Organizations We Love
Here are some of our favorite things… and people.
Whooooo are you? Would you like to be listed as an OWL?
Wellness Clan
WellnessClan.com
I originally met Alison Jones through a professional community theater group here in Maryland. With great joy, we watched as our young sons fearlessly took the stage in leading roles together in several performances. Over years, our families have become close friends, while Alison and I realized that we have very similar professional backgrounds. Alison inspires me because she stepped out of the corporate world to bet on herself and follow her passion. Something that I think is awesome and a gamble that I can relate to…
Alison is the President and Founder of the Wellness Clan, an organization for women in the middle years of life who are striving for wellness in every area of their lives. Women who see age as a number, not a definition, and who see these years as a time of opportunity, not decline. Women who plan to show up every day for the rest of their lives, and who want not only greater health, but greater impact too.
Alison’s devotion to holistic wellness spans through her education and on a personal level her entire life. She is fiercely in love with life and dedicated to sharing her story (the good and the very not good) to help women live in a more healthy and vibrant way. Alison shared her amazing Essence Story with us here at Parents Inspire. She believes that wholehearted living radiates from the inside out, and it’s contagious. And it leads to healthier families, healthier communities, and a healthier world.
That’s why she started the Wellness Clan.
To learn more about why the Wellness Clan is an OWL visit: WellnessClan.com.
Lasagna Love
LasagnaLove.org
I am officially a Lasagna Mama! Just before Christmas, my friend Colleen read about an organization called Lasagna Love and passed along their website to me. My friendship with Colleen deserves its own blog but suffice it to say, she knows me and this recommendation (like so many others) went right to my heart. The idea is simple – sharing love through lasagna or other home-cooked meals to people/families that are in need. One mom’s idea at the outset of the pandemic has sparked a national grassroots movement. My registration with Lasagna Love may have made my Lasagna Mama status official but candidly, the lasagna love runs deep in my family.
My matrilineal heritage is Mexican American; like many cultures, food equals love in my family. Whether it was my grandmother and aunts gathered for tamale prep – their masa production outmatched only by their story-telling – or our annual cookie day tradition that continues (virtually this year) to the next generation, I have learned to live the adage that cooking done with care is an act of love. As a young woman, my mom lived just outside of DC with her oldest sister, Tillie. They had the good fortune of living in the apartment next to Abeba Haile, an Ethiopian woman with a fascinating life and amazing culinary skill. Perhaps the most lasting legacy of their friendship was the lasagna recipe Abeba shared with my mom and aunt. To this day, I thank Abeba when I make her lasagna. I think of her as my Fairy Lasagna-Mother… I never knew her but it turns out she planted a seed for this Lasagna Mama many years ago. When I learned of Lasagna Love, I immediately texted my mom and sisters with six simple words: Abeba’s lasagna was made for this.
Want to try out the recipe yourself? My mom compiled it for me (us) and you can grab that recipe here.
I love the simplicity of Lasagna Love and that it is an idea born out of love and the belief that one person, one small act can make a difference. To learn more about Lasagna Love or become a Lasagna Mama (or Papa), visit lasagnalove.org.
World Central Kitchen
www.WCK.org
You may sense a theme here and you are not wrong! I shared more about my heritage in my lasagna post but you should also know that the FOOD = LOVE equation is strong in Casey’s family. My father-in-law immigrated from Portugal when he was nine and we had the amazing privilege of taking a family trip there in 2019. Casey’s grandma, Avo, was an incredible woman. She reminded me of my own grandma, Chama, and my relationship with Avo was a blessing long after my beloved grandma passed.
Avo was a magician with food; she could transform a few simple ingredients into the most delicious meal. Anyone who knows us knows that my brother-in-law Eric undoubtedly inherited that gene. Meals at his house or when he visits and “caters” our family dinners, are an ERIC-perience (see what I did there, E?!). Uncle Eggie happens to work for José Andrés who has founded, in addition to his restaurant empire, World Central Kitchen. Uncle Eggie has regaled us with stories of José’s fierce and compassionate heart for years. It is no surprise that he has been a HUGE force for good in the world. It turns out, FOOD = LOVE is an equation most can get behind.
You will not believe the worldwide impact of World Central Kitchen (and shout out to my friend and fellow Terp, Tessa who helps WCK tell their story online)! Learn more about this OWL at www.WCK.org.
Photo above: Eric in Tia Elcina’s (Avo’s youngest sister) kitchen during our Portugal visit.
Uncle Eggie in Portugal.
Uncle Eggie in action, cooking my birthday dinner in Portugal.
The incomparable Avo with B and E
Nazareth Farm
www.NazarethFarm.org
Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong… you know the rest. Down a holler in rural West Virginia, you’ll find Nazareth Farm. Founded in 1979, Nazareth Farm transforms lives through a two-fold mission: to provide home repair in our Appalachian community through service retreats. In a nutshell, high school and college-aged students come to the Farm, a week at a time, to perform service and outreach. They spend their days working (hard) alongside our staff and homeowners performing various repairs and their evenings in spiritual retreat and reflection. There are no cell phones at the Farm, the accommodations are rustic, and volunteers are invited to strip away the noise from their daily lives to be present. As the home repair projects take shape and transform the lives of our homeowners, the week transforms the lives of our volunteers. Our retreats are currently in a Covid pause, but our service continues through the five AWESOME full-time staff members that reside at the Farm year-round.
I am blessed to work part-time and remotely on development and outreach projects for Nazareth Farm. I spent one of my birthdays there installing a tin roof – on a hot summer day – and I believe it was quite possibly my best birthday ever! Their mission speaks to my heart and the people at the Farm, on the Board, and in our community continue to transform my life.
Learn more about this OWL, its amazing mission, and some of our projects on the website: www.NazarethFarm.org.
Even Grogu knows West Virginia is the place to be!
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Organizations We Love