Happy June everyone!

It’s only been a week since our last blog entry, but we have great stories to share with you!

Almost 3 months ago, we had an event called “HappyDolls for Tohoku” at Japan Society where over 50 children in New York came together to design HappyDolls to send to children in the Tohoku area to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The dolls have traveled to Japan thanks to our ambassador, AK. We will let you know more details about this trip soon.

Little did we know we would inspire two young yet determined “change makers”, KAI and  SASHA, who had attended the event.

Having his HappyDoll sent to children in Sendai, Kai started to wonder how he could share this experience with  friends.  After careful thinking, he came up with a perfect way to do this– by bringing the HappyDoll session to his school!

Kai attends St. Alban’s School in Manhattan where students can share a special activity with their classmates on their birthdays.

That is how 10 of Kai’s classmates in the first grade class worked together to make HappyDolls for more children in Japan.  The children used the blank HappyDolls stuffed by our wonderful volunteers from BTMU.

Everyone wanted to write messages in Japanese! The word on the black board “OMEDETO!” means “Congratulations!”. So, “Omedeto” Kai, for your birthday.

Kai’s HappyDoll says “I love Japan”

Here’s a message from Kai’s parents:

Our other little friend, SASHA, shared the experience with her second grade class at Horace Mann School in Riverdale.  

Sasha’s HappyDoll is named YOKO!

As a result, 18 very special HappyDolls covered in messages of hope in English and Japanese were created at her school! Ireland, England, Haiti and Japan were someof the countries they came up with when asked where they wanted their dolls to travel.

Have you heard of Midori Goto? She is a phenomenal violinist who made her debut performance at age 11 with the NY Philharmonic under the renowned conductor, Zubin Mehta.

About Midori and Friends

Midori and Friends is a  New York City based philanthropic organization that provides musical education for under served public school children. The organization provides both concerts and lessons to students who wouldn’t otherwise have the benefit of music in their schools.

Guess who had the honor of collaborating with this amazing organization? You got it–HappyDoll! On May 17th, HappyDoll and Midori and Friends hosted an event at PS163K in Brooklyn. Thirty-eight 3rd graders from two classes joined forces to make HappyDolls using the blank dolls made from the Corporate Volunteer Session at BTMU (Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ).

The kids at PS163K have been learning about Japan and its culture through the program designed by Midori & Friends. They experienced Ikebana, taiko, how to make Japanese food, and even learned how to sing in Japanese!

We had a surprise guest for these kids who have learned so much about Japan: a special appearance by the Japanese pop-star, KIYOTAKA!

KIYO‘s most recent single “#1″ has topped the Amazon Japan charts at number 1.

(You can listen to his song on itunes!)

During the session, Kiyo talked about his childhood in Japan and helped the kids decorate the dolls and write messages in Japanese.  At the end, he even performed a private concert for the kids! After his performance, everyone flocked over to the singer, asking for photos and autographs.

The kids wrote messages in Japanese! We’re impressed by the beautiful handwriting.

So where will these HappyDolls go? These amazing dolls will be sent to the kids at Okada Elementary School in Sendai, where Kiyo studied as a child.  Kiyo himself, will deliver the HappyDolls embellished with heartwarming messages to the kids in Sendai as a HappyDoll ambassador.  We’re sure the dolls will help put a smile on these kids’ faces!

In the fall, the kids of Okada Elementary School will also design HappyDolls for the children at PS163K.

Finally, THANK YOU to all the kids at PS163K and their teachers  Ms. Bove and Ms. Forman  for welcoming HappyDolls and participating in this project.

Last but the not the least, we would like to thank Midori and Friends from the bottom of our hearts for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

Stay tuned! We’ve got more exciting events coming your way…

-Help lift the spirits of children in need by donating to happydoll.org-

Rainy Monday in New York City.

On a day like this, we like to think of somewhere warm, sunny, and colorful…like INDIA for example?  Well, we have just the story for you which takes place in Bagalore, India.

Back in February, we introduced you to our very good friend, Terumi. She is currently working in the city while completing an Executive MBA with UCLA-NUS program in business management.  Terumi came to our HappyDoll office to share her fantastic idea of becoming a HappyDoll ambassador during her 10 day global program in India.

