Ties That Matter Charity Event - September 15th 2013

Ties That Matter is a Fair Trade 501c3 organization with the mission of creating jobs and changing lives for low income women. Their primary focus is in Haiti where they hire women in four different areas to make beautiful crafts from recycled materials. TTM is impressed with the skills of their workers and are happy that they can provide jobs that help put these women on the path to self-respect and self-reliance.
On September 15^th, 2013 Ties That Matter will be hosting a charity event to raise awareness of their cause. Below is their blog entry about the event:

Superhero Capital of the World – Haiti!

A Young Boy With One Of The Superhero Dolls

Whoever would have guessed that Haiti would be producing super heroes by the hundred? But it’s true! Ties That Matter has expanded our use of recycled materials to include clean and new t-shirt scraps to make the most amazing super hero dolls you can imagine. And the ladies of Haiti are stitching them up like superwomen.
The magic of the superhero project only begins in Haiti. We’re bringing the stitched, unstuffed dolls back to Atlanta where we are hiring Haitian refugee women to complete the dolls and tie on their super capes (made out of ties, of course!). The finished dolls will be purchased by generous individuals (like you!) as well as organizations, and donated to CHRIS Kids, a great Atlanta organization that has been helping build communities and families and working to help at risk children, youth and families of our city find stability and hope for the future.
We’re doing a lot to celebrate this project. Ties That Matter has partnered with International Women of H.O.P.E. (a great Atlanta based organization that works to promote economic opportunities for women in Haiti) to sponsor a “Make a Hero, Be a Hero” day on August 10th. On this day, 28 Haitian refugee women (many of whom moved here after the earthquake) will meet at Covenant Presbyterian Church to stuff and finish 250 dolls that were stitched in Nan Mango and Santo, Haiti this summer. We are excited to get to know some of our Haitian sisters who live in our city and to work side by side to create these dolls that will be so meaningful to the at-risk children being helped through CHRIS Kids.
The true launch of the Super Hero project will be September 15 at Monday Night Brewing. Come help celebrate! Tickets get you beer, food, live music, and a Ties That Matter super hero to be donated to CHRIS Kids. For more information about this event, check out our Facebook page. To purchase tickets, go to tiesthatmatter.org/superhero
Although we are completely in love with our super heroes, we are not neglecting other projects. The sewing school in Santo is thriving. Yvrose Exantus, my partner and leader of the school says that the women are excited to come to class and they are working hard and learning quickly. It is, she says, already an important part of their lives. Not to be overlooked is the fact that Ties That Matter provides lunch for these women when they attend class twice a week. It is food that is greatly appreciated, for in Haiti, eating regularly is still a luxury for many people.
We are nurturing the embroidery skills of our women and have designed a series of pillows that show Creole sayings such as Piti piti, wazo fe lich li (Little by little the bird builds her nest) or Bondye Bon (God is good) or Lespwa fe vi(Hope makes one live.) The pillows are beautiful and fun and everyone should have at least one! Here’s a sneak peek and look for them on our website this fall!

 There is much to celebrate this summer as Ties That Matter expands our program to include those in need in Atlanta and at the same time, help our Haitian partners gain greater stability. We hope that as we grow, the ties between Haiti and Atlanta will continue to matter and to strengthen.

We believe that everyone can be a super hero – the CHRIS Kids who will receive the dolls, the women of Haiti who stitch them, the women of Atlanta who finish them and YOU, our donors and supporters, who make it happen.
Happy summer to you all! See you September 15^th  where we’ll raise a glass to the super heroes of the world!
Laura