We love being a part of your everyday, so we’re finding new ways to stay in touch.
If you’ve noticed, our Tumblr’s been getting a workout lately. We’ve posted some cool outtakes and behind-the-scenes for many of our upcoming surprises. Many of the shots, you won’t be able to see anywhere else. This is one of our favorites:
Isn’t that amazing? The orange bike bells look almost good enough to eat!
We’ve dipped our toes in Pinterest! We love inspiration boards in real life and it’s cool to play inside a digital version of it here. Take a peek at some things that inspire us and make us look twice.
Wonderful huh?
So, if you’re in the neighborhood, would you come by and say hi? We’d love to see what catches your eye and makes you smile too.
With nine Grammy awards under his belt, it’s easy to think that John Legend spends all of his time meditating on his next hit album, but as we found out while working with him to design the John Legend Poketo wallet, the soul in his music also comes from what he has experienced and the causes he believes in.
Inspired by Jeffrey Sach’s The End of Poverty, John Legend founded the Show Me Campaign, a nonprofit fighting for every child’s right to a quality education.
Legend–who already sits on the boards of Teach for America, The Education Equality Project and the Harlem Village Academies–started the Show Me Campaign to break the evil cycle of poverty. On his site, it says more than one billion people live in extreme poverty globally and living on less than a dollar a day. In the US, more than 13 million children live below the poverty line. For them, a good education is a lifeline.
“I’ve seen how education can make such a great difference if you don’t make a lot of money,” says Legend in an interview on USA Today. “Most people who grow up poor usually end up in the same place. To break the cycle, you have to get a good education. It’s an equalizer and an important tool for empowerment.”
Here’s more from John, who took the time to write this note for the Poketo blog readers:
I’ve always wanted to help people in need, but when I read a book called “The End of Poverty” by Jeffrey Sachs I was deeply moved. I read about the devastating conditions experienced by those living in extreme poverty, but I also read about the attainable possibility of ending extreme poverty within our lifetime. So when Jeff invited me to join him on a trip to Africa to see their work firsthand, I jumped at the chance. For the first time, I witnessed what it’s like to live on less than a dollar a day in real human terms and I couldn’t simply accept that as the way it had to be. I had to do something.
So I started the Show Me Campaign. It’s named after a song I wrote called “Show Me” that asks simple questions about life and death and why there is so much suffering in the world. The mission of the Show Me Campaign is to break the cycle of poverty through solutions that have been proven to improve people’s lives.
We adopted a village in Tanzania through the Millennium Village Program, and we’ve raised money to support access to clean drinking water; health clinics, medicine and bed nets for malaria; agricultural education and fertilizer for farmers; and schools, teachers and free lunches that ensure young people receive quality education. We’re helping these villagers help themselves in their struggle for humanity, dignity and prosperity.
We also do a lot of outreach to young people in the U.S., informing them about what’s going on in the world around them, and empowering them to participate in making meaningful change. And in many ways, I believe we’ve come a long way.
But, even in the United States, the most powerful country in the world, far too many people live in persistent poverty. We still live in a country where opportunities are not equal. And, unfortunately, here in America, a lot of it is perpetuated and institutionalized in our classrooms every day. That’s why the Show Me Campaign has increasingly begun to focus on education reform. We need to make sure ALL children can access a quality education because a good education is inextricably linked to our fundamental rights as citizens and is the most sustainable path out of poverty.
Your gift will help us fight for the right of every child to receive a quality education. I believe this is the civil rights issue of our time.
We like to add a bit of fun in everything we do, so starting this July we’ve cooked up some extra surprises for you guys. Want in on our little secret?
Starting this month, we’re releasing a limited-edition set of artist postcards with every order you place. No, there is nothing special you need to do to get it. It’ll come with every package we send out to. The best part? We change it up every month.
This is our July postcard by one of our upcoming featured artists. Want to guess whose work this is? We won’t tell (at least, not yet)
It looks great with a package.
It’s even better on your refrigerator.
We’ve also gotten a lot of Poketo orders meant as gifts, so we’ve designed a special gift tag for you. We have mean gift-wrapping skills but we think this will make every package even more special.
Here in (now sunny) Los Angeles, it’s easy to forget a bigger world is out there. But it is; and we’re still a part of it.
As Japan faces the tragedies of the tsunami and the nuclear crisis, even the paradise we call home is starting to feel the pinch. At first, there were fears of radiation traveling across the Pacific. Then, there were just reported shortages everywhere as Japanese manufacturing plants close down. In Hollywood? Simple things like film and tapestock are affecting the television and film world. It’s the little things we take for granted that remind us how much we all depend on each other.
Two weeks ago, we shared some great efforts by artists doing their part. This week, a short message came to our inbox from one of our cool fans, Scott Kitano, wanting to reach out.
An educator and music maker, Scott’s sharing a special album called “Heart Japan ep,” to anyone willing to donate to Japan’s cause. The album includes 3 songs sampled from Japanese vinyl and re-interpreted. Scott infused some chillwave/hiphop beats into the music; you’ll hear some of his Hawaiian DJ’ing experience seeping out of this sample.
“I have always thought that life works to a beat, to a rhythm and music has a very special part in my life. I cannot do anything without having a song shuffling in my memory,” says Scott. Perhaps that’s why he’s expressing his support through music now.
For more info, drop him a line at Esomusicart@gmail.com. Hear his music on the Hearios FB page.
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