Delivering Smiles - One Doll At A Time
I
am constantly amazed by the generousity of people, with their hearts and time, when at times I can't seem to complete simple tasks at hand. Many of you may remember Tracy Clevenger, the flight attentdtant, who formed One Doll.com in her efforts to help under-privileged children all over the world. Tracy sent me one of her beautiful unfinished dolls that's available on the website, and I am ashamed to say every excuse in the world kept me from finishing the doll in time for Tracy's trip to Peru this past June.
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| Tracy Clevenger in Peru |
Actually, I'd started the doll, then forgotten about it and thought she said the doll was supposed to be done and sent to her by June 31st. By the time I remembered, it was too late to complete my doll as Tracy was already back with wonderful pictures and stories of yet another trip.
She and 10 other like minded people, along wtih the help of Gap Adventures went to Peru on a volunteer vacation. With dolls donated from people who purchased them on the website, decorated it and sent it back Tracy's trip was made possible. She and the other travelers worked in Cuzco at the Street Children's center and in a small village up in the mountains. They visited Macha Picchu and hiked 5 days on the
Inca trail to Choquiquerao. Here's what Tracy had to say,
"We delivered 11 dolls to a kindergarten class in Ccaccaccolllo, a village of 300 in the Andean mountains. It was a magical trip. I stayed with a family in their beautiful mud and hay home and played "football" (soccer) with kids out in the yard. My friend Nikki and I helped in the fields, shucking corn, and I sat in on teacher Betsabe' Gamarra Pino's kindergarten class. I helped the kids make paper ties for "Dia de Papa". Father's Day.
The girls loved the dolls. One little girl came up to us with her sweater tied on her back. When we asked (in sign language and bad Spanish) what she had on her back she tenderly lifted the corner of the sweater to let us peak at her precious baby. Her new doll.
After delivering the dolls I realized I hadn't saved one for Rosio, the 4 year old daughter of my host family. Feeling sad I headed back to the house wishing I had one more doll. When I got to the house I noticed that one doll had fallen out of my bag. A doll for Rosio!
At the Street Children's center. I helped the girls with their sewing and took polaroid instamatic photos of each of the kids. These children are from very poor families and many of them work as well as go to school. The Street Children's center helps them with their studies, teaches them life/work skills (such as leather work and sewing) and feeds them a warm meal."
Sometimes, I think, to change the world is such a daunting task. It's bigger than most of us. But changing the world can mean reaching out to someone, bringing a smile to someone, or stepping out yourself to help someone less fortunate. That is changing the world - one life at a time. Tracy Clevenger is one of those people who make you want to be a better person because she strives to make the world a better place, one doll at a time.
I keep thinking about the doll that Rosario almost never got. If it hadn't fallen out of Tracy's bag, the little girl would have been out of luck while my unfinsihed doll could have made a difference to that one child. Thank you Tracy for teaching me life lessons.
Think you might be interested in helping Tracy with her mission? Just go to her website One Doll.com to purchase the doll kit. You can then decorate the doll and return it to Tracy who will take the doll on her next working vacation to brighten children's lives. Hopefully, by her next trip, my doll will have her own personality once I decide what expression to give her. If I could draw, it would be one of a surprised, precious and grateful little girl.
Copyright 2008 © Dawn Prince. Not to be reprinted without expressed permission.
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