Archive for 2011
Holiday Party at SINIPISI
Tweet I just left from the Hope Shines holiday party at SINIPISI, an orphanage we help to support w/ 100 kids. We gave to each child a pretty bowl, pencil, notebook and soap. Girls got bracelets. Boys got balls. Teeny tiny kids got stacking rings. We also gave 4 basketballs, sets of blocks and jump [...]
Holiday Parties in Rwanda!
Tweet I’m here safe and sound in Rwanda, Africa and am ready to start shopping for gifts for our kids! Gifts were donated and shipped from VA for the 50 kids at CSC (children’s support center) now I need to buy for the 100 at SINAPRISI! We only have a small amount of money to [...]
Today…was a good day!
Tweet Hope Shines has many good days…but today was a banner one. To recap all that occurred, because it's almost unbelievable, a list must be created. This list is in no preferential order, for EVERY SINGLE donation is extremely meaningful! *At the Damsels In Design Holiday Party, a raffle was held to benefit Hope Shines: $131 was [...]
Holiday Spirit is “Present”
Tweet Over the last few weeks people have been collecting presents and supplies for us to bring to our kids in Rwanda. People have donated their time and their Holiday parties by asking guests to bring goodies/gifts for the kids instead of a hostess gift or food. Two huge boxes of toys and school supplies [...]
TedEx Talk Today!
Tweet Our Executive Director and Founder, April Riegler, is speaking at the TedEx forum at the Hewitt School in NYC today! Such an honor! She’s excited to share how we started and the activities we do with our kids in Rwanda. Her talk about “play and learn.” April kicks things off at 10am. All talks [...]
Last Night’s Event!
Tweet Last night we had the pleasure of hosting an event at SideBar on 15th and Irving in NYC where 15% of the total bar tab from 6-9pm was donated to Hope Shines. Thanks to everyone who came! These bar events are so fun and casual where everyone mixes and mingles. We had over 50 [...]
Sample of our Curriculum: Go Fly a Kite!
Tweet I want to share a small portion of the many many many lessons we teach to the kids. This year we are making kites with the kids and tying it into an Earth Science lesson about Wind! We had an amazing donor ask what type of comprehensive craft we would like with all of the [...]
HOPE SHINES YOGA FUNDRAISER!
Tweet We are THRILLED to announce that Hope Shines will be hosting its first Outdoor Yoga Fundraiser. The class will be held on August 4th, 2011, on the Great Lawn in Central park at 7:00 pm for a cool breeze and a beautiful sunset with views of Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle. August 4th is a [...]
A PENNY EARNED IS A PENNY EARNED!
Tweet We discovered a simple way for you to help support Hope Shines by doing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary and which may even save you money. (Yes, karma is REAL!). Just download the GoodSearch – Hope Shines toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/hope-shines Each time you search the web with GoodSearch's Yahoo-powered search engine, a penny will go to [...]
Virginia Tech Student Designs our 2011 Camp T-Shirt!
Tweet Every summer for our camps in Rwanda, we design T-Shirts and give them to all of our kids (this year will be over 170!) and to our fabulous volunteers, who help to run our camps! But this year we wanted to do something a little different. We wanted to give a little-known design program [...]
Hope Shines 1st Annual Fundraiser Splash in COLORADO!
Tweet Want to purchase tickets online? Click here to purchase tickets! In regards to the mosquito net purchase, we will buy them in Rwanda. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Want to purchase tickets online? CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS!
The Generosity of Forgiveness; Remembering 1994.
Tweet This month, Rwanda is in the throes of remembering, mourning, forgiving and persevering. It is the 17th anniversary of 1994 Genocide. Many of my friends and colleagues lost loved ones during this time. My heart goes out to them so that they may continue to heal and look forward to Rwanda's bright future. Let us take a moment [...]
Hope Shines First Annual Friend-Raiser!
Tweet Hope Shines’ First Annual Friend-Raiser: We don’t want your money … We just want your friends! Dear Hope Shines Supporters on our Website, Facebook and Twitter, Over the last four years, Hope Shines has grown from one person’s idea into an official non-profit organization that is now helping over 150 impoverished children. Your support [...]
Our Growing Team!
Tweet Over the last few weeks Hope Shines has been super busy! Our first Board meeting of 2011 was held on March 25th. It was a GREAT meeting! Check out our expanded team http://hopeshines.net/our-mission/the-people-of-hope-shines/! With our new and very strong Board of Directors we will be able to execute our goals and programs at an increased [...]
Bella Magazine Donates to Hope Shines!
Tweet A big thank you to Bella Magazine (http://www.bellainyou.com/) for donating their March/April issue for our fitness event. Everyone who attends our event on Saturday, March 12th at 1:30pm will receive this complimentary gift! Still need to purchase tickets? click here: http://bit.ly/geE4bm Follow Bella on twitter at twitter.com/bellainyou Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/BellaInYou [...]
Random Acts of Kindness: Best phrase, ever.
Tweet I (April) was out having brunch with some friends last weekend and happened to meet some interesting new friends at the restaurant. Over the course of making new friends, my work with Hope Shines came up. These two new friends offered to donate office/school supplies for us to bring to Rwanda. I thought, “that’s [...]
Heavy Lifting!
Tweet We have to take a moment and give a shout out to Kyle Thomas. He is the muscle behind this operation…the muscle that carries suitcases, boxes, donations, hundreds of t-shirts and tote bags up and down 5 flights of stairs to and from our temporary office. When we go to Rwanda, we bring A [...]
Healthy Mind and Body Workshop. Saturday, March 12th.
Tweet Join us on Saturday, March 12th at Club H Fitness for an interactive and informational session about working out and feeling great. All proceeds go to help fund our projects in Rwanda with disadvantaged youth. Please click here to purchase tickets. We look forward to see you there!
Healthy Mind and Body Workshop!
Tweet Announcing our first fundraising event of the season! We would like to invite you to our Healthy Mind and Body Workshop on Saturday, March 12th, 2011 at Club H Fitness on West 55th St in New York City. In the same way that we seek to keep our children healthy and happy, we want [...]
Inspiring the Mind is a Beautiful Thing.
Tweet Hope Shines friend and supporter, Katherine, does some amazing work with disadvantaged children in her career. With her permission, we are sharing this clip with you, which recently aired on NY 1. It shows how a child’s mind can be inspired with creative learning. They succeeded in making science fun for these kids! Hope [...]
Hope Shines on USMC December Newsletter!
Tweet To our surprise, Hope Shines has been featured in the USMC December Newsletter! Since the Kigali MSG Detatchment played such big part in the success of Hope Shines' 2010 CSC camp, we are very glad to see them get recognition for their hard work. Thank you, Marines, for your efforts and what you do each and [...]
We got approved!
Tweet Today, is a very big day in the history of our grassroots organization. We have been approved by the IRS as an official nonprofit! Thank you IRS! I am eternally grateful to Education Fights Aids (EFA) for providing financial sponsorship and accepting donations for Hope Shines over the last year and a half. Through [...]
At Home in NYC: A Day in the Life of Hope Shines
Tweet Greetings from New York City! Happy 2011! We have a tenancy to think that people are not interested in what we do everyday. We end up reporting the big events…and there are lots of them! We love telling you about the exciting advancements but end up not relaying info about building intense spreadsheets, writing [...]