Grace Gives Back
Paige Vandergriff
This past Saturday, Tree of Life was curiously crowded, even for the weekend. Several folding tables flanked a pathway from the drinks counter to the side room; sitting at each were the faces of those we pass each day—friends, classmates, roommates. Other students milled around, drifting to and from the assorted offerings. The purpose for their meeting: a SERVE-sponsored craft fair called Grace Gives Back.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., students sold handcrafts from folding tables in the café. Items available for purchase included woven baskets and beads made from recycled newsprint, knit and crocheted scarves and headbands, colorful jewelry and purses, hand-kneaded bread and pottery, and striking photography.
Each craft offered told a story. Some were born from the interests of students. Elisa Yonge, who sold various items made from newspaper and magazine strips, explained she had been creating beads for a while; woven baskets and purses were a more recent experiment. Mary Mix sold hand-sewn bags and crocheted scarves, two hobbies in which she has involved herself for some time. Dave Ferrier, now a student at Grace Theological Seminary, discovered pottery during his undergrad years and has since enjoyed it; this summer he began baking sourdough bread. Rucel “Rusty” Martinez sold greeting cards printed with his photography, a skill he’s been honing since age 12.
Other crafts traveled across the globe to arrive at Grace’s campus. A couple tables sold various items created by women rescued from sex trafficking. Mary Mix’s table offered purses hand sewn by girls from the Ahka Tribe of Thailand, who were once bound to prostitution. Another student, Amy Forbes, handled various handmade crafts purchased from Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit organization that supports fair trade around the world.
What made the craft show even more special was its spirit of generosity. A percentage of all proceeds earned went directly to the various organizations and missions represented by each table. Some profits, like those earned for Ten Thousand Villages, were donated in their entirety.
