There is a local charity based right here in Greenpoint called Flying Kites that is building The Flying Kites Leadership Academy, a home and school for abandoned, abused and orphaned children in Kenya, which currently has 27 children in their care.
Another Greenpoint organization called the Temporary Tattoo Project has created some amazing temporary tattoos that you can buy, and all the proceeds are donated to Flying Kites.
Right now Groupon Gives is running a campaign for Temporary Tattoo Project. Take a minute, spend $10 (less than a fancy cocktail), get a cool tattoo and help a child in Kenya. It’s pretty simple.
Robyn and Lauren, the two Greenpoint ladies who started Temporary Tattoo Project wanted to use their professional skills from their careers in PR and Marketing to give back in a way that is “relevant to our generation,” Robyn said. Well look around, everyone is covered in tattoos! They also noticed the trend for fundraising, “is to give something to get something in return,” Robyn explained, like Kickstarter and Indigogo, in which supporters get “perks” for donations.
Tote bags are yesterdays news! Temporary tattoos are so in!
The girls thought it would be powerful for supporters to “wear the message on their skin,” and tattoo are always a good “conversation starter,” Robyn said, which in turn helps spread the message about Flying Kites.
And these aren’t those crappy tattoos you get from a dime-store machine. They chose 6 talented tattoo artists, most from Brooklyn, including Daniel Trecchio from Three Kings Tattoo (in Greenpoint), Stephanie Tamez from Saved Tattoo and Adam Suerte and Robert Bonhomme from Brooklyn Tattoo. Virginia Elwood is from NY Adorned, while Steve Lam is all the way from Working Class Tattoo in Hawaii, where Robyn is from.
Each artist is paired with a child who shared with the artist some of their hopes and dreams, which is what inspired each tattoo. Like Miriam who when asked if she had a super power what would it be, she answered: “I would make it rain, so the school bus would be stuck in the mud and we could play here all day!”
Take a minute to support this project on Groupon now!
Temporary Tattoo project will also be selling their awesome tattoos at the Cinco De Mayo Launch Party on May 5th, 2012, 9pm at Greenpoint Heights.