Sobornost For The World Summer Update

It's been a whirlwind of a summer so far at Sobornost For The World Foundation. We began a raffle for two ongoing projects where we sold raffle tickets for a Fair Trade arpillera from Peru that would raise funds for our 350-400 orphans in Kenya and Zambia as well as funds for a new agricultural project in Haiti. The lucky winner of the arpillera was Lorry Werner of Hampton Bays who is a regular Fair Trade customer at the World Village Fair Trade Market where we do our work.  You will see photos of both the bridesmaids' necklaces, the hearts and Lorry, etc.

In addition to our work at the World Village Fair Trade Market, we went off-site to hold Fair Tradetable sales in a few different places.  In May and June we went to Sag Harbor to Christ Episcopal Church where they were holding a yard sale outside on the green.  This gave us the opportunity to share our enthusiasm, and our Fair Trade products for sale, to many more people who would never have heard of our work in Hampton Bays.  We are very grateful to them for inviting us.  Also in May we held a table sale in Patchogue at St. Joseph's College, where we visit annually. They are becoming some of our best customers!  This month, August 20-21, we will be holding our table sales outside St. Agnes Catholic Church in Greenport after all their services.  

In July we also were invited back to the Southampton Intermediate School where they hosted another student Poetry bash.  We were asked to give a short talk about how Fair Trade works and then offer a table sale.  This is a great way to help our youth learn about the power we each hold by the way we shop.  Shopping with a conscience and being aware of where our products are being made, how they are being made, who is being exploited or how our environment is being destroyed through production with chemicals, can be a guiding force for how our dollars are spent.  Fair Trade is one way to shop where your money is being used carefully, justly and with consideration to all those in the supply chain, especially children.

We have recently learned that an international retail specialist/consultant will be stopping by the World Village Fair Trade Market sometime in August to spend some time helping us learn more about the business of retail and how to maximize our work in Fair Trade sales.  He found out about us while one of our members was in Europe last year and he wanted to help us do what we do better - with no charge! This is a very special gift to an organization like ours because people of his caliber are very busy people who are extremely well paid for their expertise. We can't wait to hear his thoughts!

In the few weeks we have remaining of summer 2011, we invite you to take a little trip to Hampton Bays to visit us at the World Village Fair Trade Market, located at 101 W. Montauk Highway, Suite 4 of the Hamlet Green immediately east of the movie theatre parking lot.  We are on the second floor on the end and there is parking in the back off Good Ground Road where you can find a ramp or a short flight of stairs.  Let us know if you read our blog and please tell your friends. You'll feel like you traveled the world and you'll do a world of good just by shopping!