May
27
2010

posted by

Gisela Voss

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” — African proverb

Our website would not be here––would not B. at all!––without the love and attention of a whole band of people.

You know when you meet a new friend and within weeks you feel like you’ve known each other for “years”? That’s how it has been with the months (again, feels like years) of the creation of this website.

The teamwork has been remarkable. Seamless.

The dream. The vision. The reality.

All come to life before our eyes. For your eyes.

The paper waves in the Mountain world are hand-cut from the press-proofs of the Wheeee-mote Control car boxes. The falling snowflakes are beads from Pop-Arty! The coral reef in the Ocean was built, in part, by my daughter’s hand. Toy photos don’t just sit there in look-at-me fashion. They allow you to play with the toys as if you held them in hand. The fabulous children’s quotes aren’t just for you to read. They are rendered painterly enough to form a gallery. And so they serve as grand reminders to cherish your own kids’ wisdom by creating (and sharing) your own.

Every rotating base has been hand painted. Origami animals hand folded. Every world first hand sketched. Every font and color and hand cut cardboard sign touched. By human hands the old fashioned way, not just digitally.

I guess, for me, therein lies the magic of our site: a marriage of the most current technology with the most classical art forms.

Created in the only way that spawns greatness. With individual commitment to a team effort. Coming together to go far and...

B. extraordinary.

Please take your time exploring every inch of our B. worlds.

Smile, laugh and sigh as you take in the brilliance of children in the B. quote gallery. And share some wisdom from your own kids.

Play with our toys and share them with your friends. (Always a good idea.)

Read our story and learn why we are so committed to the earth. To Free The Children. To the possibilities that arise when kids are allowed to just B. themselves.

We hope you’ll come back often and help the B. story grow, but for now join us at the virtual Meowsic Cantina on the Island for a champagne toast to our new site!

To life!

- Gisela

May
11
2010

posted by

Gisela Voss

Good things come to those who wait.

Many of you are asking us about our website: “how much longer?” ... “when will we get there?”... “are you ready NOW?!”.

Believe us when we tell you we are like expectant mothers: feeling contractions, trying to remember to breeeeathe, up at all hours, preparing everything to be perfect. We are oh so very close. Over our due date, even. Feeling every kick and hiccup intensely.

It will be worth the wait. We promise.

Just a little longer....

-Gisela

May
07
2010

posted by

Gisela Voss

What made you smile today?

Isn't it always right there in front of our eyes? The world is always talking to us. Like this, spotted while crossing a parking lot on a rainy day. Made us smile!

What made you smile today?

May
05
2010

posted by

Gisela Voss

Mamas to Mamas

A Mother's Day must see:
http://ow.ly/1Gv7Y

Need a last-minute Mother’s Day gift?
Or want one for yourself?

Moms worldwide want the same thing we do: what’s best for our kids.
A goat or a beehive may not be the most romantic gift, but it can completely alter the course of a family’s life.

By giving a mom in the developing world a way to earn a sustainable income.

This Mother’s Day, honor the mothers in your life, by helping women around the world with a Free The Children Mamas to Mamas gift.

May
03
2010

posted by

Gisela Voss

B. POWERFUL. Every B. toy you buy gives 10¢ to Free The Children.

Watch this 3-minute video. You’ll never forget it.

“Free The Children.” Those words alone are a bit confusing when read through the eyes of our privileged lives. But read the news and consider those same three words through a viewfinder that shows a 5-year-old orphan who survived the Haiti earthquake, or a 9-year old-girl from Kenya who cannot go to school because she has to spend 4 hours a day collecting water, or a 2-year-old from India who has nothing to eat. Would you help them if you could? In the smallest of ways?

Craig Kielburger founded Free The Children when he was 12 years old because he saw something that needed changing. That accomplishment is sit-down-in-awe impressive on its own. But not what makes Free The Children so incredibly special.

What moved us to select Free The Children as the organization that receives 10¢ for every B. toy sold is that it rallies our children to action and empowers our children to believe they can make a difference. At its core is a deeply rooted mission and vision of inspiring children to help children just like them, here or far away. Children who—by the luck of the draw—were handed a card substantially more difficult than our own. From one boy’s story of courage to a global movement, Free The Children shows that children have the power to change the world.

The results are very impressive. Very powerful. 15 years ago, a kid started a movement. And he moved mountains.

Imagine something you wish could be possible.
Then set out to make it so.

A dime donation may not sound like a lot. But it’s right off the top. Not after profits, not after taxes. Straight to Free The Children. Dime after dime after dime, we are making a difference.

YOU are making a difference. Thank you.
-Gisela