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What an extraordinary time to be a woman!

Mentorship is valuable in business, and especially for girls. Mentors can connect with youth through their lived experiences in relationships, education, work, and most importantly having someone they can confide it - a process of cultivating trust. 

Growing up, did you not want that someone to talk to? Someone that understood the conflicting feelings you had? Someone that can give you some insight because they've been through something similar? Someone that you can have fun with?

All is possible, if we can learn to build trust with each other, which is becoming increasingly harder for girls. With social media bombarding us everywhere, it is a challenge to cultivate healthy relationships; therefore, the need for girl mentorship is needed more than ever. 

I want to genuinely thank Big Brother Big Sister of Winnipeg for the opportunity of being a Mentor to Paije, the gift of friendship. We've certainly enjoyed a variety of fun activities, endless girl talks, silly jokes, learning about her culture since our match began in May 8, 2018. I have many happy memories to take with me! - Amy Tung, CEO I Am Love Project

Although our match is officially closed, we are staying connected. The result is a life-changing experience for both the mentor and the mentee. Look for your mentee today!

We can't believe the I Am Love Project has already reached its first anniversary!

For our anniversary month, we've decided to do something a little more special, but exactly within our values; spreading love across cultures, across borders, AS IT SHOULD BE!

"I can't believe the ripple effect we are making. It truly amazes me on how far we've come and the amount of money we've invested back into our communities. The work that creates a lifelong impact that we can't measure now, the reward will be reaped by our future generation." - Amy Tung, CEO of I Am Love Project

Our July charity is about creating opportunities, giving back to the community we have ties to, giving back to the community that once gave to us, giving back what we've been fortunate enough to attain. The Mondetta Charity Foundation works with communities in Uganda and Kenya, educating children, providing safe drinking water, providing nutritious meals to kids, working towards a brighter and hope-filled future. They believe that change is imminent when the people are well-educated and healthy.

MCF has helped secure donations of books, computers and chairs from Seven Oaks Division, and through these donations, have created a bond between Kamwokya Primary School in Uganda, and Arthur E. Wright School in Winnipeg. In 2010 Arthur E. Wright created the "KCC Kamwokya Committee," creating fundraising opportunities for MCF and Kamwokya Primary School. MCF is also helping fun Madoga Day Centre, where they provide Early Childhood Education needed to enter primary school, as well as a baby class, nursery, and a pre-unit to families in need of them.

The I Am Love Project is honoured and proud to say we've supported MCF in helping them establish a brighter and hope-filled future. Their goal is to reach the most vulnerable, the children. They believe that Uganda and Kenya can work towards a better future by education future leaders.

On July 28, 2019 we took our fundraising event across Canada, with the support of Oxygen Yoga & Fitness studios, spreading love, compassion and support nationwide. Over 20 Oxygen Yoga & Fitness studios hosted local karma classes where proceeds were donated to MCF, while Winnipeggers came together at the MTS Iceplex for an uplifting morning sponsored by Mondetta Foundation and Cranked Energy. 

We thank everyone who made this event a success. Namaste.

  

This August we are helping support the Rising Stars Foundation, a charitable organization that helps young people find their own balance within themselves, using the teachings of the Medicine Wheel, as well as learn skills necessary to be successful in life. 

The Rising Stars Foundation was founded on the idea to help young persons of all socio-economic backgrounds in Manitoba by providing access to various teaching and learning opportunities. Their motto is "We rise by lifting others", and in an age where community is starting to lack, this amazing foundation is teaching our future leaders on the importance of community and teamwork.

They also have an Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) Program, where student and adult volunteers perform small and big acts of kindness throughout the community, ranging from cleaning and painting community clubs and locker rooms, to helping organize community cleanup days, and so many other projects!

The I AM LOVE project is proud to be partnered with the Rising Stars Foundation for the month of August. We truly understand the importance of physical activity and how it contributes to our wellness. Sports can make youth happier and teaches athletes to listen to their bodies at an early age - a way to strengthen our mind, body and spirit.   

Image: Mike Benson- CFL Player/Community Coordinator & Director of Athlete Development for Rising Stars Foundation, Rising Stars Foundation Board of Directors , Jodian Self- JOGA Instructor, Amy Tung

 

 

Check out our event on June 21, 2019 at Camp Manitou in honour of International Yoga Day & National Indigenous Peoples Day in support of Project 11

 

In the feel-good month of June, we joined True North Youth Foundation Project 11 in their effort to bring mental wellness up to a priority for our children.

Project 11 educates students in grades 1-8 about mental wellness, how to be aware of what you're feeling, and how to communicate that to others, how to cope with what they're feeling. They teach relaxation techniques through programs like fun with fitness and mindful moments. Most importantly, they teach students how to build positive relationships.

