New Commuter Tote!

Another NEW MayaWorks product, the Commuter Tote! This gorgeous bag is stylish, roomy and sturdy. Made with rust toned handmade fabric, it offers a medium strap-length perfect for commuting. Measures 15.5" long x 18.5" wide. Straps measure 11" long. Great alternative to the carry-all bag. Made by the Chixot artisans in Comalapa,Guatemala.

Order one!

Masquerade for a Cause!

Come Join MayaWorks and others at

Masquerade for a Cause!
Wednesday, April 7th
Simone's Bar 960 W. 18th St.
Time: 7pm to close 2am

7pm - 9pm: Looking for volunteer opportunities? internships? responsible travel tourism? Meet and greet the seven non-profit organizations:
Los Patojos/Rising Minds, Chicago Fair Trade, Greenheart, Mayaworks, Womancraft, Academy for Global Citizenship, UNICEF-DePaul U.
FREE appetizers: vegatable quesadillas, tortilla chip chicken fingers, empanadas, and more!

9pm - 2am: music provided by Chicago dj's: Omar Perez, Rick Perez
21 to enter, $10 door charge

70% of proceeds will go the following seven organizations:

1. Los Patojos & Rising Minds, http://www.lospatojos.org.gt/ & http://www.risingminds.org/
2. Chicago Fair Trade, http://www.chicagofairtrade.org/
3. Greenheart, http://www.cci-exchange.com/greenheart_home.aspx
4. Mayaworks, https://www.mayaworks.org/
5. Womancraft, http://www.womancraft.net/
6. UNICEF-DePaul University, http://www.unicef.org/
7. Academy for Global Citizenship, http://www.agcchicago.org/

We hope to see you there!

MayaWorks New Children's Aprons

Introducing MayaWorks New Fair Trade Children's Apron! This fun, colorful apron was designed specifically for active 3-5 year olds. Great for a painting smock or for cooking, and also for preschool or kindergarden classes.

Measures 16" long x 17.5" wide. Neck strap is closed for easy slip-on. Includes small pockets on front of apron! 100% cotton.

Order online!

MayaWorks on facebook!

Did you know that MayaWorks has a facebook page?! Its a great way to show your support of our artisan partners while also getting awesome MayaWorks updates!

Become our fan!

Chicago Passes Fair Trade Resolution!

Congratulations Chicago!!! Chicago Fair Trade's fair trade resolution was passed unanimously Feb 10th, 2010 by the full council after getting support from the Finance Committee. This moves Chicago an important step closer to its goal to become a fair trade city! Goals of fair trade towns USA include:

•City Council Resolution
•Fair Trade available in local shops
•Fair Trade at work places, schools, faith communities and community organizations
•Media attention
•Formation of local fair trade steering group

A Fair Trade Town is any community in which people and organizations use their everyday choices to increase sales of fair trade products and help promote positive change for farmers and workers in developing countries. Since 2000, over 600 communities in three continents have worked to promote the ideals of Fair Trade Towns. If the Chicago becomes a Fair Trade Town, it will make it the largest in North America.

Great job Chicago Fair Trade!

Have you seen MayaWorks Tallitot?

Have you heard about MayaWorks NEW Fair Trade Tallitot? Handwoven by Lila and other artisans in Comalapa, it is decorated with Maya-inspired star shapes and stripes on either end of the tallit. Fringe is hand-tied and arrives without tzizit. Special requests for knotted tzizit can be made available by special order.

Tallitot are available in 22" by 72" and 36" by 72" in either Blue, Red/Brown or Rainbow. Visit mayaworks.org to view more photos and to place your order. You can also call us at 312.243.8050.

MayaWorks at Winifred Godfrey's Mayan Procession

Join us Friday, March 26th from 5:00-7:30pm for the opening of Mayan Procession by local Chicago artist and MayaWorks volunteer, Winifred Godfrey. Her beautiful life size paintings will be on display at the Cultural Cener in the Renaissance Gallery from March 26th to May 2nd and we encourage you to visit! Admission is free. Winnie will also be giving a lecture on Guatemala on Wednesday, March 31st at 2pm (enter at E. Randolph Street). Visit Winnie's website!

