The Threads of Hope documentary has been one amazing ride so far. This past Saturday I had the chance to to a screening at The Red Thread Cafe in Bangor, PA. What amazing people that run that place, and so thankful for people like Terry Wilson who found out about the project through my friend Amy Sondova’s blog, Backseat Writer. The night consisted of a lot of music, a candlelight environment, and the aroma of good coffee. Not only was I invited to screen Threads of Hope at the cafe but I was invited to play a music set with one of my best friends from High School, Melissa Anthony, who is an amazing cellist. We had a jolly time and really enjoyed sharing our gifts and talents with the people of Bangor, PA.

One thing that really touched my heart at this place was the fact that it’s located inside of a church, Hope Springs Community. I’ve never heard of Bangor before, but while driving through this little town you really feel like you’re in another part of Pennsylvania and almost in a town that feels a little foreign. I learned about the mission of Hope Springs Community, and I later learned that it’s part of an impoverished town. That made me think a little bit more—an impoverished town right here in America? Sometimes I feel that we are blind to poverty right in our own country. I know that the goal of Threads of Hope is to educate others about poor women in Kolkata, India, but I also want to encourage people to do something not only in international settings but to advocate in their own communities. Hope Springs Community also hosts their own “ConneXions” — except they spell it “Connections” — and it’s a support group for women who need encouragement, explore opportunities for education, job or life skills training, employment and volunteering. And it’s located right here in America.

What have you done for your community today?
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This week there will be a screening in LA on Thursday November 4, 5PM, The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

Also, you can watch a special video from the premiere here: http://vimeo.com/16412224

Dear Lovely KickStarter Supporters,

We made it to the premiere this past Friday, and it was a blast. The photo gallery sponsored by DoSomething.org was a hit, and everyone loved the Thums Up and Limca Indian soda that we provided as refreshments. We sold tons of ConneXions fair trade items ranging from recycled sari blankets, bags, scarves, and stationary. Phillip LaRue shared his heart and sang a song that he wrote called "Window" that was inspired through his trip to Kolkata, India in November 2009. Overall, we raised over $1,000 to give to ConneXions through just ticket sales (and that's not counting the sales from the ConneXions store)! We're so excited to see what will unfold at our upcoming screenings and how much we can raise for poor women in Kolkata, India. Please continue to pray for us as we continue on with the journey of ConneXions through Threads of Hope.

Thank you all so much for a successful event. You can also check out my personal blog to read more about the night at www.ferasha.tumblr.com and you can also read one of our Volunteer's blog posts here: http://brendanschaller.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/threads-of-hope/ We look forward to spreading the word across the nations about poverty, fair trade, life, and freedom. Thanks again for being apart of a lovely night, and if you couldn't make it, thanks for being there in spirit.

Love,
Amanda + Jenny

P.S. Today we sent our reward packages! So please keep an eye out for yours! Also some of you who have signed up for a copy of the DVD haven't provided an address for us to send it to. We'd love to get you a copy for you to share!

Upcoming Screenings:
October 30 @ The Red Thread Cafe: Bangor, PA
November 4 @ The Boys & Girls Club: Los Angeles, CA

Today we made it past the $1,000 mark. I'm so excited that we can cover all expenses to the premiere and have all our ticket sales go directly to support ConneXions in Kolkata! I've got two awesome volunteers from the Bethlehem area, Amy Sondova and Brendan Schaller, who have been calling places, organizing things, and making sure things are running very smoothly. Then on the other side of the continent I have my good friend Jenny Scott making sure we have many of the textile products from ConneXions so we can have them for sale at the premiere. Things are really coming together.

We're getting our 26x36 photos printed by the end of this month and everything else related to the big photo/art gallery. We had a volunteer paint a large Indian inspired mural with the words "FAIR.JUST.LIFE." in Bangla. I'm very excited to see how things turn out and come together. Plus, everything that you've seen that was designed graphically was created by my great friend Lucas Clauser all the way out in LA. He is one amazing talented graphic designer.

Yesterday I got an e-mail from Phillip LaRue and he's very excited to come and play at our after party. He's putting together a pretty fun set and we are really looking forward to having him come and share his stories about Kolkata.

Today I am off to look for some "Thums Up" --- the Indian Coca-Cola. I'm hoping to have these as part of our refreshments for the night. Wish me luck!

So that's pretty much the "cliff notes" of updates for the Threads of Hope project. I'm really looking forward to October 8... I can't wait! Thank you for all of you who have supported, spread the word, and pledged. We couldn't have done all of this without you.

-Amanda

And just in case you haven't seen the official trailer for the film, well here you go!

And we have plenty of time to make it to our goal or even past it! Thank you for all your help and dedication towards the Threads of Hope project. We're really looking forward to October 8.