CARING THROUGH SHARING
Kristi and her friends
At this month's WFWP Westchester Young Women's Initiative meeting, we decided we wanted to let go of things we didn't need, and to give to those who do. The ladies subsequently went to work and cleaned out their closets, pantries, and toiletries, and shopped at local pharmacies and grocery stores. The flurry of activity resulted in a sizable donation for the local women's shelter, My Sister's Place.
Some bought items
On January 16, we all brought our things to a SWAP party. For a SWAP party, we all bring our gently used or brand-new items of clothing, toiletries, lotion, and makeup, and we swap what we have. It's a fun way to clean out our closets and try new things. After we were done looking through the swapping items, the remainder was donated to My Sister's Place.
I was happy to see that the women took it upon themselves to buy items specifically to donate to My Sister's Place. It moved my heart that they were interested in giving more than just what they already had in their homes. This exemplified one of the important values WFWP espouses – "living by the logic of love" – and that we want to internalize and substantialize in our lives.
During the event we had a sharing circle taking turns to answer questions that had been prepared before hand. The questions led to conversations that pertained to life, our relationship with the world, self-development. Elisa Hack, an active WFWP member, was asked to prepare the conversation topics and questions. Here are some of them:
What super power would you have if you could have one?
What's something you would like to achieve in the year 2015? What is something you achieved in 2014?
What's a hidden talent you have and that you would like to share with us?
Who is a celebrity or person from history who inspires you?
Who or where do you draw inspiration from?
How do you contribute to your society, community, or world?
If you could choose a word or phrase that describes yourself for the next year what would it be?
Some offered items
We all took turns answering the questions and shared about our lives. The women in the group were open, friendly, and supportive.
When we went to My Sister's Place (MSP) to offer what we had collected, we found that one aspect of their mission is to engage each member of society in an effort to work to end domestic violence, so that all relationships can embrace the principles of respect, equality, and peacefulness. This is very much in line with WFWP's goals and mission, and we hope to collaborate more in the future.
We would like to say a sincere "Thank you" to My Sister's Place for allowing us the opportunity to participate in supporting women and children who are affected by domestic violence. Ms. Diana Eppolito, Development Coordinator at MSP, offered to have someone come to our Lunch & Learn and talk to our group about MSP's mission and work. We are looking forward to that.
Link for My Sister's Place: http://mspny.org/