The opening on March 26th will be accompanied with a MayaWorks sale. We would love to see you there! This is an event not to be missed!

MayaWorks Volunteer Blog

Good Afternoon friends of MayaWorks! We hope you are all staying warm in this weather. If you live in Chicago, we know how you are feeling!

I want to share with all of you our New MayaWorks Volunteer Blog!
mayaworks-volunteers.blogspot.com

This is a place for MayaWorks volunteers to blog about their upcoming sales, what works and doesn't work for them in selling MW products, venue ideas, product ideas, display ideas, etc!

If you are a MayaWorks Volunteer we encourage you to follow and share on it. Contact stacey@mayaworks.org if you would like access to create a post or simply email it to me and I can post it for you!

If you are not a MayaWorks Volunteer we encourage you to become one! This is a great opportunity to directly support our artisans in Guatemala, by selling their beautiful products at your church, school, home, office, club, women's organization, neighborhood festival, youth group, senior group, or where ever else you would like! Ask any of our volunteers, this is a fun and rewarding experience!

Please contact me, stacey@mayaworks.org for more information on how to become a MayaWorks Volunteer and make sure to also visit our website www.mayaworks.org.

Stacey
MayaWorks, Marketing and Customer Relations Associate

MayaWorks Volunteer Lunch was Wonderful!

This past Saturday a faithful group of about 20 MayaWorks Chicago Volunteers gathered for an appreciation lunch to celebrate an excellent and very successful winter sales season. The lunch was hosted by our board member, Rachel and from what I gathered everyone had a wonderful time!

This was a great opportunity for all of us to better get to know one another as well share sales, venue and product ideas. At the lunch we were able to identify what we believe works best for our sales and also what we thought may be helpful in the future.

When we were all gathered together we really saw how helpful it was to bounce ideas off of one another which brought on the idea to have a MayaWorks volunteer blog where volunteers can share their thoughts to help better their sales and relationships with one another! This will be coming soon!

It was great to all get together. MayaWorks is so appreciative of our incredible volunteers. We would not be the organization we are today without them!

Stacey
MayaWorks, Marketing and Customer Relations Associate

Please stayed tuned for updates during our MayaWorks tour in Guatemala! Starting on February 15, Jeannie and I will be in Guatemala to visit with our staff members in Chimaltenango, work on new product designs, and conduct a tour where we visit our artisan partners!

See you soon!

Naomi

MayaWorks Product Manager

MayaWorks has a Blog!

MayaWorks now has a blog! MayaWorks is a fair trade and non profit organization that promotes economic development for Maya women and their families by supporting a marketplace for their handcrafted goods. With a distribution center in Chicago and an office in Guatemala, MayaWorks works with seven artisans groups who create our beautiful products.

MayaWorks believes the education of young Mayan girls is critical to the economic development of communities. Currently MayaWorks provides scholarships to 120 girls in Comalapa, Santiago Atitlan and Agua Caliente through our Scholarship Fund.

MayaWorks also has a Revolving Loan Fund to allow artisans to utilize their creativity and entrepreneurial fervor in generating income beyond what can be earned from MayaWorks orders. Microloans can make the difference of what food makes up the family's daily diet and allow children to stay in school and not be needed to supplement the family income.

Visit our website, www.mayaworks.org, to view our handcrafted and fair trade gifts such as bags, beaded jewelry, home goods, baby items, fabric by the yard, and holiday and religious items including kippot and clerical stoles.

Please follow our blog to learn more about our mission, learn of new products, hear about our travels to Guatemala, be the first to know about exclusive offers and discounts and to learn how you can become more involved!

Happy Blogging!

Your friends at MayaWorks