Archive for July, 2011
July 27, 2011
Deborah is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Deborah is many things for many people: mother, grandmother, scout leader, designer, pet owner, gardener and even belly dancer. Living in Alberta with her husband Earl and three children, Deborah is the heart of her family.
I am me.
Living in Alberta, I love the fact that we can play in the snow while wearing summer clothes.
I married to a loving and caring husband named Earl and have three amazing kids: Amy, Chelsea and Sandy.
I am grandmother to the cutest girls in the world, Sophia and Maria.
Working on my daughter’s graduation dress.
Me and my daughter, Sandy.
My cat, Maximus
Grandma
July 21, 2011
Frederica is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Frederica is, in her words, a communicator—which is a good thing, because the love of her life lives on another continent! In the England, Frederica pursues her passion for communication through writing and design. She recently launched her own website, Studio Fabriq, which we think looks fabulous. Her pictures were taken on a recent trip to visit her boyfriend, Joseph, and his family in Australia.
Being in a relationship with an Australian, travel is also the stuff of commitment, pursuit, trust, love and fairy tale.
To some, writing is a paycheck. To others, it is power. To me, it is priceless.
Travelling is my greatest Teacher. It flushes fresh inspiration and a spicy element into the aesthetic and style of my work.
My boyfriend and his sister were adopted. Legacy of the Adopted Child (author unknown) sums up the experience for their mother (pictured with me):
Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
My mother is at the very core of my inspiration to communicate and express myself creatively. As a fashion designer, her work speaks with a unique voice and personality that underscores her passion for the craft. Those are her designs hanging in a store window!
As a marketing communications specialist and freelance fashion copywriter, to sketching my own designs, I have always worn my heart on paper.
Studio Fabriq is a space where I hope to honour the marriage between fashion and decor with a focus on narrative and a love for design.
July 18, 2011
Silke is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Silke recently began working at a chemist in Austria, where she lives in the main floor of her family’s home with her boyfriend, Kurt, while they search for an apartment. She excels at everything from creating elaborately intricate crafts to being one of only three female black belts in Iaido since her club’s foundation in 1976. As an only child, Silke’s friends are incredibly important to her and she loves spending time in nature. Silke is a beautiful work in progress.
We have cats, including Tiffany, the diva of the house.
The house where my boyfriend and I live with my parents used to belong to my grandparents. The worst thing in my whole life was the death of my grandparents.
Wrapping presents is something I do with all of my heart and creativity. My friend got married and asked for money for their honeymoon to Canada, so I “wrapped” the present in a little campground including a bear and folded the money into shirts on a clothesline.
Simple things like seeing the sunrise in the rear-view mirror on my way to work make me feel really good. Also, when I’m reading, listening to music or doing crafts I can forget everything around me.
I started making gifts for friends as a student with no money, but now I am proud of them and people look forward to receiving them, so I’m thinking about selling them online. We’ll see
I love to feed squirrels in the park and geocaching—a global, GPS treasure hunt. The picture shows the first cache I found years ago (it’s still there for others to find).
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day.
Playing cards with my friends, Sissy and Martin. Having friends who are always there when you need them is a gift which is priceless.
I love shoes!
Two of the three most important people in my family: my dad in the garden and my mom watering her plants.
I’m not good at taking care of plants but this little fellow is survival of the fittest, so I’ve divided it to give to my friends.
July 15, 2011
Dorrie is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Dorrie is a juggler: wife, mother, daughter, friend, teacher and student. She lives in Texas and is married to the love of her life, Hank and has a daughter (Anne, 16 going on 26) and Alex (24). A dedicated Social Studies teacher for 28 years, Dorrie aspires to be a school principal one day and recently completed her masters degree. Dorrie’s community is everything to her, and her dedication is inspiring.
With my dearest friends in the world I can eat as much chocolate as I want, say whatever I want and they love me for who I am. These two women will always love and support me.
Sunday night dinner with family is non-negotiable. We gather around the table: my in-laws, my father, my sister-in-law and my daughter (my son lives in Austin, Texas). I love my mother-in-law! She has been supportive and never judgemental—a friend and confidante.
I love the school I’ve taught at since 1991. I love the teachers, the kids, the Friday night football games, coaching my Academic Decathlon team and teaching my students about the government. I can’t teach anywhere else—it just wouldn’t fit.
My sweet mother is 84 and living in a nursing home. I try to visit every day and when I can’t, I feel so guilty. After all of the care my mother has given me over the past 51 years, how can I not do the same for her? They provide excellent care for her but I feel bad for not being able to provide the care that would keep her at home with my dad.
