I'm excited to be a part of @The1GDBracelet's #DeedADay Campaign! No compensation was received for this post however I did receive a 100 Good Deeds bracelet as a reminder to do more good throughout the year.
The100 Good Deeds Braceletis both a fashion statement and a cause to encourage everyone to do a good deed. The designer of these bracelets, Mary Fisher, is an artist, author and HIV/AIDs activist, who has dedicated her life to working with women in developing countries. As the force behind the 100 Good Deeds Bracelet, Mary empowers women in Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Rwanda, and Haiti, many infected with HIV, to help her make the 100 Good Deeds bracelet. Each bracelet is strung with 100 beads and is intended to be a continued reminder to do a good deed. Every time you go out of your way to perform a good deed, you move the bracelet’s rubber ring closer to the 100th bead.
Last week I had lunch with a friend. He had a bag of several packs of socks wrapped with a red ribbon. He said he was looking for homeless people to give them out to. My friend isn't a cruel person but he's not exactly the kind of person who would make such a gesture. He confessed that a Facebook friend had purchased socks and gifted them to people who needed them. When he liked the status and shared it - the friend challenged him to do the same. It's not enough to just "like" something. Sometimes we need a reminder to do something.
What I love about the holiday season is how everyone is a little bit kinder. Living in New York City I don't always depend on the kindness of strangers. In fact, it feels like most days I don't notice the stranger sitting next to me on the subway. If they sneeze, I don't say "bless you," if they dropped their book I don't bother to pick it up. I'm not a mean person but it can be easy to get caught up in your own day-to-day worries that you forget about everyone else. It was pretty amazing that my friend was inspired to really do something for a complete stranger in need.
That's why I'm excited to partner with 100 Good Deeds. Wearing my bracelet is a physical reminder to do more good. It's a beautiful piece of handcrafted jewelry that prompts conversation. When I shared a photo of my bracelet on Instagram, it immediately got people asking about it. My 1GD bracelet was made by Theresa Bwalya of Zambia. 1GD bracelets are "carefully hand-braided from a fine nylon thread using a lucet tool. the braided cord is then strung with 100 unique glass beads and a single rubber ring." The bracelets come in a variety of beautiful colors. By purchasing/wearing the bracelet made by a vulnerable woman in Africa is my first good deed. It enables women to earn a dignified livelihood.
Doing a good deed doesn't take much. It can be letting the person behind you line at the grocery story pay first, passing your leftover lunch to someone in need or donating a few dollars to your favorite charity. No good deed is too small.
With each good, I will move the ring over one bead. When I've completed my first 100 good deeds, I will buy another bracelet and start over again.
I hope you join me in doing more good in 2015! To join the #DeedADay movement, share one of theseimageson Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest using hashtag #DeedADay and tagging the 100 Good Deeds Bracelet. To shop and learn more about the 100 Good Deeds Bracelet visit:
