Posted by Maria on May 5, 2011 under Fitness, Hands and Nails, Manicures, Mobile Spa, Newspapers and Newsworthy, Pedicures, Photo gallery, Uncategorized | 
by Maria Koropecky, Homespunspa owner
As many of you know, in the month of April, 2011, I had the idea of giving manicures and pedicures by donation to raise funds for the people hurt by the earthquake and tsunami that shook Japan in March. I am truly inspired by all of the people who supported my idea and together we raised $355. I hope the money we raised will contribute to the Red Cross’ Relief efforts and that the people of Japan will be comforted by knowing that strangers from other lands care.
I chose this photo of chartreuse flowers to accompany this blog post because to me it says “vibrant,” “hope” and a “fresh start” and somehow, spring will come again.
I would like to thank the Red Cross for your hard work. The world is a better place by having you here.
And thank you to everyone who participated in the Homespunspa Mani & Pedi Pledge Drive, especially to Donna, my Jazzercise instructor, who helped spread the word. I really enjoyed spending time with each of the women who signed up for an appointment. And as an added bonus, I had a chance to get to know people a little bit better and to also strengthen my own community at a grass roots level. It’s win, win, win!
Posted by Maria on April 7, 2011 under Feet, Gift Ideas, Hands and Nails, Manicures, Mobile Spa, Newspapers and Newsworthy, Pedicures, Photo gallery, Sponsors, Uncategorized |
by Maria Koropecky, Homespunspa owner
For the month of April, 2011, I am offering mobile mani’s and pedi’s by donation and the proceeds will be given to the Canadian Red Cross.
The cost of the manicure or pedicure is up to you. My goal is to raise at least $500.
The idea for this mani and pedi pledge drive came to me in bits and pieces. For the last couple of months, I’ve been having a hard time coping with day to day life and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan didn’t help. My anxiety was getting the better of me. Then I had a really bad day at work. It all started with a bad smell and got worse from there. It’s a long story that I won’t get into but as a result, I was consumed with self-doubt and I didn’t know what to do next. I had to ask myself, “Do I give up and quit everything that I have been working towards or do I (as the old song goes) pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again?” Between you and me, I wasn’t sure which way that coin would land. Thankfully, there were a lot of people (friends and strangers) who showed me tremendous kindness during that rough patch and I will forever be grateful.
Then I volunteered to give my friend a pedi for her birthday. I went to her house on Saturday morning and gave her a birthday pedicure. She chose OPI’s Austin-tatious Turquoise and it looked really good. She was so happy and said, “What a great thing to be able to do for people.” At that moment I realized I do have something to offer the world. It felt really good to do something nice for someone else without any expectation of a return and it took me out of my woe-is-me headspace long enough to shift focus to the bigger picture.
I had to be reminded that what I’ve been going through doesn’t compare with what others are experiencing around the world. Something clicked and now I am hoping to pay the kindness I received forward and help people work through their challenges one step at a time, whether it’s dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake in Japan or with something more personal on a smaller scale closer to home. We’re all connected.
If you’d like to participate in this charity fundraising event for the Red Cross and Earthquake Relief for Japan, please post a comment on this blog or send me an email. I’d be happy to book an appointment with you. As an added bonus, Homespunspa is mobile, so I’ll come to your house. Feel free to check out the nail polish colours on the OPI website and let me know which ones you prefer and I’ll make sure I’ll have those colours available when it comes to polish time.
Thank you for your generosity.
See you in April.
