Extremely talented photographer Jeremy Cowart has launched an incredible photo essay titled “Voices of Haiti“.  Please go visit www.voicesofhaiti.com to view photos, learn about the project, purchase prints and hear from the people of Haiti themselves.

We wanted to direct you to these incredibly moving images; we hope you have a moment to look through them.

Jeremy Cowart Photography is donating 100% of net proceeds minus printing and mailing cost from your purchase to Safewater Nexus, a non-profit organization aligned under the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. All printing and mailing costs will be accounted for by Jeremy Cowart Photography. As all proceeds are restricted solely for the purchase of tents for the Home in Haiti project, Safewater Nexus will purchase tents directly from the “A Home in Haiti” program and deliver them to the sites most in need. Exact funding for all the tents will be disclosed on www.ahomeinhaiti.org. For financial integrity and accountability, Safewater Nexus is aligned under their parent company, Go International, a 501(c)(3) “Not-For-Profit” organization based in Wilmore, KY and Bristol, TN.

Head Jedidiah designer Kelli Murray Larson designed the “Fierce” t-shirt after colors and patterns influenced by Jedidiah’s trip to Bangladesh in October of 2008.

The polaroid above is representative of the one of the uses for the mat that inspired the pattern in the bengal’s face on the tee.  Many people in Bangladesh pull this mat out when a meal is served, company is over or a variety of other special occasions.

The inspiration for the tiger comes from the fact that Bangladesh is not only of the only 4 countries the bengal tiger calls home, but is also the country’s national animal.

To purchase the “Fierce” T-Shirt, click here or on the picture below.

America is an easy place to spend money.

One of Jedidiah’s friends, Jeremy Dean, has set out to try and make people little more thoughtful about how much money they are spending.  Jeremy’s objective is “taking the logic of the past and putting it in the context of our current economic and environmental disaster.  (He has made his) own satirical prediction of the future, because unless we come up with alternative fuel sources and rethink our reliance on a hyper inflated consumption based economy, we may be left with no other options than to hook our cars up to a horse.”

As a symbol of this he took a HUMMER H2, which has become a monument to America’s consumption, greed and arrogance, and converted it into a horse cart. The cart will maintain all of the glitz and glamour: chrome, rims, GPS, working sound system DVD player, and TV screens, but will be pulled by a horse.

For more information, click here.

(See Jeremy wearing our Holiday 2009 Knight Jacket in photo below.)

After so much anticipation, Tim Burton’s version of Alice In Wonderland came out this past weekend and made $116 million in the box office.  This is obviously not a movie review blog (unless we are talking about how awesome “Gum For My Boat” is), but there was something that struck me funny during the movie that could be a great daily practice for all of us.  Alice said something along the lines of:

“Sometimes my father said he believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

When hearing that, I almost immediately tried to dismiss the idea that those type of thoughts could be regular.  They live in a fairy tale.  We like to be safe.  We like to stay in our boxes and be comfortable.

But then I started to think of all the good that could happen if each person had the capacity to think those thoughts and follow through with merely one of them a month.  What is the last impossible thing you thought and what did you do to make it happen?

As many of you know, The Classic Crime visited Haiti a while back and we wanted to share with you some of things they are doing.  Some of you may remember reading something along these lines a few weeks ago, but we wanted to share it again as their record is about a month away from releasing.  Make sure to check out the videos at the bottom of the post to see what they are up to:

On November 2, 2009 The Classic Crime traveled to Haiti with an HD camera in hand to meet a missionary named Tom Osbeck.  Apparently the average time a missionary lasts in Haiti is less than 18 months because conditions on the ground are so rough.  Tom has been there over 10 years and his work is nothing short of miraculous.  He has literally saved countless lives.  Tom has also created a school, an orphanage, and has personally adopted over 20 children.

The Classic Crime self-produced a 3 part web-series based on their trip to Haiti.  Not that Haiti was a paradise before the earthquake, but this video series gives you a glimpse of what Haiti was just two short months before the earthquake, as well as a glimpse into the hearts and resiliency of the Haitian people.  Just as importantly, it shows just how one committed person can make all the difference in the world.

The band has a new album coming out on April 6 and we did something rather unprecedented.  We got the band’s label, (Thank you Tooth and Nail), to agree to sell us the new band’s album at their cost and we found an online retailer to sell the album on our behalf for free, (Thank you Zambooie.com).  From now through April 6, 100% of all the profits generated from our pre-sale will go to Tom’s mission, JiHM.  If Tom’s job was tough before, it’s even more unforgiving now and anything you could do would really help him out.  Even if you don’t want to buy an album, visit The Classic Crime’s Facebook cause page and donate directly to JiHM.  If you’re strapped for cash or just don’t feel like donating, there’s still something you can do.  Post the Facebook cause link listed below on your own Facebook page, forward it to your own network of friends, families, and co-workers, or feel free to forward this entire e-mail to as many people as you can.  The Classic Crime and I are committed to using their platform to help Tom save lives.  With only a few mouse clicks and just a few seconds of your time, you can do the same.

