Bless with a Dress

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to help out with a fundraiser for Project Rescue at my school called Bless with a Dress.  It involves hundreds of donated clothes by fellow college students, food from Panera, Starbucks and our very own cafeteria, a fashion show, and tons of fun!  First, everyone comes and pays five dollars to get in the door, where we give them two paper grocery bags.  They can then fill up the bags with whatever clothes and accessories they can fit in it.  (Sorry guys, this is just girls' clothes.)  There are all kinds of things that have been donated by the girls right here on campus, even formal dresses for our Spring Banquet that's coming up!  (I snagged one of those.)  Then we had a brief program where we talk about human trafficking and several different groups shared: including our on-campus organization, Inspire India (which sells art to raise money for Rescue Arts), and North Star Initiative, a local group that works to raise awareness.  We had two of our other teams perform samples of spoken word and a human video that really helped to bring the issue home to our audience (those teams were The Art Of... and Audience of One).  Then we had a fashion show that included a Modest is Hottest section of casual clothes (which I modeled in...) and then formal wear for both boys and girls.  That, of course, is always one of the highlights of the night!
It went extraordinarily well and we raised over a thousand dollars to donate to Project Rescue!  I was able to briefly share about what Project Rescue does and how they help women who are victims of human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking.  I cannot wait until we do this again next year!  I'll be one of the co-leaders, so hopefully I'll get to share some exciting stories from my internship this summer with my fellow collegians!

Exciting News...Exciting Opportunities

In January of this year, I received probably some of the most exciting news in my life!  This summer I will be spending four to five weeks in India, my most favorite country in the entire world!
Since I was ten years old, I've wanted to live in India when I grew up.  The summer after I graduated from high school I was able to go on a two week trip to India, where I fell in love with the people and the culture.  The food was fabulous, the people were warm and welcoming, and the sights were eye-opening.  Along with seeing the Taj Mahal, we had the opportunity to visit a slum school where children of the lower castes were able to get an education otherwise not available to them.  When I say I fell in love with the people, I truly mean that I fell in love with these children, these students, who work so hard to learn when so many students I had just graduated with took their education for granted.
This upcoming trip is a dream come true for me!  I want to interact with the culture even more and help where I can.  I will be working with an organization called Project Rescue.  (You can find out more information about them by visiting their website: http://www.projectrescue.com/)  This will be a great opportunity to make a difference and learn where I can help later on in my life.  Someday my dream is to return to India and teach English for the rest of my life.  I know, it's a big dream and perhaps a little unusual for your average college kid in their 20's; but I always was a little different than your average kid.  ;)
I'm so very excited to go back to the home of my heart: India...