Mental wellness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing, and it means healing throughout our community. It takes a conscious effort to open your heart and mind and to listen to what they have to say to you, to what they are telling you about yourself. TNYF Project 11 is helping our younger generations how to be the type of energy that adds value to the spaces and lives around them.

 

 

On June 21st for our 11th Pop-Up Yoga event, we helped our future leaders about mindfulness and inner strengths. The practice began with a smudging ceremony by Luana Moar and Mitch Bourbonniere followed by drumming. Katja Holzhei from Neuland Yoga led a mindful class incorporating the seven Indigenous teachings.

Thank you everyone for such a deeply reflective class!

This May, we've partnered up with the Winnipeg fraction of Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, to help in raising funds needed to find treatments, and finally a cure, for this brain-wasting disease.

It is such a rare and mysterious.

This disease can be contracted by eating meat from cow that has this disease, but it is also genetically inheritable disease. Not much is known about the disease except that it is caused by malformations in the brain.

"At the age of 56, my mother Minda began showing symptoms similar to that of dementia, completely out of nowhere. In August of 2014 she had been diagnosed with CJD and as a family we were told she'd have months to live. It was in that moment that I watch her take her last breath, that I knew I was meant to do something about this disease. She is who I live for and will continue to do so until we can find a cure." - Michelle Santos, Founder of Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation

We have so much we don't know about it, so in order to contribute in raising awareness and providing education and information for all individuals affected by the disease, the I AM LOVE PROJECT has partnered up with Michelle Santos, the Founder of the CJD Foundation in Winnipeg.

Image: CJD Fundraiser at Mercedes-Benz Winnipeg hosted by I AM LOVE PROJECT

Even though it is a disease found in one or two out of a million, it is still important for us to educate ourselves and those around us, raising awareness in the process, to make a change in their lives, so they can live out their lives with their families and friends.

We hope to continue to support Michelle and her team to spread awareness. 

Did you know that Manitoba has one of the highest ratings for death by drowning?  
 
A news reporting on drownings in the province showed that nearly 70% of people who drowned in Manitoba between the years of 2005 and 2015 never intended to be in the water.  In July, LSMB figures indicated that young children are dying in Manitoba waters at a rate three-and-a-half times higher than the national average, and more than three times that of the next highest province.  Nationally, there was one death per 100,000 children aged 4 and under during the period. Manitoba’s rate was 3.5, with Alberta next highest at 1.1 (Winnipeg Sun, Drowning report shows Winnipeg suffered most water-related deaths, Scott Billeck)

Ready, Set, Swim! is a community-based foundation founded by Rishona Hyman in response to the need to get the most vulnerable groups - those who do not have access, those who are new to our country and those who simply can’t afford the price tag – into the water safely. Being able to provide swimming lessons to at-risk children and youth, including newcomers to Canada, who are among the most vulnerable to drowning is important to her.

I want to provide as much as I can for my daughter, especially when it comes to swimming lessons; however, low income is a barrier to almost everything. Being a single-mom, I experience those challenges. - Amy Tung, Founder I Am Love Project

I AM LOVE Project is excited to be working with the wonderful people of the Ready, Set, Swim! Foundation hosting a Pop-Up Yoga class and making a custom crystal intention bracelet for them.

Everybody deserves to feel safe, no matter where they are, no matter the environment they live in.

Accessing funding continues to be a barrier for those who want to build healthy pathways to a better future through academic success. As a result, it can lead to emotional, mental, and physical depletion. 

The Higher Learning Fund give students a second chance in their academic careers. Founder Trisha believed that mistakes should not hold a person accountable for the rest of their lives, and that second chances can inspire change.  Not only is it a foundation that helps those who needed a little push towards building their dreams, it is also an initiative to help those who couldn't afford the education they wanted to pursue.

"I have been very fortunate to get the support of family to pursue my education, and again in furthering it in University.  I've felt blessed to be able to find something I enjoyed and having had the opportunity to make something of it.  When hearing about people who have the passion to learn more, the passion to better themselves, it has always been heartbreaking for me to hear that they couldn't manifest their dreams because of money problems." - says Amy Tung, CEO of I Am Love Project

That is the reason why I AM LOVE PROJECT partnered up with The Higher Learning Fund this March. This is an amazing charity that gives people opportunities, that listen to their stories, and provides hope and fosters compassion in their scholarship recipients.

On March 24, 2019 you are invited to a Pop-Up yoga event at the Fort Garry Hotel with Yoga Barre instructor Heather was DJ GMan to raise funds for those who experience pervasive barrier to education. 

For the month of December, the I AM LOVE PROJECT hit the streets to help the homeless stay warm. Donations came flooding in from our community, all ready to help us help the homeless in the cold winter months. Along with winter jackets and new clothes, hygiene items were also donated by the dozens. It was a time when we all came together to help people less fortunate and I could not have been more proud of what the I AM LOVE PROJECT and its affiliates have made possible!
 
