uganda

Let’s get Trey to Uganda!

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

We LOVE when kids do rad things! When we see kids doing rad things, we want to help them….so, here’s what we have in mind, and we’re going to need your help! Let me introduce you to my friend Trey…

18699997_10213290367002485_5049072815488916357_n

I’ve known my friend Trey for most of my life. He’s smart, a little silly and fun to be around. Well, he recently ran RAGNAR to raise money for the South Sudanese refugees and the following day, he got to help pack over 112,000 emergency meals for those same families! Now, he is presented with the opportunity to join his church and Kids Around the World in Pagirinya, Uganda and help distribute those meals and build a playground!

30261333_10155559826248775_8987652287346245632_n

So awesome right! Well, I’ve been to Uganda twice and know what a life changing experience it can be for a kid. I want Trey to have that experience too. Since I don’t have a lot of money, I was trying to think of a way I could help. I decided I would make some custom pieces to sell and all the money raised would go to Trey’s trip!

FullSizeRender (8)

I made keychains and necklaces with the colors of the Ugandan flag. I thought it would be nice for anyone who wants to help, to have something to remember what a nice thing they were doing. My goal is to raise $600.00!

You can help Trey get to Pagirinya, Uganda to help other families and to have an experience of a lifetime. I know he’s going to come back wanting to do even more!

Keychains can be purchased for $5.00 here and necklaces for $10.00 here.  You can also make a donation here.

To find out more about Kids Around the World you can visit http://www.katw.net/

Thank you so much for your continued support.

http://bit.ly/UgandaTrey

BRICK WALK CHALLENGE!

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

img_3922-1

Forget hot coals, we challenge you to walk across a path of LEGO! Oh! We wouldn’t ask you to do this for no reason, keep reading and you’ll find out about the amazing cause this supports!

lego-coal-walk

Here’s how it works: 
1) Take a gallon bag and fill it with Lego
2) Spread the Lego over a 10 foot length
3) Walk across barefoot and try not to cry
4) Post a video and this text to challenge your friends!

Why would someone do this? Here in the developed world, we have so much stuff. Some of it is awesome stuff, like Lego. But we have much of it that it’s often lying around our house.

You would think the pain and aggravation of stepping on a Lego would be a universal experience, but you’d be wrong. In places like rural Uganda, many kids have no toys or learning tools at all. They have never heard of or seen Lego.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Brick Walk Challenge is raising awareness for Play Well Africa, a grassroots nonprofit that provides used Lego and other learning tools to underprivileged families and schools in Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana. If you are nominated for the challenge, you must either accept it, make a video, and copy this post, OR donate $25 or 1 pound of Lego to Play Well Africa.

WATCH OUR VIDEO HERE: http://bit.ly/brickwalkchallenge

 

We had so much fun making this video and we are going BIG with our challenge….

WE NOMINATE ELLEN DEGENERES, COACH ANTHONY, MR. BECERRA AND DAVID BECKHAM.

Feel free to click on their names and send them a tweet letting them know you want to see their #BrickWalkChallenge videos!

You can also purchase Lego Jewelry and ornaments from Play Well Jewelry or if you’d like to donate directly to Alicia or Anabelle you can do that too!

Anabelle joins the team!

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

I’d like to introduce a very special person….my sister ANABELLE!

img_3638

Anabelle is one of my sisters and she’s 8 years old and really funny. I told her all about my trip, showed her pictures and video and now she really wants to help out and make the trip to Uganda too! She making ornaments and selling them to raise money for her trip. Please support her and buy an ornament or two!

Hi! I’m Anabelle and I really want to go to Africa with my sister to meet kids and give them Lego to make them so happy. I’m making Lego ornaments and selling them to raise money to go on my trip to Uganda. Please buy one and help me reach my goal to help kids in Uganda! You can purchase the ornaments by going to the Play Well Jewelry “buy” page. You can also make a donation here. Thank you!

 

 

I’m back from Africa!

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

First, I wanted to say THANK YOU to EVERYONE who helped me reach my goal and raise all the money I needed for my trip. It really was a dream come true and I couldn’t have done it without all of you. The trip was even better than I expected and I can’t wait to go back!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’m back from Uganda and it was AMAZING!!!!! I went with my mom and we got to stay for 2 whole weeks! The plane ride was not so awesome. We had to take 2 flights and there was a long layover. When we got to Africa, my friend Micah took us to Kumi and we got to try new things like chicken on a stick.

We had a lot of fun and I met lots of new friends. I got to give out lots of Lego and even some of my Play Well Jewelry! Giving Lego to kids was awesome. I got to see how much it really changed the lives of the kids there in Uganda. They were all so excited to play with Lego. They built all kinds of things, like houses and planes and whatever came to mind. I could see that they were really happy and it really changed their lives. It made me feel like I am very important to the world and I could do anything I wanted to.

We also got to do some other fun things. I got to go fishing with Micah and even swim in the Nile River. We hiked to a waterfall and jumped over streams. We climbed giant rocks and saw monkeys. We tasted new foods and met lots of nice people. I can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been back a few weeks and have had some time to think about how I can make an even bigger change. I am working on a few things to help collect more Lego to take next year. I decided to keep selling my Play Well Jewelry with the money going to get even more Lego to kids in Uganda. I can’t wait to go back!

Girls in the Garage

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

Girls in the Garage is the BEST! I’ve been there so many times and it’s always so much fun! The first time I went I got to learn all about cars. I learned how to put a tire on a car, check the tire pressure, check the oil and lots more. They had music and we got to have a dance party too. They also have a wheel you can spin for prizes. Then, I got to go back and help teach people how to do things. I haven’t been back for a little bit because my sisters had soccer. I’m excited to go Wednesday and see everyone and Kevin (the owner) asked if I wanted to sell me Play Well Jewelry!

14vxk1-2.jpg

 

So, this Wednesday Girls in the Garage, Play Well Africa and Play Well Jewelry will be hosting a Lego Drive at Girls in the Garage! We’ll be collecting Legos, selling Lego Jewelry, there will be cars, a live band, food and drinks. Stop by for all the fun!

 

Home Depot Rocks!!!

/ girlonthemat / Leave a comment

This week I went to Home Depot and got my Dremel and Dremel Work Station. I want to say THANK YOU to Home Depot for donating them to me!

IMG_4421

I wanted my own Dremel so I could make Play Well Jewelry all on my own without any help. Now, I can! Home Depot gave me everything I needed even safety glasses. I started using it today and I love it! I can’t wait to make more Jewelry and go to Africa.

FullSizeRender (6)

THANK YOU HOME DEPOT!