I am writing to you from Tampa Florida, before I board a charter flight to Havana in Cuba. I won’t have access to a computer before the newsletter goes out today, although I should arrive at our hotel by dinnertime.
Why am I going to Cuba this next week? Because I think it is the next big Trend-Driver in the design industry. With Cuba opening up to US visitors and trade, after 50+ years of being relatively isolated, I want to see the art and colors, hear the music and eat the food before it is influenced by the homogenizing effect of Western culture.
I also have brought along sewing supplies and fabric to donate when I have a home-stay in a rural village. I don’t know if I will find quilts or quilters here, but for sure I will see lots of textiles and crafts, color and design!
Among other things, I will be visiting the Art Museum and a Ballet School, and I have brought along a new camera to capture the creative inspirations of this island nation. I also *love* Cuban jazz and look forward to hearing this music every day of the trip. Woo hoo!
My travel companion was in Nepal 2 months before the earthquake, and I just discovered that she is connected to a Nepalese Lama with a school for kids who were displaced by the earthquake or otherwise living in poverty conditions. Their foundation has volunteers traveling to Nepal often, so that will be another organization through which to funnel your donated quilts, to the children in need in Nepal. We are aligning with several organizations who have relief workers traveling to Nepal this fall, so the quilts will start traveling to Kathmandu and beyond, in suitcases of volunteers.
Mission of Love has been in Pine Ridge SD this week building a house for a homeless Lakota grandma and family this week, with eQuilter’s help.
I will be at Quilt Market and Quilt Festival for a week, but will be returning to Houston in early November for a NASA Engineers Without Borders planning event, for a new project in Kenya. (We’ve supported a NASA/EWB project in Rwanda for many years.)
We thank you for your continued support of our family business, so together we can help those in need around the world.
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