Accomplishments 2009

Written by Barbara Wishingrad

 

 

Dear Friends and Supporters of the Rebozo Way Project,

 

Well wishes to all and a special hope that those of you in the U.S. are planning a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend and feel as grateful and fortunate as we do here at the Rebozo Way. This is our annual email letter that shares our accomplishments; it is also our way of asking you to donate to our cause before the end of this year. We understand that these are stressful economic times for many people, although perhaps less different than normal for those of us who have kept our eyes on our dreams despite continued financial challenges. We appreciate anything and everything that you donate, now, previously, and/or in the future. Please look into your heart and pocketbooks as you consider the
lifelong benefits of a child being raised according to the principles
and practices of The Rebozo Way of Life, as well as the benefits to our
greater society. We encourage you to donate as much as you can; however, we welcome donations at the $25, $10, or even $5 levels to show that you support and understand the importance of our cause. We also particularly encourage recurring donations, a monthly contribution that may be easier to give than a one-time amount. Again, recurring donations of $25, $10, and $5 are particularly encouraged at this time.

The easiest way to donate right now is on the Network for Good website, http://www.netowrkforgood.org On the left sidebar, under the title "Support Any Charity, fill in 'Rebozo Way Project' and click on the search button. Please do not put the word 'The" in front of our name or Network for Good will not be able to find our organization. Proceed by clicking on the button 'donate now' when you get to the following page listing our organization. Network for Good is a non profit that helps other non profits, and their site is secure and easy to navigate. You may also choose other options on the site, register, research info about The Rebozo Way Project and other non profits, volunteer, and more.

We have also now partnered with Cars4Causes so we can receive vehicle donations. Please see http://www.cars4causes.net/charity-car-donation/the-rebozo-way-project.asp or click the link on our homepage for more information on donating your car or boat to the Rebozo Way.

If you are unable to donate at this time, we still invite you to continue reading about our exciting year. Thank you for your interest and support.

 

The Rebozo Way Project has been in a quiet mode, if you will, for the last year and a half. Our Board of Trustees has been re-visioning the organization, asking big questions such as

• What info are we trying to get across to the public around the world? What means have we been using? How successful have our efforts been and what can we do to increase our impact?
• Who are we trying to attract? Parents, "village", intergenerational families and communities, those looking for community, anybody interested in children, and a good start for future generations. We're giving people tools to deal with the transition from a consumer society to a community focused on social change and ways of coping with the new "way things are" with peak oil, financial crisis, etc. Incorporating beauty into our lifestyle and ways of being, not just utility.
• What is unique and different about RWP that would make someone want to support us? Why would they give us their $10 or $100, as opposed to some other organization? The focus of a lot of our onsite articles and links are related to family, community, women, economics, home businesses, and nurturing of ourselves and our children. How can we help visitors find the richness of information available on our site?
• What does the name Rebozo Way represent? Do people get it? What limitations does it create in the minds of people who hear it or try to pronounce it? What can we do to move beyond those limitations and get on with our mission?

 

After much reflection, we decided to change our organization's name; after months of searching for the right combination of words, we came up with Nurturing Across Cultures (NAC). We're sharing the NAC of this type of parenting. We're Nurturing All Children. We are presently in the process of making the change legal. For more information on our thoughts about this, see http://www.rebozoway.org/articles/EvolvingIntoNurturingAcrossCultures.htm

 

We've also spent most of the year working on our new website. For those of you who've been following us for a while, I know I promised a launch last spring, then in the summer. Now we're hesitant to say when, but it's still coming. It will be much more interactive and easier to navigate; we'll share more advantages with you all when we are actually live on the web. A group of in-kind contributors has put in over a hundred hours on the site already, designing, programming, and uploading our 100+ pages of content; some of us are experienced, sophisticated web designers who are very busy with their own clients but are trying to take the time to get RWP's site online soon. This has taken a lot of work and coordinating, even though, to date, to the public, it looks like nothing has changed. Again, lots of behind scenes work happening at The Rebozo Way Project this year.

 

Yet, we have had a public presence too. For the month of February, 2009, the Rebozo Way had a display at the Lakes Region Library in central Florida, and on February 14, the display was presented outside, on the Grounds of Heritage Village in the heart of Historic Downtown Crystal River, Citrus Ave. Penne Ard, one of our REPs and longtime RWP supporter, sponsored the exhibition. See photos of the exhibit at http://www.rebozoway.org/projects/FloridaLibraryDisplayFeb09.htm

 

In May, 2009, The Rebozo Way Project went to the West Coast Women's Permaculture Gathering at Quail Springs Permaculture Farm and Learning Oasis, in New Cuyama, CA. Barbara Wishingrad did a presentation, sharing photos, our video, books, booklets, babywearing dolls and anecdotes about the project and our mission, history, and dreams.

 

We celebrated International Babywearing Week September 21-28, 2009, events took place all over the world. The Rebozo Way was an official celebrating organization, although our supporters and friends are not just in one locale. We bought babywearing week buttons and invited our boards, REPs and others to talk babywearing to all of their friends and acquaintances as a way of celebrating. We also invited more elaborate local celebrations. See http://babywearinginternational.org/pages/babywearingweek.php

for more information about IBWW and some of the events that marked it.

 

In October, Barbara Wishingrad represented The Rebozo Way Project at Bioneers, the annual conference in Marin County, CA, of Biological Pioneers (Revolution from the Heart of Nature). Among others, she connected with people involved in the Pachamama Alliance/Awakening the Dreamer Symposiums http://awakeningthedreamer.org/ who are aligned with the mission of The Rebozo Way.

 

Our REP program is still going strong; we have 21 REPs now including three who joined up during 2009.

 

Our website continues to draw visitors from all over the world, especially North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. Take some time to explore the additions and changes we've made in our on-site articles as well as links to related articles. We are honored by the knowledge that our site is popular in many Spanish speaking countries. We've also started some social networking-some of you will be receiving this email letter because you joined The Rebozo Way Project cause on Facebook. If you didn't, and are interested, go to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/326636/34520539. You can also join our network on WiserEarth.

 

Thanks again to everyone who has supported our work in one way or another. The Rebozo Way Project turned 21 this year. We need funds to keep going as an organization as well as building new programs and supporting families and communities who are aligned with our mission. Please donate whatever you can as we enter our third decade of advocating for in-arms parenting. We were there for the founding of the modern babywearing movement, and we want to continue to share our dedication, persistence, and passion about indigenous babywearing, birthing, and community life. Join us.

 

For the babies,

 

Barbara Wishingrad

President and founder, The Rebozo Way Project

 

 

 

 

**"The Rebozo Way^TM is dedicated to educating the public about traditional methods of birthing, family and community relationships, and about in-arms and attachment parenting as practiced by indigenous peoples worldwide, and as relevant to our own lives as caring members of the world community. Our commitment is to promote ways of bonding and being with babies, small children, and each other, ways that lead to greater self-esteem for every individual, as well as inner and outer peace and sense of community"