Macy's Rwanda Path to Peace: 10 Years of Making A Difference In the Lives of Underprivileged Women and their Families

Rwanda Brown and Green Fruit Basket displayed proudly on my mantel with other handcrafted home decor items made from different countries. / Photo: +Maricris G 

It's hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Willa Shalit vowed to help Rwandan women rise up from their desolate fate brought about by the violent genocide in 1994 in Rwanda, that took away their husbands and sons, and left them with the difficult task of being the sole breadwinners. But 10 years of goodness it has been!

One that I'm proud to be a part of again this year through Macy's 10th year anniversary of unwavering commitment to the Rwanda Path to Peace campaign.

You know why? Because this project not only helps these women and their families but most importantly because, it has been helping rebuild their communities for years as well.

My Husband Loves Boobs!

The Boobie Warrior

Breast Cancer Awareness month has once again come to a close for the year! And 2013 is my hubby's 6th year crewing with Avon Walk for breast cancer and counting - to save the boobies! I'm a proud wife bar none. Each year, I feel nothing but pride and admiration for him and his solid dedication to volunteer for this cause that have a very significant meaning to him. A couple of years ago, he lost a sister to the disease after years of fighting and suffering. 

Got Yourself A Motherload of Halloween Candy?

photo courtesy of Operation Gratitude

Ok Fess up! Who's got a hoard of Halloween Candy that's too much they can't care less about? Alright I'm raising my hands and quick. It's our first Halloween in this new house and much to our excitement with the prospect of Trick-or-Treating and doling out candies to neighborhood kids, it was a doozy! Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a lot of kids in this neighborhood that went out to take advantage of the only night they get to collect tons of free candies. Boo! We were left with enough candies to give us cavities for a month! And possibly a frequent visit by the tooth fairy if we don't get rid of it. So, we shall get rid of it...and sweetly of course.

In the same shoes or boat as I? Well, stop the fretting and check out Halloween Buy Back Program. They accept surplus Halloween candy for donations and will be sent to our troops overseas as part of the Operation Gratitude's Holiday Care Packages. Now that's a sweet treat or what?!

Drop-off locations will be at dentist clinics. Check your local dentist clinics if they are participating here. Operation Gratitude also accepts hygiene items if you are interested in sending more than your extra candies. Check the list here. Now start packing those candies and give a soldier/s some sugar rush real soon! :-)

Giving Does Not End At Christmas Time

Zensible Mama's Maricris and Bronwyn Pressley at Bright Blessings new location in Matthews NC

I can't believe we're already a long ways into 2012 and January is almost over. Can I say it? "Where did the time go?" The Holidays seem to have sped by like a strong gust of wind. And before we know it, here we are gearing up for Valentines day! I sure kind of wish Holidays could be longer. Only because people are a lot kinder and seem in a timeless haze of giving. If you ask me, there should be no pause in giving and  should transcend beyond the holidays.

My Give-licious Reason for { My Birthday } Season

with Emily Nesbitt of Haven of Hope House Charlotte NC
receiving the toys

It feels darn good to be able to do something for others and give them a small token of gift especially on a day where you're supposed to be the one who should be receiving gifts! This is how my birthday is now. Three days before Christmas. It isn't as exciting as one thinks since I always get 2-in-one gifts growing up, but rather than sulking about what the past had been, I decided it's time I do something different now that I'm rather older mature. And that I did! This is the second year I'm doing Zensible Mama Gives as part of my birthday celebration... and it feels wonderful!

Zensible Mama Gives 2011 - Bringing More Smiles this Year!

My little elf and I officially finished stacking and wrapping the toys for my 2nd Annual Charity Project for homeless children in Charlotte and what a rewarding moment it was! And rewarding is right. All those 2 hours of non-stop back-breaking hard work is so worth it for these underprivileged children in my community. They deserve these toys! I'm simply blessed to have this chance to do it again this year and yet again, be the delivery person of these wonderful toys! Thanks to Cepia LLC - maker of Zhu Zhu pets who provided toys again this year through their RAZ (Random Acts of Zhu) campaign!

1000 Origami Cranes for Japan

My not-so-perfect Origami Crane

My daughter and I finished folding our Origami Cranes {Senbadsuru} after more than 5 minutes, even with the help of Yuki, a Japanese woman volunteering at the Wells Fargo tent at the Asian Festival just this past Saturday. Not bad for a first try. But do you know what makes our not-so-perfect Origami Cranes so special? 

Donate YOUrself - 5 Unique Ways to donate without Money involved

11 inches of hair with LOVE!

