2014 was Warm Up. 2015 is Game Time!

I have to admit, writing is really not my thing – I prefer giving speeches in front of thousands of people. That is what gets my heart pumping. However, after much persuasion from the AFR Clothing team, I have decided to write a blog to close off 2014 and start off 2015.

Undoubtedly, 2014 was an amazing year for AFR Clothing, the Amani Hope Foundation and our Chief Brand Ambassador, Alexander Star. Melissa Ortiz, another one of our brand ambassadors also had a solid year – filled with adventures across the world and countless hours on planes and in airports.

Out of all the amazing things that happened throughout the year, it was hard to filter down to the top 10 things – so today I share 5 things and then in a few weeks, I will follow-up with the other 5 :).

5 of the Top 10 Awesome Things That Happened in 2014:

1. #ThisIsMyEra: In October, AFR Clothing and Alexander Star got to participate in the Millennium Campus Conference 2014 (MCC2014) at Lynn University, my alma mater. The conference was amazing as we got to meet hundreds of students from across the world. The conference was also graced by actress Kirsten Davis, award-winning journalist and author Nicholas Kristof and President & CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern  – just to name a few. For a more comprehensive recap, please check out this Huffington Post article with some quotes from conference by the Millennium Campus Network. Personally, it was amazing to see the phrase “#ThisIsMyEra”, that was developed by Alexander Star, used as the theme for the conference by MCN and UNICEF. His song was also used in the promotional video for the conference. The official #ThisIsMyEra music video features footage from all over the world – from Japan, Liberia, Morocco, Guatemala, the United States, Colombia and many more. It was a true collaborative effort and the outcome was pretty cool if you ask me. To be the keynote speaker on the opening night was amazing and Alexander Star brought the roof down every night he performed at the conference. They say a picture is worth a thousand words – so I guess a video is worth a million words; so checkout my speech and one of Alexander Star’s performance below:

 

5. Being One of the 25 Finalist in “The Giving Side of Business” Challenge by Good and UPS Connect: Although we did not end up winning the $5,000 prize, I was truly humbled by being selected as one of the 25 finalist in this challenge. The Giving Side of Business challenge, GOOD + UPS® CONNECT seek small businesses that find creative ways to give back to the community. The winning submission came from an organization called SHEVA that provides the opportunity for women in the US to help empower women with few resources in Guatemala. How does SHEVA do this? At SHEVA.COM women purchase feminine care products from a roster of more than 200 products with delivery straight to their door. With their purchase, they help provide a box of sanitary pads to girls in need so they don’t miss school every time they have their period. Pretty creative way to give back right? In case you want to read our submission, you can read it here.

Bonus addition: My favorite picture of 2014 has to be this one…

Be on the look out for part 2 with the remaining list of the other 5 Awesome Things of 2014…

By, Kuda Biza, Co-Founder & Chief Donor, AFR Clothing