Let's Turn Up the Light!

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Little Pearls

Let's Turn Up the Light!

Finally, Some Light Around Here

Like so many people and organizations, Little Pearls has barely been hanging on financially for the past couple years. It seemed our light might flicker out.

The energy has been shifting this fall, though, and our light is glowing stronger. We have good news to share, and we ask you to join in this shift.

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. ~ Albert Schweitzer

An Amazing Gift: an Unexpected & Unrestricted Grant

In late November, a surprise check was in our PO box: a $2,500 grant from an anonymous donor to promote kindness and compassion!

This unexpected gift ~ and its validation of our work ~ moved me to tears. A gift like this is huge for a tiny non-profit like ours. It can help us do something we haven't been able to do in a long time: create new Little Pearls!

For instance, we still have all that superb HD dog footage, waiting to be edited, and I'm dreaming Dog Pearls again....

Thank you, wonderful donor, whoever and wherever you are!

Project Funds Needed This Month

In September, we applied for two grants to create a new DVD sampler of ALL our work, with an easy-to-use menu that will work for anyone, anywhere. One grant will come in early January; the other grant was not approved.

Thanks to several of you, we have raised most of the matching funds for the grant we will receive. Now we need to fill the $1,500 gap from the grant we did not receive, to fully fund the project.

This funding needs to come from more of you who love Little Pearls, so we can use the unexpected, unrestricted grant to actually make new Pearls.

We have needed a new DVD for a very long time. This sampler will:

Make it much easier for you to see and share our work. It will also expand our outreach to new audiences and support parents and educators via public screenings and in classrooms, churches, support groups, etc.

Help us leverage other funding, utilizing the work we have already created to move toward financial self-sufficiency and fund new work.

This new DVD will contain all individual Little Pearls, all mini-documentaries and our original 2003 sampler in a format that allows you to easily select videos for any use you may have. We will also be able to update it periodically as new Pearls are created.

We're ready to make Little Pearls truly viable and need your help to take this next step. Your donation is fully tax deductible, and a donation in any amount will really help. To help us complete this project, please Donate Now!

For Friends and Potential Sponsors: 7 Pearls in 5 Minutes!

To create a sampler for potential sponsors, I tried my hand at making a simple compilation movie, which works pretty darn well, if I do say so myself. Check it out: 7 Pearls in 5 Minutes!

We have added a new Sponsor level at $100. Sponsorships go up from there and we'd love to have support from small businesses and friends at any level. You can designate a sponsorship to support any Pearl or project: Our Sponsors

And Thanks Again to:

Asheville International Children's Film Festival: Tim Arem put together a stellar collection of film screenings and events from November 1-14. Little Pearls is pleased to be the non-profit umbrella organization for this wonderful experience for children AND adults. Watch for it again next fall! AICFF

2010 MY HERO Film Festival in Los Angeles for giving our little screech owl Pinkey and his rehabber Clyde Hollifield an award!

Kevin and Lucia Barnes of Ultimate Ice Cream for benefitting Little Pearls with their Flavor of the Month program in November. YUM!

Learning More: Cool Links

Dog Pearls ~ Dog Stars ~ Do(g)nations ~ learn more about this dog-loving series

The Cat of My Dreams ~ a touching, recent article in the WNC Woman animal issue

GreatLittlePearls on YouTube ~ all Pearls are here, plus some of our longer videos

Home

Portfolio ~ all Pearls and their stories are linked from here

Upcoming Pearls ~ the Pearls of our dreams

What's New! ~ recent news, e-news links, newspaper articles

Viewer Feedback ~ what you have shared with us

Sharing Little Pearls with the World ~ the many ways we're getting out there

Connect with Us Online

Check out more social networking and non-profit links below.

Wishing Light and Love for YOU!

Little Pearls is a very exciting vehicle to take little bits of inspiration to lots and lots of people. We do live in a fast food society ~ little messages that are short and to the point can make a big difference. ~ Ruth W

As Ruth says, our "tiny films" promote connection, understanding and compassion through little bits of inspiration. This is the gift we offer ~ to you and to those you love. Thank you for helping us create and share these gifts!