Five years ago, Lara Macintosh, founder of the popular Seattle-based Wassa Dance, felt inspired to give holiday thanks by raising money for women in rural villages through Village Volunteers. Lara, along with some of the best percussionists in Seattle, have since lead an annual Thanksgiving and African-inspirited morning dance class.
This year more than 100 participants arrived with enthusiasm on Thanksgiving morning to support village women through dance. $2,550 was raised to support a micro credit fund in Atorkor Village, Ghana started by volunteer Samantha Rayner.
Among the five groups started, three textile cooperatives were formed in a small coastal village where the fishing industry has substantially declined leaving the majority of residents without a means to survive. The vision for this project is to create products to preserve the authenticity of textile traditions where foreign reproductions compete in the marketplace.
The opportunity to help still exists. To donate to the village micro credit program, to volunteer in the micro-credit program or to have your own fund raising event using dance, exercise or even yoga, contact info@villagevolunteers.org.
In past years, Wassa Dance has raised money for Village Volunteers’ partners in Kenya and Ghana, buying milking goats, bicycles, bee keeping supplies, and microcredit for women’s cooperatives. The proceeds of this annual event, given in the
spirit of Thanksgiving, are always received with tremendous gratitude