Mission Council Update

Grants Awarded in 2021

1. Rafiki was granted $2,000 toward construction of a new building that will house the visitor center and chapel and is expected to be the final building on the campus.
2. Healing Art Missions was granted $10,000 toward construction of a building for the safe birthing program, to enable them to offer consultation exams, labor and delivery space, and Ultrasound exams.
3. Tandana Foundation was granted $6,625 toward construction of a grain bank in the village of Nounou, Mali.

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Trading Post Update

by Beth Hanson

ANN  LOWE:  Do you know this name?  Let me introduce you, and also tell you about her connection to our church’s missions via the Trading Post.  I think you will be fascinated.

Ann Lowe (pictured, seated) was the great-granddaughter of an enslaved woman and an Alabama plantation owner, and she grew up to be the first noted African-American fashion designer.  Ms. Lowe lived in Harlem and owned a salon in New York City.  The story of her life is absolutely rich, and I can’t do justice to it here, but you can imagine that she had many, many struggles and had the steely determination to pursue a career in fashion in spite of all social, personal, and financial obstacles and lack of recognition for her work.  According to Wikipedia, Ms. Lowe created (designed and sewed) “one-of-a-kind dresses that were a favorite among high society matrons from the 1920s to 1960s. She is best known for designing the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953.”  The gown was an elegant creation and I’m sure many of you have seen it in photos of the Kennedy wedding over the years.   Ten days before the Kennedy wedding, Ann’s New York studio flooded, ruining the wedding dress, and she and her team had to work tirelessly to recreate the dress in time for the wedding.  She never told the family what had happened and paid for the additional expenses herself.   

So, you ask, what in the world does this have to do with the Trading Post?!  Let me explain.

A few years ago, an exquisite gown and a number of hand-made tailored suits were donated to the Trading Post by church member Jim Gessner.  He had inherited them from his mother who had been a designer in New York City back in the 1950s.  Rebecca Wolfe, who was still the director of the Trading Post at the time,  learned from Jim that the gown was a creation of another designer with whom Jim’s mother had worked years ago; specifically Ann Lowe!  After doing some thoughtful research and making appropriate connections, Rebecca decided to offer the gown and accompanying designer suits (made by Jim’s mother) to The Ohio State University’s Historic Costume and Textiles Collection.   They were absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase these pieces, especially since they did not have an Ann Lowe creation in their permanent collection, and it was an extremely rare opportunity for one to become available.  After all, the other Ann Lowe gowns are in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. 

OSU’s experience of acquiring this “Ann Lowe” was so important and historic that they documented the acquisition in a short film which is posted on YouTube.   It tells the entire fascinating story and our church and the Trading Post are both mentioned.  I should add that OSU was quite pleased that the money spent to acquire the garments would go toward our mission efforts.   I highly recommend you watch the video so you can share the joy this dress brought to all who became involved with it.  It includes an up-close look at this unique and glorious gown if you would like to see it.  

So there you have it!  Who would ever have imagined that our humble little shop would be involved in such a historic transaction, all the while benefiting the many missions we support? It’s a win-win to be sure!  Thank you Rebecca for shepherding this important transaction from start to finish! 

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Tandana Foundation

Dear Tandana Friends and Supporters,

Three more women's associations who won the business plan contest--two from Kilegou and one from Nalou-- have bought their sheep and had them vaccinated.  It's exciting to see these new businesses up and running!

Thank you for your contributions to this program!

All the best,

Emily Della Fera

Project Update Volunteer

   

 For more updates from the Tandana Foundation, click here.

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