My role as daughter is changing into that of caregiver—although I am now the chief decision maker for my parents, they still see me as their little girl. It breaks and fills my heart at the same time.
There are so many demands on my time—there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done.
My husband and I are high school sweethearts. I hope that my husband and I will have 64 years together and still like each other 
My daughter attends the school where I teach and she eats lunch with me every day. She is independent and yet my baby. I feel like my time with her is coming to an end and it makes me so sad.
As a parent, it is truly rewarding to see my child as a happy, healthy and productive adult.
My dad is 87 and still very independent. He and my mother have been married for 64 years and he visits her in the nursing home every day while she recovers from a broken hip. He still refers to her as his “little potato chip,” which always makes me smile.
July 13, 2011
Tina is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Tina is another long-standing supporter of the Obakki Foundation. Tina’s faith and family reassure her that she can take on anything life can dish out. Tina is striving to leave her kids with a greater and deeper understanding of the world—how important it is to find their passion in life because this will allow them to also give back to those in need. Tina is inspiring the next generation.
My favourite part of spring! I love the calmness, curiosity and sheer goodness of interacting with animals.
One of my least favourite parts of spring: mud!
My daughter, Grace, reading a magazine.
I rely on my computer for recordkeeping, family pictures…I’d be lost without it!
Feeding a calf by hand is very rewarding but also heartbreaking when you put everything you have into saving one little life and it still doesn’t make it through. It helps to keep moving forward and looking at the next life that can be saved.
Being home when my kids get off the bus is a blessing. I love hearing about the activities of their day. Their energy and enthusiasm is inspiring to me.
I recently learned how to play piano and now I don’t know how I ever living without it!
My faith is an important part of my life. I don’t know how I would have gotten tackled obstacles without the faith that a greater power is helping me out.
I’m so happy that the kids enjoy the farm. Grace adores working with the animals and Grady loves the farming. It’s amazing to see their nurturing tendencies coming out. It makes me feel I’ve done something right somewhere along the way.
Teaching religious education to my kids’ school sets an example of community involvement to my children while spending time with them.
My day seems to go so much better when I can grab a bit of serenity first thing in the morning.
July 11, 2011
Juliet is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. Juliet is loyal. This includes not only her friends from work and working out, but also her husband, Nigel, and their two cats (Pebbles and BamBam). She is also extremely loyal to the Obakki Foundation: last December she resolved to put the money she would normally use to buy a daily bottle of water at the gym into an Obakki tin. This December she plans to send the proceeds to our office. In addition to “loyal” we would like to add “dedicated” to the list of Juliet’s wonderful attributes.
My desk at work is organized chaos.
I know I couldn’t get through life without my best friend, Bev.
Every time my office orders stationery we are given a free soft toy and now I collect them to take to our local children’s hospice.
My cats love when I brush them.
My Obakki Foundation tin.
I swim 1-1/2 miles every day.
Nigel and I decorating and improving our home—garden path this time, orphanage in Cameroon next!
July 6, 2011
Cynthia is part of our “Who Are You?” campaign, which began in Cameroon, Africa and has spread around the world. We gave her a disposable camera to give us a glimpse into her life. She has also brought the Obakki Foundation into her community, promoting our projects at fundraisers, encouraging philanthropy in her children and even writing about it. We thought it would be fitting that she was the first woman featured for this project 
.
When thinking who Cynthia is, the word that comes to mind is “community.” Like many women, Cynthia wears numerous hats in her daily life—restoring a house from the 1880s in North Carolina, writing for various newspapers, picking up after litterers in the park 
, selling books online—and she obviously takes great pride in her efforts.
Below is Cynthia, in her pictures and words. Thank you for showing us who you are, Cynthia!
Me at my computer.
Our son, Nathan, is nine (he’s the blonde-haired hippie child that is often believed to be a girl) and our daughter, Kamryn Hooper is eleven-years-old.
Us at a local park picking up trash. Some people do not understand the purpose of a trash receptacle and I am often so annoyed that I pick it up myself…LOL.
Restoring our house is what we love to do.
Several of the newspaper articles I wrote for local papers, another of my many jobs.
My family.
July 4, 2011
The kids at Cypress Park School have designed some beautiful shirts that we are offering for sale online here for this week only! The students, from kindergarten to grade four, wrote down what water means to them. Here are the results:
These are the same children who participated in our video and we couldn’t be prouder of the amazing effort and compassion they’ve shown throughout this project.
These shirts will only be on sale from July 4-8, so order yours today!
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