I have 11 inches of my hair cut off just the past week to donate to Locks of Love. It's my 4th year donating. I was quite happy to finally be able to part with it. Because it means that it will go to an ailing child needing a hair in a form of a wig. It also means, I can finally have my short hair back! Win! Now, Do you know there are more ways to donate without writing a check and still make as much impact?

Valentine's Day is No Valentine's Day until YOU "Give A Piece of Your Heart"

Today is Valentine's Day and how much more appropriate to show the power of love is than today, the day of hearts! Besides, the roses and chocolates that we traditionally give our loved ones, in celebration of this day, how would YOU feel about doing something beyond the norm and extending that love to people you don't know but who certainly needs a lot of that love right at this very moment?

Hospitality House of Charlotte

Your home - while away from home!

Above All Else is Charity

We're starting 2011 right! Remember I told you late last year that part of Zensible Mama Gives 2010 was also to teach my six year old daughter the gift of giving? I admit at her age, the tendency to be selfish and naturally possessing the "me, me" syndrome is a very prominent trait and if not curbed early on, I'll be dealing with a selfish and spoiled brat! Totally not cool, right?

Three Bears and Us at Build-A-Bear Workshop

My Best Birthday Gift Received - The Gift of Giving

I'm sure you've heard of the Birthday Toy Drive I did two weeks ago and who it was for and why I did it. Well, my special day finally came. Today is my birthday and what makes it so special is the opportunity to do something selfless. Instead of celebrating mine, I celebrated the life of the homeless children in my community with the help of family and friends. It maybe so cliche' but it's wonderful to do something that's superficially unusual to a dedicated philanthropist but something that I don't do on a regular basis and NOT at all "about me" this year.

Mobile Shots: Oh Christmas Tree!

We never had a real tree. Six Christmas years... But this year, it's going to be different. We're getting a real one...Our very first real Christmas Tree! A surprise my dear hubby concocted for the family for Christmas this year! So, our loyal fake tree remained stowed in the attic as the quest to find the perfect live tree ensued...

Blue Christmas Tree @North Lake Mall

Random Acts of Zhu Partnered with Zensible Mama Gives 2010 to benefit homeless Children

When I decided to hold a Toy drive for homeless children in Charlotte to celebrate my birthday differently this year - which is happening today, Random Acts of Zhu {RAZ} immediately stepped up to the challenge. Cepia LLC, makers of renowned toy Zhu Zhu pets have endowed me with 104 pieces of Zhu Zhu pets to give away to help bring happiness to underprivileged children in my community.

My Birthday Blessings - A Toy drive to Celebrate the Life of Homeless Children

I was born 3 days before Christmas and you know what that means when it comes to gifting! Most often that not, I would get one gift for both my Birthday and Christmas. Though I hated it then, I'm thankful now that I was able to celebrate my birthday and get gifts when I was growing up. One thing that is considered a luxury growing up in Asia and being poor. Truly, it was a blessing to be able to celebrate my birthday every year back then.

I'm older now. I no longer celebrate my birthdays nor get gifts for it but that doesn't stop me from making a difference in honor of my birthday by paying it forward to the homeless children in my community who could not afford to celebrate their birthdays or even Christmas this year! So me gives!

A Walk to Beautiful - A Journey to Healing

I normally don't talk about the movies I've seen or watched but I'd be darn! This is the first time I've ever watched a movie documentary that left me crying from beginning to end to a point that I was uncontrollably sobbing after it ended...Talk about powerful! "A Walk to Beautiful" is a tragic, yet very moving story of a woman's suffering and the effect of a devastating childbirth in a culture and country where girls are forced to adulthood and married off as young as 10 years old...gets pregnant at 12 and become "broken vessels". They become outcasts and ostracized by their own families and abandoned by their husbands...

Ayehu walking 6 hours to get to a bus station 

picture courtesy of AWalktoBeautiful.com

Lend a Hand 4 Justine - A 12 year Old Battling Cancer

How would you feel if your only child is sick? Not just sick, but really sick? Wouldn't that just crush, not just your heart, but your soul? The worst nightmare you would ever have to bear...the saddest news you would ever have to hear...

Justine before cancer

A Mom and Mini-Me Walk in honor of Avon Walk Breast Cancer Awareness Event

Last time, I said "Just drink Coffee!" as part of my 5 No-Brainer ways to help show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as a practical alternative from one's inability to do the walk or run, on well-attended events hosted by two infamous organizations every year: Avon Walk { happening today at uptown Charlotte} and Susan G. Komen. It was, and still is, a brilliant idea, but sometimes, you just have to walk the walk...

Walking the road to recovery