Make An Impact

15 Austin South Asian | October 2021 How To Make An Impact This National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual opportunity to spend your dollars on products and services that benefit breast cancer advocacy, research and patient care services.

However, experts say that the clutter of pink products on store shelves and online can make savvy shopping a challenge.

“Determining if a given product sold during October actually benefits a breast cancer charity, is not always easy,” says Sarah Rosales, vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization.

One way to ensure that your purchases are making the impact you think they will is by shopping with Funds raised to benefit Komen, for example, go to support the organization’s advocacy for breast cancer patients, investments in research and a number of direct patient care services.

3. How is the program structured? What percentage or exact amount of the proceeds will go to the charity?

Will the company be making a minimum or maximum donation to the charity? Shop only with companies that offer transparency with regards to program details and how donations are structured.

Komen’s Annual Live Pink program. Live Pink portfolio during October, you can help fund research and

This year, Komen has partnered with more than 25 companies, and the lineup of products and services available includes everything from specially designed clothing and skin care products, to bagels and bikes. care services that support people through their breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

Program details are transparent on the Live Pink site. To learn more and to shop, visit, komen.org/livepink. For other purchases you make this National Breast Cancer Awareness Month that make charitable claims, Susan G. Komen recommends asking the following questions:

1. What charity is the program supporting? Do promotional materials about the product or service clearly and conspicuously state this information?

2. How will the benefitting charity use the donation? You should be made aware where your money is going and what charitable programs your purchase will support.

By shopping with the brands in the

By shopping savvy this October, you can support the fight against breast cancer and ensure your purchases are making the biggest impact possible. (StatePoint)

How Creativity And Crafting Can Bring Families Together

The benefits of family quality time, which include positive impacts on mental health, reduced stress, promoting adaptability and more, are well understood.

But the importance of creativity in families is less common knowledge.

According to a recent online study conducted by Ipsos, adults who participate in creative activities are more likely to describe themselves as optimistic, happy, passionate and joyful.

But though art and creativity are vital for child development -- helping develop fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving abilities and even improving emotional wellness, according to education experts -- they’re not always a focus in schools.

According to the Ipsos study, seven in 10 parents feel as though standardized test scores are prioritized more than creative thinking in school.

In a world where families juggle work, school and other responsibilities, it’s important to find ways to unwind and to create joyful moments that get children and adults

off the couch, away from screens and developing habits of lifelong learning.

The Ipsos study found that 75% of parents want their child(ren) to have more opportunities to be creative than they did when they were young, and two-thirds of adults admitted they wish they got to use their creativity more in life. out opportunities for cross-generational learning. Grandparents can

pass down their hobbies and crafts.

Parents can teach children the traditions that make up their heritage.

Whether it’s knitting, crocheting, cooking or woodworking, such hobbies are often specific to a family’s culture and are precious to keep in practice.

If this is not an option, no worries. Online services can help your family get creative. For example, Craftsy, the premiere digital destination for creatives, is revolutionizing the way people tap into their potential and engage with lifestyle passions.

The site can guide and encourage your family to create meaningful, creative experiences together, allowing you to set up ongoing craft projects to do with your kids, such as decorating cupcakes, sewing a cozy pillow or learning to draw something new.

Even families and friends who live apart can spark creativity and learn together from the comfort of their homes.

Families and friends will soon be able to share their membership with loved ones to unlock unlimited access to over 1,500 courses, many of which are now also available in Spanish.

From beginner to advanced, the site offers content and community for families and individuals of all ages in more than 20 categories.

Services like Craftsy offer expert instruction, a passionate virtual community and plenty of opportunities for families to say, “We did it!” from participating in classes such as painting, gardening and cooking. To learn more or get started, visit craftsy.com.

Lifelong learning is a powerful form of personal development, helping individuals tap into their human nature of wanting to grow and explore, and when families find new hobbies and develop new skills together, they can collectively reap the benefits of creativity. (StatePoint)

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16 Austin South Asian | October 2021 Texas Kannada Short Film Festival – A projector Light In The Dark Theater Of COVID

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The vision was to give an exciting, unique, thought-provoking, and

collaborative activity for people to do; all while promoting Kannada language.

Being die-hard movie and celebrity fans by nature, the idea caught on very quickly and many people came forward to make their own films.

The mass appeal of TKSFF attracted 12 businesses to generously

sponsor the events.

Similarly, 48 individuals and fami-

lies opened their hearts and wallets, to donate for this event. completed, a total of 26 Kannada language-centric short films, each with 5 to 10 crew and cast, were made in the cities of Austin, Dal-

las, Houston, and San Antonio.

The Focus Team began formulating the criteria for the short films and shared them with the Producers and their teams.

Each film was required to be around 20 minutes in length, rated to appear as PG-13, mainly in the language of Kannada, mostly shot in Texas, 1080p in resolution, etc.

To built anticipation and excitement among the masses, each Producer was first asked to create a movie poster, followed by a Teaser and finally the film.

To enhance curiosity amongst the population, there was to be a 3 to 4-week gap between each deliverable.

The posters, teasers and finally the short films were marketed using social media platforms and local Kannada associations across Texas.

Since all the Producers were doing such a project for the first time in their lives, TKSFF invited moviemaking Subject Matter Experts (SME) from India to participate as Panelists in several webinars.

These SMEs shared their expertise and experiences and fielded questions from the crew and cast of the 26 short films.

The content and timing of the webinars were aligned to the milestones planned by the 26 movie teams.

This way, the recipients got relevant and appropriate information at the right stage of their movie making.

For example, the webinars began with providing expert advice on story and screenplay just as the movie making process took off and ended with film editing webinars, just the movie shootings came to an end.

The crew and cast of the 26 short films were constantly aware and concerned about the rate of infection in their respective towns and counties.

Everyone practiced social distancing and masking to the maximum extent possible, given that movie shooting did involve proximity and without masks.

Each team member exhibited immense sense of responsibility to themselves, their family, teams, and the community in general with best hygiene practices.

In the end, they all completed their movies by the deadline and marketed them to everyone they knew, across their city and around the world.

TKSFF has empowered the minds and pushed the limits of creativity within the 10,000+ Kannada speaking population of Texas.

What started off as a Eureka moment in the mind of one Texan was nourished, expanded, and perfected by acquaintances, who ultimately became more than family.