Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.
Beading The Odds is the
inspiration of a friend of mine, Juanita Garnow. After retirement, Ms. Garnow
made the decision to become a volunteer. She has always been a strong supporter
of animals, having at least two dogs as pets at any one point in time.
Initially she volunteered with Project Pooch, a non-profit group that rescues
abandoned and abused dogs and works with Oregon’s Juvenile Justice system.
Young men at McClaren School for Boys apply for the opportunity to have a dog
assigned to them. These young men are responsible for the care and training of
their dog. Upon ‘graduation’, the dogs are adopted by vetted families. This
program’s impact on young men has been profound. Less than 1% of the youth
involved in Project Pooch have reoffended.
However, as awesome as
Project Pooch is, that program isn’t what this post is about.
Through her volunteering
with Project Pooch, Ms. Garnow learned there were youth at McClaren who
self-identified as Native Americans. She offered to teach them beading
techniques so they could connect at a different level to their heritage.
That’s how Beading The
Odds came into being. Ms. Garnow single-handedly has raised money to purchase
supplies, garnered donations of beads and equipment, invited other beaders to
join her on Sundays when she meets with these young men and teaches and
encourages and supports them in their work. She also takes their finished projects and sets
up tables at various functions in order to sell the necklaces, bracelets and
earrings the youth create.
Recently, Ms. Garnow had
a table at The Gathering of the Guilds, a large event where members of various
craft guilds sell their wares. Although there were a couple of other people who
helped out, for the most part it was Ms. Garnow selling the items. Over the
weekend of The Gathering of the Guilds, Ms. Garnow work brought in just under $1,000.00 in sales and donations.
These funds go directly into accounts the youth have at McClaren. All of Ms.
Garnow’s time, effort, energy, enthusiasm and encouragement are donated.
Last year, while selling at The
Gathering of the Guilds, a woman from Washington state stopped by. She was
excited to see if she could get this type of program started in her state.
What I’m excited about is
hearing the stories of the changes these young men are making as they find
someone who is committed to them learning a new skill, something that they can
use to help support themselves when they are released or that they can use to
make gifts for family members and friends. Underneath it all, they know that Ms.
Garnow is there because she cares about them as individual young people.
She is a volunteer and
receives no remuneration for her time. Her payment is seeing them gain new
skills, grow in confidence in using those skills, become thoughtful about how
these skills can fit into their life after release. Sunday night or sometime on
Monday we talk. I hear the exuberance in her voice as she tells me how her time
teaching the art of beading to these young men fills her heart. The joy and
happiness she feels infuses her words and wraps around me. When we part, I’m
uplifted because I know that her work makes a huge difference in the lives of
each of the 12 young men currently in Beading The Odds. I’m not surprised this
is one of the most popular programs offered and that there is a waiting list.
If you are interested in
learning more about Beading The Odds, donating material, or making a
contribution, please contact me at JudithAshley@comcast.net
and I’ll forward your email to Ms. Garnow.
Check out my Windtree Press author page.
Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19
© 2016 Judith Ashley
4 comments:
Juanita gives her time, her resources, and her heart to these young men. What a difference she's making in their lives! And how rewarding it must be to share her passion and creativity and nurture theirs.
Many thanks and much gratitude to Anna Brentwood for her Generous donation of beads and beading supplies.
You are so right, Sarah. Juanita's involvement makes a significant difference in the lives of these young men. She's an inspiring woman - selfless in the time she spends with them. To see the joy on her face when she talks about their work is inspiring to me.
What an awesome friend you have, Judith! Juanita is an inspiration. Those young men will remember her and all she taught them beading and about life, forever.
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