Bouquets of Glory

February 12, 2010
Today is the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. As I’m not a huge winter sports fan, I am not a die hard watcher of the Olympic Games, yet I am completely spellbound by the opening ceremony. I actually got teary eyed when Steve Nash, Wayne Gretzky, Rick Hansen, Nancy Greene and Catriona Le May Doan lit the larger Olympic torch. As Vancouver 2010 dominated conversations today, someone told me that the bouquets that are given to medal winners are very special; however they could not articulate more than that. Today’s question is: what flowers make up the Olympic bouquets? (And what makes them so darn special?!)








A: The Olympic bouquets are made of flowers and greenery that are grown in Canada. The victory bouquets contain:

Hypericum berries
















Green spider mums


















Leatherleaf fern
























Monkey grass





















Aspidistra leaves
















The greenery is bound together by a royal blue ribbon and the handles are made of recycled paper. All packaging and wrapping are sourced according to sustainability principles and delivery is governed by a carbon management program.

Now, what makes these bouquets so special has nothing to do with what is in them or how they are transported; it is in who is making them. The flowers are selected and the bouquets are handmade by marginalized women, recovering from addiction, leaving the sex trade or released from prison. The bouquets are produced by a small business and social enterprising partnership between florist Margitta Schulz and a social service organization called Just Beginnings Non-Profit Society. Just Beginnings is a flower shop and floral training facility for women with barriers to employment. The women are provided with an experience that connects them with top athletes as well as employability skills for future opportunities.



Sources:
Canadian Florist Magazine
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Source URL: https://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20issues
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Tong Tong

February 4, 2010

This morning I was trying to help a friend rework a fundraising letter. I asked her to model it on the World Vision advertisements you see on television. You know the ones:

This is Tong Tong, he is the youngest sibling of 17,000 children. His mother makes mud pies to sell at the market, only bringing in 1/2 a penny a year. Your donation, that only costs the same amount as a cup of coffee, can make a difference in this child's life.

Basically, I told her to tug on the heart strings of potential donors. But after writing my mock philanthropic plea, I thought about the kids that I saw on the documentary 'Which Way Home' and I decided, that since I haven't been drinking coffee, I would sponsor a child through World Vision. I chose the cheekiest-looking, six year-old Guatemalan boy that I could find and will be donating $35 per month. Today's question is: what is the history of World Vision?

A: World Vision was founded by Dr. Robert Peirce in 1950. The idea was born out of his missionary work in China during 1947, where he met an orphaned girl and her foster parent who was unable to care for the child. Peirce gave the foster parent five dollars to supplement the child’s needs and promised to send five dollars each month.

In 1953, in response to the numerous children orphaned in the Korean War, Peirce built an organization dedicated to helping the world’s children. As time went on, the sponsored children of Korea flourished; this led to the expansion of the program to other Asian countries, Latin American, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

In the 1970s World Vision realized the growing need to work with families and entire communities to break the cycle of poverty. The organization also began funding agricultural ventures and vocational training as part of its sponsorship efforts. These programs have helped to build sustainable solutions and self-reliance.

During the 1980s, World Vision played an important humanitarian role in the famine of Ethiopia by providing millions of dollars worth of food and medical care. The organization also began drilling wells for communities with high infant mortality rates due to lack of clean water. Once a well had been installed, World Vision staff taught a community representative to educate the village and surrounding community the importance of using clean water for better health.

Recognizing the magnitude of the AIDS pandemic, World Vision expanded its AIDS programming to help the children who had been orphaned by parents who had died of the disease. This program continues with the development of the Hope Initiative; World Vision is helping turn the tide against HIV and AIDS worldwide by caring for orphans and vulnerable children, preventing the spread of HIV with education, and advocating for effective programs that transform communities and save lives.

Sources:

World Vision Canada
World Vision InternationalSource URL: https://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20issues
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Which Way Home?

January 25, 2010

Last night I watched a documentary that affected me to the core. The film was called ‘Which Way Home?’ originally an HBO special presentation that was shown on CBC’s Passionate Eye. It documented the journey of children travelling on their own to escape the poverty of Central America and enter the United States illegally. I was especially heartbroken over a little 10 year-old named Jose, who had been travelling from El Salvador for nearly three years in the hands of smugglers. The smugglers were discovered and they abandoned Jose in Mexico, where he was detained and would be deported back to El Salvador. All of the children’s stories made me feel so sad, but Jose’s tear stained face and tiny shivering body made me ache for him – I could truly empathize that he was alone and frightened, as well as hopeless that he would be returning to his old life and never have the opportunity to get ahead. These children could have been my family. My maternal family is Guatemalan and came from a life of poverty. It was only a couple of years ago when a family member admitted that they had made the journey with smugglers to escape the grime of Guatemala and find a better life in the United States. They took the same route as many of these children and were transported with a number of other migrants hoping to gain the prospect of having an education and finding sustainable employment. The crossing is dangerous and many die due to the harsh weather and travel conditions. Today's question is: what are the entry points used by migrants to cross into the US?

A: The border between Mexico and the United States stretches over California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The border is 2000 miles long, with 670 miles of fencing between the two countries.

The most popular location for immigrants to cross used to be in California. Some would make the crossing over the San Diego freeway, running the risk of being hit cars. This problem prompted the installation of signs informing drivers to stay alert and watch out for migrants in the road. Increased border control has made it more difficult to slip through without being noticed. Despite this, the state of California has the highest residence rate of unauthorized immigrants, approximately 25%.

The unfenced, rural mountainous and desert border between Arizona and Mexico has become a major entrance point for unlawful migration to the United States. Many try to cross the Sonoran Desert and the Baboquivari Mountain to a better life, however usually succumb to dehydration, hypothermia or heat stroke and perish on the journey. One of the major points of border guarding is at the trail called El Camino Del Diablo (literally translated to The Devil’s Walk); if migrants cross the border, the struggle to make it through the desert is a difficult and taxing.

Texas has the second highest rate of rate of illegal resident amongst its population. The Rio Grande is a natural boarder between Texas and Mexico and is heavily guarded. A number of migrants die by drowning, as the current is strong and drags individuals down in its undertow.

Sources:
Reuters: Factbox Illegal Immigration in the US
US Immigration Support: Illegal Immigration from Mexico
Wikipedia: Mexico-United States Border
Wikipedia: Migrant Deaths Along the Mexico-US Border
Wikipedia: Illegal Entry
Wikipedia: Illegal Immigration to the United States
Source URL: https://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20issues
Visit Police Fashion for daily updated images of art collection