International
Fair Trade Day is May 10
Join
us and thousands of people around the country
as we celebrate International Fair Trade Day
and raise a cup of Fair Trade coffee in the
world's largest coffee break! Organizers hope
to set a new record that will serve as a benchmark
for future challenges! Samples of coffee, chocolate,
and other gifts wil be given out to all customers
from 12-4 pm. And be sure to enter our drawing
for a Fair Trade coffee and chocolate gift basket!
A
Message to Our Valued Customers
As
you know, Ten Thousand Villages operates differently
from many other businesses, because our mission
is not to make a profit, but to change the world
- one village, one artisan, at a time.
And
our store here in Alexandria has adopted an
ambitious goal for 2008: to increase our purchases
from our artisans by 11%. This is part of our
larger goal to double our purchases by 2012!
We want to help even more struggling families
around the world improve their lives and have
hope for the future.
Some
might look at the current economic indicators
and the fears about a recession and say our
goals are hopelessly optimistic, unrealistic
even.
But
we won’t change the world by being cautious.
We’ll change the world by believing in
our mission and going full force. We believe
in our artisans, in our staff and volunteers,
and we believe in our customers. We know you
shop here because you, too, want to change the
world and touch others’ lives for the
better.
That’s
why we’re taking the rather unusual step
of inviting you into the “back office”
with us, and sharing with you our goal of increasing
purchases by 11% this year. After all, you are
our most valuable assets, and the only reason
we’ve been able to help as many artisans
as we have.
So,
here’s to our ambitious purchasing goals,
and our continuing partnership with you. Working
together, we will change the world - one artisan,
one village, at
a time.
The
staff and volunteers of Ten Thousand Villages,
Alexandria, VA
