign.org to tell us how your party went! Keep them updated with how much money your party raised and how much has been donated by all the Be the Love parties combined (We’ll keep you updated!)

November Be the Love Challenge

Thanks to so many of you who came out to the BE THE LOVE{a release party} on Saturday night!  Wow!  What a party!  It was a huge success and we’re so thrilled to be part of this movement with you. (We’ll be posting more pics later this week!)

(Speaking of movement… you guys sure know how to dance!)

For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s what we are doing.  We’ve set a goal of fundraising 10K between now and February 2011 for the A21 Campaign.  Christine Caine, the founder of the A21 Campaign will be speaking at the Beautiful You 2011 Conference and we as a community will be presenting her with a $10, 000 check to support the work they are doing with survivors of human trafficking.

Here’s where you can get involved!  We believe that EVERYONE has something in their hand that they can do!  You may not be able to provide hands on care for victims but you can support those who do.  Our challenge to everyone who is joining us in this movement, is to use your creativity in the coming months.  Are there ways that you can use your skills and talents to fundraise for this cause?  We’re going to tell you about a couple of people who already have over the next couple of days.

Here’s your November Be the Love Challenge – Host a party and tell your friends about the A21 Campaign! Tell them about the awesome work that is being done to support freedom and ask if they want to join the fight against modern day slavery.

We’ll be sharing some party tips for you over the next few weeks!  While we are well on our way to meeting that goal, thanks to your incredible generosity in the silent auction this past weekend, we still have a ways to go!  Don’t forget to tell us how you are participating in this month’s challenge!

A21 – Key2Free

Be the Love is partnering with the A21 Campaign to stop modern slavery.  The A21 Campaign is launching a new initiative called KEY2FREE. It’s is a global initiative made up of abolitionists who are committed to stand forJUSTICE; who refuse to let their generation be ENSLAVED.  Interested?  Here’s what you have to do…. on OCTOBER 21, (THIS THURSDAY!!!) wear a key necklace.
Why should you and your friends wear a KEY necklace? It is a symbol for FREEDOM.
By wearing a KEY necklace, you will have the opportunity tell people aboutHUMAN TRAFFICKING and then they will tell people, and they will tell people, and so on… And why do PEOPLE need to know about HUMAN TRAFFICKING? Because 27 MILLION PEOPLE are trafficked by PEOPLE… Find out more about KEY2FREE on the A21 Campaign website www.thea21campaign.org

Party Sponsors!

We’re so excited to announce some of our new sponsors for our October 30th BE THE LOVE{a release party}!

The George Washington Student Association, Marvin Center Governing Board and Alpha GW have joined Beautiful You as sponsors of this great event.  Thanks for the support!

See YOU there!

Be the Love Saturdays

Be the Love is committed to making a difference in our local community.  This coming Saturday, October 16th we’re launching Be the Love Saturdays as an outreach to the DC community.  We will be serving at a local hospital by visiting patients.  So if you enjoy playing board games, puzzles, reading aloud and/or doing sensory stimulation therapy (eg. working with bubbles and clay) this is for you!

Photo Credit

This is what one volunteer said who participated in our Christmas outreach to the hospital last year “I loved interacting with the patients.  They were so appreciative of our presence and really gave me a fresh perspective on life.  I went to be an encouragement but walked away with my life being changed.”

If you want to find out more about how you can participate this Saturday email us at bethelovecampaign@gmail.com.   Can’t wait to see you there!

Also, mark these upcoming dates on your calendar for the next BTL Saturdays: November 20th and December 18th