Kindness Across the Ocean
by Sandy Brandvold
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When we first started Charming, we knew we wanted to have an identifying tag where we could list our contact information. It was our hope to work with a local company to design and fabricate the tags. Gloria took it upon herself to do some research and placed our first order. They were blank, clear plastic tags that required me to insert computer-made cardstock labels. Unfortunately, they leaked when left outside…and we wanted to be able to safely spread our kindness everywhere! Pam then drove down to Phoenix to interview some companies about manufacturing them and was told that they would be made locally…however, when the box arrived the label declared “Made in China.” They were close to what we were looking for, but still not perfect, and more costly than we’d hoped... especially the shipping. To no avail, we all continued to search online for an American company to make our water-resistant tags.
But as we’ve so often found, kindness leads us down the right path. I thought of a high school friend, Dick Northrup, who is an importer of golf equipment in Oregon. As I was on my way up to Bend, we scheduled a meeting to discuss our needs and budget. Once I explained SedonaKind to him – he was onboard. Ta da!!! He became a partner: finding a distributor in China without charging us a “middleman fee” and allowing our orders to be included in his shipping containers from China at no charge to us. He has even covered the UPS shipping fees from Bend to Arizona when I wasn’t able to arrange pickup from his Oregon headquarters. So once again, we want to thank Dick for his support of our mission, and for our introduction to Aling in China.
Aling has been a shining example of professionalism, and the tags she has produced made it possible for us to spread our message of kindness around the world. Over the years, I have come to know Aling better through emails and pictures, and all the SedonaKind members have loved seeing the photos of her office environment, friends, and family. And last year, she sent us a big surprise that made our hearts sing. With the help of co-workers, she designed and sent us an additional 400 charms: 200 in Chinese fashion appearing like tiny pastel hanging lanterns; and 200 on leather strips with unique components never before used in our charms. They have been a joy to distribute and we want to thank Aling and her friends for their beautiful and bountiful contribution. We have also been able to order custom SedonaKind ribbon and are looking forward to working with her and her team on future projects. Communication in our two languages has been sketchy at times ~ but, always fun to figure out, with Dick’s assistance. And in truth, the real language is kindness. It feels amazing to know that we have a friend so far away who believes in our cause and also wants to make a positive impact to our shared planet.
We are so blessed to have made so many connections and partners in kindness throughout every state in the U.S., Canada, 46 countries around the world, and in the office and workrooms of a very special friend, Aling. In any language, that spells love.
But as we’ve so often found, kindness leads us down the right path. I thought of a high school friend, Dick Northrup, who is an importer of golf equipment in Oregon. As I was on my way up to Bend, we scheduled a meeting to discuss our needs and budget. Once I explained SedonaKind to him – he was onboard. Ta da!!! He became a partner: finding a distributor in China without charging us a “middleman fee” and allowing our orders to be included in his shipping containers from China at no charge to us. He has even covered the UPS shipping fees from Bend to Arizona when I wasn’t able to arrange pickup from his Oregon headquarters. So once again, we want to thank Dick for his support of our mission, and for our introduction to Aling in China.
Aling has been a shining example of professionalism, and the tags she has produced made it possible for us to spread our message of kindness around the world. Over the years, I have come to know Aling better through emails and pictures, and all the SedonaKind members have loved seeing the photos of her office environment, friends, and family. And last year, she sent us a big surprise that made our hearts sing. With the help of co-workers, she designed and sent us an additional 400 charms: 200 in Chinese fashion appearing like tiny pastel hanging lanterns; and 200 on leather strips with unique components never before used in our charms. They have been a joy to distribute and we want to thank Aling and her friends for their beautiful and bountiful contribution. We have also been able to order custom SedonaKind ribbon and are looking forward to working with her and her team on future projects. Communication in our two languages has been sketchy at times ~ but, always fun to figure out, with Dick’s assistance. And in truth, the real language is kindness. It feels amazing to know that we have a friend so far away who believes in our cause and also wants to make a positive impact to our shared planet.
We are so blessed to have made so many connections and partners in kindness throughout every state in the U.S., Canada, 46 countries around the world, and in the office and workrooms of a very special friend, Aling. In any language, that spells love.