Tuesday, October 24, 2006

VOLUNTEER FOCUS - RAMONA KEARNS

The charity had the wonderful opportunity to be featured in Calabar Magazine. If you don't know about it Calabar Imports is a magnificent business located in Brooklyn in the newly declared "Heart of Brooklyn" section - a stone's throw from the Brooklyn Museum. CALABAR Imports is a trendy, specialty retail and gift store for discerning, quality-conscious buyers of home furnishings, unique crafted jewelry, fashion and brand cosmetics sold at moderate prices.

Well back to Calabar Magazine - the fashion/culture conscious newspaper produced by Calabar Imports - they featured us in their September Socially Conscious Fashion Article by Bonny Sandy Sterling.



















The pieces featured were created by Ramona Kearns. Noted writer and poet and original member of Neema Barnette's theatre group "Live Theatre Gang", Ms. Kearn's love has always been crochet. Using intuitive crochet (the ability to create designs ideas while crocheting without patterns) she creates bold rich fashion forward designs that are appealing to every figure.

Ms. Kearns is currently on the board of Bailey's Cafe, a Crown Heights based non-profit that connects young people with senior citizens for joint work on cultural projects such as oral history, murals, and protection of community gardens.

Friday, October 20, 2006

FINALLY - I have an Apartment again!!!

YAAAAAY I AM SOOOOO HAPPY!

There were books, big books, small books, big hardcover books, small science fiction books, big splashy poetry BOOOOOOOOOOKS - from one side of my one bedroom apartment to another.....Then there were bags, bags full of clothes and bags full of hats and bags full of sweaters and bags full of ..........well ...................BAGS !!!-

but today at 3:45pm two mainenance workers from Safe Horizon's living center came and pick up everything - the van kept filling and filling and filling - until finally they asked - "is that all? - PHEW!"

at final count?
innumerable children's hats
a car coat and hat
a dress jacket
two poncho and hat sets
seven ponchos
seven adult hats
five scarves
one fuscia head wrap
and three gorgeous shrugs

add to that a box of audio books and exercise videos
a box of R&B CDs
a bag of clothing (children and adults)
and over 500 children's books from 2nd - 8th grade
and you have a brilliant tribute to Safe Horizon and
families who are making a commitment
to creating a way
out of no way........

.........with a little help :))

Thank you All!

I want to take this time to thank Sheila from Sheila Crochetz, Tamiko Beyer, Amy Griffin Otterberg, Jennifer May and the wonderful crew up in New Paltz (SUNY ROCKS!) and Lisa Mullings.

Of course I wouldn't have any peace if not for the love and patience of my husband Ifasina Akinsegun who is just as intense about creativity as I am and allows me to fill the apartment with infinite amounts of "potential" goodies with relatively little complaint ("just as long as I can get two yards of this - I mean you know how I feel about gabardine.......)

Love you all - more tomorrow when I go to the space and do the distribution

WOO HOOO!!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006


Yep, that's an illustration of how we look now - after all that knitting and crocheting, our heads have just SWOLLEN to phenomenal proportions.....we simplly sit with our pattern books in our hands and wait for the swelling to recede.....alas!

Well with the beautiful items you have made, your heads SHOULD be swollen!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! AND THANK YOU to all the volunteers that have come through to create clothing and accessories for survivors of domestic violence for OCTOBER - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

Please come out on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 to Brooklyn - 1069 BERGEN STREET, between ROGERS AND NOSTRAND AVENUES at 3:00 PM.

(Travel Directions: Take the A or C trains to Nostrand Avenue. Exit the train to your right and walk in the direction of traffic along Nostrand Avenue to BERGEN STREET. Turn right and 1069 Bergen Street is on the left side.)

Bring the wonderful clothing you have created and any leftover yarns. We will be taking pictures, having food and sharing just how great this experience has been for all of us.The contact number in Brooklyn is (718) 771-3687

WE WILL ALSO ACCEPT YARN, FABRIC AND SEWING DONATIONS!!!

Thank you so much and see you then!!!