We also patrolled the streets with the Mama Bear Clan with Mayor Brian Bowman and kept the streets safe for its inhabitants. For the volunteers at Mama Bear Clan we were able to attain donations of hand warmers and flashlights.
 
December was such a warm time despite the weather.  I want to say thank you to the many people who reached out and helped spread love to everyone, on the streets and off the streets, in warmth and in the cold. So much was accomplished because of a few people who reached out to a few more people who in turn reached even more people. We gave love and received love in return, in the form of warm smiles and big hugs.  We came together as a community to help each other and this holiday season couldn't have been more filled with love.
 
Thank you to everyone who supported LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS; Freshii, Cranked Energy, Sweet C Bakery, Sport & Spine Physiotherapy, Jacked Up Jill Coffee, Van Walleghem School, Ecole Sage Creek Anarchy Studios, Akoncept Design & Apparel, Rise & Shine and to all 200 volunteers who came out on December 21, 2018. 

In the Month of February the I AM LOVE PROJECT donated $3135.00 through the sales of crystal intention bracelets and hosting a Yoga event for the Never Alone Foundation, a foundation that ensures that no one person diagnosed with cancer ever feels alone in their fight.

The Never Alone Foundation was founded by Blue Bombers Alumnus and former CFL Executive Lyle Bauer after being diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Due to his experiences with the disease and the support provided from his community and from the cancer service providers, he was inspired to help other cancer patients to feel the same support he received.  The mission of the Never Alone Foundation is to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. Cancer affects everyone differently and numerous factors influence how their story plays out. Loss of income, number of family members or friends available to provide support, distances to health care providers, medical benefits and many other factors contribute to each person's story.

The Foundation raises funds to help in the care of cancer patients as well as raising awareness of how detrimental the disease can be on the mind and the relationships with peers. Having cancer undermines not only your physical health but also your mental well-being. It also provides comprehensive education for cancer patients as well as their peers.

Help us fight with them and win! Help us bring to light the fundamental truth of love and the power of love. It can heal, it can soothe, and it shows that none of us are ever truly alone.

Together, we can do so much! 

Working together to end human trafficking.

The Joy Smith Foundation works to ensure every Canadian man, woman, and child is safe from manipulation, force, or abuse of power designed to lure and exploit them into the sex trade or forced labour. 

With your support we can educate the public and provide funds and support to front-line organizations that rescue and rehabilitate victims, and organizations that safeguard all Canadians from human trafficking. 

Join us on January 20, 2019 to invest in the future of Canada's vulnerable young people through purchasing the sodalite bracelet!

On November 8, 2018 Amy Tung received an email from Madelaine Lapointe from CBC following the nomination by Karly Tardiff - also a recipient. Following a week-long process, a panel has selected her as one of the 40 Manitobans under 40 who is making a significant difference in the community.  

"I am honoured and humbled to be included on this list with so many Manitobans making a difference in our province. The I AM LOVE PROJECT started 4 months ago and it's been such an honour to support our community through fundraising events. I am continuously inspired from the people I meet and how their work is making Manitoba a better place. Being a #cbcmbfuture40 means leading by example to inspire others to dream big and empower each other to become future leaders." - Amy Tung, CEO of I Am Love Project

Thank you CBC Manitoba for recognizing our work and for bringing awareness to what affects one, affects all. It has inspired more Winnipeggers to giveback and to use our bracelets as a mean to build momentum and gain funding. 

Together we can build a brighter future!

This month we are flying to Calgary on November 18, 2018! In conjunction with Soul Trips, a company that combines wellness, travel and volunteering we are supporting I WILL SURVIVE - Music 4 Life

I Will Survive raises charitable funds and create awareness through concerts of local musicians. Their vision is to become a leader in event based awareness for suicide, suicide prevention and mental illness.

Although suicide is one of the leading causes of death in North America it is also a taboo topic. Does it make sense that a common cause of death is also treated as a stigma? They do not believe it does. The organization is dedicated to reducing stigma surrounding suicide and mental illness by providing awareness and education through local concert events. They will achieve their mission by creating an energetic, positive and informative environment for supporters at their events. 

The I AM LOVE PROJECT is about connecting everyone by a chain of love, and although I Will Survive is not a charity that directly gives back to our community, it definitely needs our support, as a way of completing our chain of love across borders, across cultures, as it should be.

Through the purchase of our Amazonite bracelet, you are reducing stigma around suicide and mental illness. Amazonite seeks to soothe the mind and any emotional trauma, alleviating worry and fear. This bracelet is made to reminds us that the most important relationship you can have is with yourself.