Now Terumi is back from India with a bag full of wonderful stories, photos, and HAPPYDOLLS!

 

<Matthew> The experience as a volunteer was amazing!!  Being able to participate in the activities with the children; witnessing their raw joy to create the personalized dolls and unselfish giving as they packed them for other children they may never meet.  The program really helps connect the positive spirit of the world.

<Juliana> It has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I was inspired, empowered and so emotionally touched by all these kids and their lovely attitudes towards painting and playing with the dolls! I think is a fantastic way to bring the world together and create some joy for so many unprivileged kids! 

Finally, here’s a video message from TERUMI:

 Thank you SO much to the children at SUKRUPA, Terumi and the HappyDoll India Team, and Krupa!

Stay tuned! We’ve got more exciting events coming your way…

-Help lift the spirits of children in need by donating to happydoll.org-

 

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for the Spring Cleaning Party!

We hope you enjoyed the event, which started two years ago as a private gathering to swap clothes and meet new friends.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to clean out the closet, discover new and rare items, and network.

THE RULE is simple:

1)Bring things in your closets and kitchen shelves that no longer have value to you. (**guests are welcome to join even if they don’t bring anything**)

2)Display your items. You have an hour to mingle and meet new people while browsing for items you may want to bring home.

3) When we say “GO!”, everything is fair game. We play nice; if multiple people are interested in an item, “rock, paper, scissors” will solve the problem.

As the guests arrived, the party room quickly transformed into a department store.  Brand dresses, men’s suits, shoes, and children’s clothes were spread everywhere.  There were even authentic kimono sets and vintage barbies. This year, we had a good number of gentlemen participating too!

Our guests Jennifer and Victoria baked delicious teddybear cupcakes to fundraise for the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training.

Donate here:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr12/victorialevine

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr12/levineji

HappyDoll kits were given out upon donation, and many guests also purchased KOMACCHAGURE Towels, which are unique towels sewn into the shape of a dress, made by six women from Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture. The profit will benefit these women who continue to rebuild their communities in Miyagi after the tsunami. http://maketheheaven.shop-pro.jp/?pid=36663919

The generous contributions made will help HappyDoll in achieving our mission to connect children around the world.

As the next Cleaning Party is scheduled in the fall, we encourage you to keep your unwanted clothes and other goods until then.

Stay tuned! We’ve got more exciting events coming your way…

Please check our website, facebook, and twitter to receive updates on our current events and activities.  For volunteer opportunities, suggestions on partnerships and collaboration with other organizations, schools, and programs, contact us at info@happydoll.org

-Help lift the spirits of children in need by donating to happydoll.org-

Last Friday, our good friend, Brooke Johnson, invited HappyDoll to participate at her company’s volunteer fair!

You may know Scripps Networks as one of the largest lifestyle media company that delivers channels like the Food Network, the DIY Network and the Cooking Channel, but we have also discovered that they are a company committed to making a positive change in society.

Their company event entitled  ”CHANGE THE WORLD FAIR” supports national, regional and local organizations to better the quality of life and support those at risk or in need. Over 50 employees gathered  to roll up their sleeves and donate their time to learn and support the visiting organizations.

We had the honor of joining other orgs such as The Family Center (www.thefamilycenter.org) and God’s Love We Deliver (www.godslovewedeliver.org).

The Food Network Kitchens had a bake sale with sweet treats from the new Cupcake app to benefit Share Our Strength, a non-profit combating child hunger in America. 

We received comments from participants saying that this was a great way to take a break from their computers and catch up with their colleagues.

Brooke, the President of Food Networks, also stuffed a doll. Thanks, Brooke!

Everyone was so friendly, and very excited to be part of the project.  We even received requests to let the volunteers know when and where their dolls travel!

In the afternoon, we continued the event at the  Scripps headquarter office in midtown.  We had a blast together—laughing, talking, and stuffing to make a difference in the world, one doll at a time.

Brittini here will tell you what the event was like:

Ami, Nao, and Sumika (HappyDoll’s new staff member* we will introduce you to her soon!) poses with Brooke