My Mahalo Program ~ Paying It Forward

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. ~ Arthur Ashe

The Mahalo Program

Aloha friends!

As I embark upon rolling out my new online art making programs, it felt appropriate to share here with you about how I pay it forward/give back in my business model.  So, here it is, my Mahalo Program and the programs, non-profit organizations and groups- mostly local, some national, that I have had the pleasure of supporting and saying Mahalo! to over the past five years since I launched my art business!

The Mahalo Program is founded by the principal of living in gratitude as a way of life. Mahalo nui loa in Hawaiian means to live in thankfulness for the richness that makes life so precious.

How it works: On a rotating basis, I am delighted to select a worthwhile cause or organization to donate 5-10% from both the sales of my fine art originals and revenue generated from a selected Art with Lórien learning program.

Who We Support:

• Standing Rock Official Oceti Sakowin Camp Seven Council Fires– To learn more about Standing Rock: ocetisakowincamp.org

• Heal the Bay– an environmental nonprofit dedicated to making the coastal waters and watersheds of Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy and clean. To fulfill our mission, we use science, education, community action and advocacy. healthebay.org/

• The Peace Exchange– Sustainable Fair Trade, Laguna Beach, CA. thepeaceexchange.com/

• Art for Clare, Clare Foundation, Santa Monica, CA- 8^th annual fundraiser for addiction and recovery services. clarefoundation.org/

• Modjeska Ranch Rescue, Annual Art & Wine Fundraiser, Modjeska Canyon, CA- dedicated to finding homes for neglected and abandoned animals. modjeskaranch.com/

• Grapes for Grads VI, VIII, Laguna Beach, CA-Scholarship fundraiser for college-bound students from Laguna Beach HS and LCAD. grapesforgrads.com/

• Save the Arts – LAUSD, Los Angeles, California – Benefitting underfunded arts programs in Los Angeles public schools K-12 savethearts.net/

• Haight Ashbury Psychological Services, San Francisco, California -Providing the community with access to quality mental health care. hapsclinic.org/

• Age Well Senior Services, Non-Profit Serving Orange County, Laguna Woods, California -Providing Meals on Wheels, Transportation, Adult Day services and Health and Wellness Programs. agewellseniorservices.org

• Whole Planet Foundation– their mission is poverty alleviation through microcredit in communities around the world that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products. wholeplanetfoundation.org

 

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connect to me via my Facebook page, explore my Art with Lórien art classes on YouTube, and if you would like to make sure you are notified about more content like this, join my newsletter here to be the first to know when I offer my new programs, including early bird specials and exclusives!

May your days be filled with a sense of wonder, love and the spirit of Aloha,

In love, gratitude and beauty…

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Empowerment • Choice • Support

 

My palette for my Fire series, Elements Collection ©LEAD 2014

Warm end of summer (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) greetings to ya!  It’s been a very warm, yet mild summer here in So Cal and quite the productive one for this artist as I make progress, day by day, on my latest body of work, paintings Fire I, II, III.  As these paintings are born into completion, I will be sharing photos as well as some “in studio, in action” shots.  In addition to working in my studio and attending gallery events at LGOCA (Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art in Laguna Beach), I feel fortunate and grateful to be able to donate my energy and resources to a great cause that I truly believe in.

The organization is called Girls PACT,  a non-profit, curriculum-based program for young women ages 14-21 based in West L.A. that develops personal values, fosters self-confidence, teaches sexual health, promotes healthy lifestyles and serves the community by empowering young girls to make informed decisions, with confidence, so they may succeed in school, love and life.  Their mission is to inspire young girls to put themselves, their education, goals, and dreams above all else.

I found this to be an inspiring fact about Girls PACT:

OUR Statistics! (check out this link for more info About Girls PACT)

Below are the stats for our Girls PACT program. 

• Nearly 3 in 10 teen girls in the US will get pregnant at least once before age 20
• We have been offering the Girls PACT program for 18 months
• Resulting in ZERO pregnancies
• With ZERO current funding

My own personal experience as a young woman growing up through those tender years provided me a strong “learning curve” of developing self-confidence and making healthy choices, was certainly learned “the hard way”.  Fortunately I had some tough lessons early on which prompted me to be somewhat conservative throughout my high school and early university years.  I certainly experienced my share of painful lessons around self-esteem and self-respect throughout those years, and honestly, I still am growing, evolving and becoming in these areas of Self- realization.  Process, progress, not perfection is a motto that I like.

My inspiration and motivation to support Girls PACT is directly informed by my own traumatic experiences from ages 14-18 as well as my working directly with hundreds of young women ages 11-18 for over 14 years in the public education system.  My life’s journey has been immersed in deep healing and spiritual work, and lots of support from friends, a variety of healing professionals and spiritual teachers.  My vision and commitment is to support young women in any way that I can through sharing my time, energy, resources and my earned wisdom and I have chosen Girls PACT as one of my organizations to give to.  Looking back, I certainly wish that I had mentors during those times, to guide and support me through the labyrinth of changes, choices and opportunities.  With date rape, teen pregnancy, abuse (emotional, physical), body image issues, eating disorders and more on the rise, it is more important than ever to educate, empower and protect young women from these elements of our ever-changing world.

My introduction to Girls PACT is through a good friend of mine who is on the board and I am delighted to be able to donate a Soul Cosmology Painting Experience™ to their 1st Fundraising event, see details below.  All are welcome to this 21+ event!

 To purchase tickets, click here.

 

 Soul Cosmology Painting Experience™ samples

“Lori” Mixed Media on Paper

“Cindy” Mixed Media on Paper

“Kat” Mixed Media on Paper

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via commenting on this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

In love, gratitude and beauty…

www.lorieneck.com

“Art has the power to heal.” ~ Lórien

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