The Arbonne Charitable Foundation ™ and Big Brothers Big Sisters Denver Event

On Saturday, November 17, 2012, the Arbonne Charitable Foundation held an event in Denver, Colorado with the local Big Brothers Big Sisters. Foundation staff, along with our amazing Arbonne Angels — Angie Walker, Carla Burchell, Riley Burchell, Mary Wright, Ann Wandishin, Stacie Pereira and Katie Edmiston — helped educate teens on the effects of the media and how to be successful in the workplace. Special thanks go out to our two speakers, Carla Burchell and Mary Wright, who provided personal insight and experiences to bring these topics to life for our attendees.

Carla started off the day speaking about the direct impact the Internet and media have on bullying and peer pressure. Open discussion activities were an important part of the day, encouraging teens to share personal experiences and knowledge on the subject matter. Some of the staff and volunteers even learned a thing or two about communication on social media sites.

After the teens and Arbonne Angels enjoyed getting to know each other better over lunch, Mary spoke about ways to be successful in the workplace. She used her own experiences searching for jobs and going through the interviews to guide them in navigating through their own job searches and interviews. Mary also talked to them about how to manage time and money by creating schedules and a personal budget.

The event wrapped with the teens completing a “Declaration of YOU” activity, in which they listed five positive attributes about themselves along with five goals for the future. The teens were encouraged to place their declaration where they can see it every day as a reminder of how far they have come and how far they will go. One attendee even expressed his dream to become a singer and serenaded the attendees with a snippet from the song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.

The attendees walked away with exciting raffle prizes and goodie bags, along with the knowledge and drive to reach for their dreams, accept themselves for who they are, and become a leader within their communities.

The Arbonne Charitable Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, CA

On November 10, 2012, the Arbonne Charitable Foundation (ACF) welcomed the Bigs and Littles of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County to the Arbonne home office in Irvine, CA, for an educational day of exploration into the effects of the media and self-image in the lives of teens.

Arbonne Angels Tamara Leider and Jill Bush started the day off speaking about social media, bullying, peer pressure, and communication. Their experiences as consultants, mothers, and life coaches created an automatic connection with the teens. Attendees willingly shared their stories and experiences in regards to these topics. The entire room was moved by what each teen had to share and many of the teens found that they could identify with one another because they are facing many of the same issues and challenges in life.

Lunch was an opportunity for Bigs and Littles to get to know each other, our event speakers, and the Foundation staff on a more personal level. Not to mention the assortment of freshly made tacos, chips, and rice that left all attendees full and happy. After lunch, attendees were surprised by a visit from Keith Rhodes, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and Inland Empire, who gave thanks to the Arbonne Charitable Foundation along with each Big and Little for taking the time out of their Saturday to participate in the day’s events.

Joanna Margot spoke in the afternoon and focused on self-image and self-confidence. She was able to connect with the teens by sharing her childhood experiences and her positive outlook on life. Joanna encouraged each teen to share their achievements and positive attributes about themselves with the group. Teens were then given creative materials to make their own dream boards that included goals and aspirations for the future.

Attendees walked away with Arbonne goodie bags and the confidence and knowledge to start changing the world and accepting themselves wholeheartedly.

October 7 – 13, 2012 was an opportunity for Arbonne Angel’s to give back to a teen in their lives or in the community through Be an Angel Week. During this week, volunteers were encouraged to spend at least two hours with their teen and engage in activities that celebrate them as an individual. The home office also got involved by holding a book drive and bake sale. Books were donated to Sheltering Books, Inc and all proceeds provided by the bake sale went to support the Foundation. Four sites were active in book collections and included: Irvine, Greenwood, Addison, and Levlad.

Total Books Collected: 662

Total Bake Sale Donations: $250.00

Be an Angel Week Participants

Tonette Orihu and Megan Bormacoff

Tonette attended an event at the Monrovia Community Center with Megan Bormacoff. The event included various classes in fitness and personal development for girls aged 10 – 18 years old. Tonette and Megan were able to share basic skincare and color techniques with some of the participants but the highlight of the day came with the visit of 50-time Olympian Kim Rhode. Kim shared her journey to the Olympics with the girls and encouraged them to never give up on their dreams. The girls thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated their contribution to this event.

Way to go Tonette and Megan!

Rachel Jensen

October 12, 2012 Rachel embarked on a journey with her daughter Allyson (12) and her three friends Emely, Solange, and Michel on an Arbonne field trip to the Corporate office in Irvine, CA! The girls who have all been good friends since elementary school got to experience picking up products at will call and taking pictures in front of the office. Each girl adores Arbonne and Rachel is convinced they will become consultants as soon as they turn 18! Looks like it was well worth the trip from San Diego, CA.

Denise McGowan

Denise spent the day with her two lovely daughters Bethan (14) and Cerys (12) making petticoat dresses for children in Uganda! They finished off the day making stained glass angels and a mosaic mirror. Talk about true Arbonne Angels!