The Birth of Kwagala Project

Anyone who knows me in real life has probably seen quite a few posts on Facebook and heard quite a bit in person about Purse of Hope, the charity founded by the amazing Kristen Hendricks and supported in a very significant way by the equally amazing folks at Total Attorneys.

When you look at the work that gets done and the lives that are changing every day, it's hard to believe that the organization is only a few years old, and that Total Impact House is even newer. Our first high school graduate just started at University!

Perhaps because the organization has grown so quickly beyond its roots, "Purse of Hope" no longer seemed to encompass all that it was...and that meant not only a name change but a whole new look. The organization is still providing full-service aftercare to victims of child prostitution, from education and vocational training to food, counseling, shelter and an incredible sense of family and community that many of these girls have never before experienced: it's just doing so under a different name.

Kwagala Project, so named because "kwagala" means "love" in Lugandan, is Purse of Hope grown beyond its seams--and growing in its impact every day. When you have a moment, please check out the new website and/or "like" the new Kwagala Project Facebook page.

Excuses, Excuses

I could tell you that I haven't posted in nearly a month because the end of July was crazy with moving and my Internet service has been sporadic and frankly crappy since I moved, and all of that would be accurate.

Truth is, though, if my Internet access were flawless I probably still wouldn't be posting much. I just have too much to do.

By that, I don't mean the old "I'm running behind at work because I just moved and I have these freelance jobs to keep up with and admissions consulting season is starting up and I'm not even finished unpacking," though all that is true.

I mean that the gym is close by and not a hassle to get in the evening, and that we go swimming at least a couple of times a week. I mean that it's so pleasant to walk here that I sometimes walk with Tori, alone and with the dog all in the same day. I mean that Tori started taking one class at the high school last week and comes home every day with some new plan or invitation--a choir picnic, a field trip to see My Fair Lady, an audition, performing at a football game...

The library is familiar and inviting; the Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival is going on downtown this weekend.

It kind of makes me laugh; I said to Tori the other day, "How is it that there's so much more to do in this rinky-dink little town than there was in the suburbs?"

I think I know the answer, though. I think that really probably all of the same sorts of things are going on in the suburbs and more, but it's so much more complicated to participate in any of them--longer drives, traffic, parking issues, crowds, etc.--and then they're populated by strangers when you get there. At least, that's my guess at why it suddenly seems reasonable to pop out to the gym or the pool more often than not on a weeknight, and why I see a parade as an opportunity rather than an obstacle to getting around town on a particular day.

And, of course, the normal stuff is still in play as well. I've been working on a new website for Kwagala Project, and Tori is getting set up to sell the jewelry the girls have made online. And last weekend, she was part of the Imagos Films team for the Windie City Shootout, which meant arriving in Chicago well before sunrise both days (on Sunday, we left home at 1:30 a.m. to start shooting at 3:30), so we're a little tired and not as far along in the decorating process as we'd like to be.

But not so tired nor so busy that we can't take a couple of hours out for a swim. Somehow, in this place, I never feel like there's something else I really should be doing--even when there is.