Life is so much better when we give to others. Something special happens inside our souls and by giving, we ultimately give to ourselves. You can give of your time or you can make a donation. The beautiful thing about giving is that it doesn’t come with any rules. When you work with me, you are also giving back, because a percentage of every dollar that comes to Lionhearted Woman is donated to organizations that I feel are deserving for the powerful work they do. For the most part I give to organizations that help women and children all over the world, but I also have a tender place in my heart for animals and I do give to charities that are doing good work for animals.
Thistle Farms
I was introduced to Thistle Farms when I first moved to the Nashville area and I was deeply moved by their mission to help women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction. Thistle Farms is the social enterprise that is run by the women of Magdalene. By hand, the women create natural bath and body products that are as good for the earth as they are for the body. Purchases of Thistle Farms products directly benefit the women by whom they were made. I love their products and keep them in my home.
Thistle Farms employs residents and graduates of Magdalene. While working at Thistle Farms, women learn skills in manufacturing, packaging, marketing and sales, and administration. It is a supportive and loving workplace where women acquire the skills they need to earn a living wage. Employees have the opportunity to put a percentage of their earnings in a matched savings account provided by Magdalene. Through Thistle Farms, the women of Magdalene gain much needed job skills, and learn responsibility and cooperation. Thistle Farms is housed in an 11,000 square feet sales and manufacturing facility. Thistle Stop Cafe, Shared Trade, and the Studios, the paper and sewing workshop, are also in the same building. They are committed to growing in order to employ more women and have greater opportunities to share their stories of healing on a larger scale.
Thistle Farms products are available in over 400 stores in Tennessee and across the country. Into every Thistle Farms product goes the belief that love is the most powerful force for change in the world. Their dream is that people will come to see Thistle Farms as a humble but powerful business synonymous with women’s freedom.
My belief is rooted in the fact that we all deserve a second chance…a new beginning and when it’s done with love and purpose like it is at Thistle Farms…the results are magical.
KIVA – Helping to Alleviate World Poverty
KIVA is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva allows individuals to lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. It’s amazing that a $25 donation can actually empower individuals around the world.
Kiva envisions a world where all people – even in the most remote areas of the globe – hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others.
They also believe that providing safe, affordable access to capital to those in need helps people create better lives for themselves and their families. It’s the whole concept of a give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. We know that when someone is given an opportunity to succeed, a world of change happens on every physical, emotional and spiritual level.
We are all interconnected and what happens around the world affects each and every one of us.