The Classic Crime’s Facebook Cause: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/436008/

Connecting with The Classic Crime:

Twitter :: www.twitter.com/theclassiccrime

Facebook :: www.facebook.com/theclassiccrime

mySpace :: www.myspace.com/theclassiccrime

One Season, One Cause

In an effort to focus and simplify the brand, Jedidiah is refining the way we give back to the community at large. Each season we are focusing on one humanitarian organization, and we’ll be channeling all of our efforts toward raising money and awareness for that specific organization. Jedidiah commits to give 5% of all sales to support a specific project within each humanitarian organization, so that every purchase turns into a conscious effort to make a tangible difference in the world.

Throughout every retail season, Jedidiah will donate 5% of our sales, 5% of our clothing, and 5% of our time toward serving those in need. This culmination of the 3 fives has shaped the ideology behind the word “Thrive” and will enable us to create dialogue around each organization’s unique story.

5% OF SALES + 5% OF CLOTHING + 5% OF OUR TIME = THRIVE

Good.

The word is definitely overused in so many of our daily lives, but hopefully that does not translate into us missing true goodness that is constantly around us. “Good” can be ascribed to the picture above, but it can also mean so many different things to different people.

Jedidiah seeks to be an agent of change for good.  We want to be full of hope, full of love and embed generosity  in everything we do and say.  And we will continue to work toward that goal every day.

What does “good” mean to you?

I’ll leave you with one perspective of what “good” is and will look forward to your comments.

He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.

(Photo by Austin Mann :: www.austinmann.com :: @austinmann)

Make sure to check out Compassion International’s “Help Haiti Live” event tonight at www.helphaitilive.com.

Lineup featuring Big Kenny, Alison Krauss with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Jars of Clay, Mat Kearney, Jon Foreman, Matt Wertz, Brandon Heath, Dave Barnes, NEEDTOBREATHE.

Click on “STORE” to purchase Haiti Relief Tees to aid Compassions relief efforts.

This post is dedicated to all the ladies out there…(and the boys who like to buy gifts for ladies). We’d like to welcome a new retail shop that started carrying Jedidiah this past Holiday season. That shop is Penelope T Boutique in Tampa, Florida. This adorable, chic ladies boutique is located near the stylish neighborhood of Hyde Park and has been a go-to place for unique fashion since 2005.

To give you a better idea about the shop, we had a little Q&A session with owners Nickie and Manne. Here’s what they had to say:

JEDIDIAH: How long have you been in business and what inspired your shop name?
PENELOPE T: We have been open for just over four years now… we named the store after Penelope Tree, a slightly obscure British model from the 60’s… at a young age she had a cult following due to her rebellious style and became the muse of famed photographer Richard Avedon- we liked that she wasn’t as well know as more popular super-models of the decade like Twiggy and slightly off-kilter and quirky. That is why we have the tree in our logo.
J: What products do you specialize in?
P: Unique, contemporary women’s clothing and accessories… we don’t sell any work clothes, just fun clothes!
J: Describe your customer?
P: She is a modern woman- She may be 20 or she may be 50 but she follows fashion and knows what she likes…she loves to look different than the rest of the people at the party while still being comfortable.
J: What is your favorite thing about your city?
P: (There are) tons of fun, energetic people who are always out and about. Tampa has a great vibe.
J: Is there something unique about your shop or anything else that you’d like people to know?
P: We always try to support up and coming talent and bring new lines into the store every season.

For everyone in Tampa this weekend for the big pirate festival, Gasparilla, go grab one of the Jedidiah AHOY pirate ship tees at Penelope T!

PENELOPE T
1413 S Howard Ave, Suite 104
Tampa, FL 33606
WEBSITE • FACEBOOK

We first met Shahadat 5 years ago on our second trip to Bangladesh. He was one of only a few surfers in the first Bangladesh Aloha Surf Classic. The first year we had the contest, I don’t really remember how well Shahadat did, but I do remember that he was super amped and promised to practice for the next year. He was someone in whom we knew from the beginning that we wanted to invest in. Little did we know that our relationship would be so important down the road, but here we are 5 years later and he has grown from the boy who loved to surf into a man who loves people and has learned to build relationships that last. Through returning year after year and donating surfboards and taking the surf club to hand out donated clothes to refugees in the area, Shahadat really learned to see his community and their needs. Even though he comes from a poor family he was able to see that if you look hard enough you can always find someone who has less than you. We now receive e-mails from him with photos of the surf club, under his direction, giving their own clothes and food to these poor people. He’s now Vice President of the Bangladesh Surf Club and helps with the annual Bangladesh Aloha Surf Classic and any other events the club puts on throughout the year. A couple of years ago, Shahadat let Surfing The Nations know about his need for some soccer cleats and clothes in order to play in his local league. After receiving the cleats he worked hard and is now a part of the junior national team. He’s not only learned to be a mentor in the ocean but also on the field. Surfing The Nations is proud of this young man and hopes to see the principles of character that we taught him continue to be evident in his life. He is truly a young man who serves those around him and is a great role model for the future men and women of Bangladesh.