Saturday, Jan 30, 2016 More Than Meets the Eyes

After working at Param Yoga for five years, I shouldn’t be surprised by the extraordinary synchronicities that happen in and around the studio on a regular basis, but I’m still amazed when events come together as if they’ve been orchestrated by design.

Kerry Morris had several close encounters with mountain gorillas on her trip to Uganda.

When Kerry Morris took her dream trip to Uganda and assembled a wonderful slideshow of her adventures to share with our community, students wanted to know how they could get involved with helping the people of Uganda. Kerry had said they needed school supplies, but the cost to ship a box of notebooks and writing implements to Africa was almost as much as the supplies themselves.

One morning in her meditation, Marydale received a message that we needed to send eyeglasses to Uganda. She mentioned this to me and asked me to put it in the January newsletter to let our community know that this would be an ongoing project for 2016.

On my way to the studio one morning in late December, I was contemplating the newsletter and wondering about the logistics involved in sending glasses to Uganda. While waiting at a light, I happened to glance over at an SUV in the lane next to me and saw a decal on its back window featuring a pair of glasses and the words “Eyes on Africa.” You have got to be kidding me!

As soon as I arrived at the studio, I went on the computer and looked up Eyes on Africa. It is a charity that donates eyeglasses to communities in Africa with no access to vision care—and it’s located less than four miles from Param Yoga! I emailed the founder, Sherry Grigsby, and she responded right away to say that she’d love to work with us. In fact, most of her contacts in Africa are in…you guessed it…Uganda.

Sherry Grigsby with a grateful recipient of donated glasses through Eyes on Africa.

We met with Sherry at the studio and learned of her own incredible journey with Eyes on Africa, from spontaneously giving of pair of reading glasses to a lady she met while on a trip to South Africa more than a decade ago to partnering with companies like Diff Eyewear and Y&R apparel, which donate a pair of glasses to Eyes on Africa for each pair sold.

Although Sherry’s focus is on Africa, Marydale’s heart lies with Kriya Yoga and India, so she asked if it would be possible to send eyeglasses to the Prajnana Mission run by Kriya Yoga International in Odisha, India. Within days, Sherry had delivered a box of 279 pairs of glasses prepared for shipment to India.

Given this auspicious beginning to our relationship with Eyes on Africa, we anticipate many interesting developments in the months ahead, starting with a special event at the studio on Friday, February 12th. Our new neighbor, Martina with My Creative Outlet, is having her Grand Opening celebration and Param Yoga will be open from 7:00 – 9:30 pm selling authentic, handmade African arts and crafts to raise funds for Eyes on Africa. There will be an encore presentation of Kerry’s slideshow, a Q&A, entertainment, food and fun. Our next door neighbor, Rhennie Viloria with Go Build Business, will also be open to showcase products and services that assist entrepreneurs on the path to success, so be sure to join us on the 12th to support women in business and promote a worthy cause.

posted by Kirsten K.