It has always been an important part of my utopiat vision, when I started my entrepreneurial path with Hudiefly, that I would somehow utilize the gifts I’ve been given to navigate the business world in a way that would empower me to be in a position to give as much light and love to as many people, animals, trees, lands or just any being as possible. I vehemently believe that in this hostel, crazy, and in many ways senseless world we live in, that in order to make sustainable, real changes, we will need to dance a delicate, strategic dance between the material world and the ideal world, hence my insistence on giving back through my business endeavors to various social causes I feel connected with, thus enabling the “material” to benefit the “ideal”.
I met Selvon from Life Pieces to Master Pieces in the beginning of the year at a holiday party, and was invited to attend an open house at LPTM shortly after. I remember being blown away by everything I learnt about this amazing organization, which uses what they brilliantly coined a “Human Development System” to help transform the lives of African American boys and young men ages 3-25 in DC’s most challenging neighborhoods by instilling values of love, community, language, arts, discipline, leadership, spirituality and meditation. The efficacy of this program is astonishing:
• Only 33% of students in Wards 7 and 8 will graduate from high school and only 5% will earn a post secondary degree. These numbers are very low, compared to both district and national averages.
• Young men are particularly vulnerable to low levels of educational attainment. A young woman is twice as likely to graduate from college than her male counterpart. Educational attainment is a decisive factor in breaking the cycle of poverty.
LPTM has a notable track record of closing these gaps. 100% of LPTM graduates go on to college or post secondary education.
I became an instant fan, and the following month I took my entire team to LPTM and acquired our first piece of artwork through their Corporate Art Program, where businesses in the DMV area can support LPTM by purchasing art works done by its students and display them in their place of business. I fell in love with the Horse Chess Piece, as my Chinese zodiac is horse, and also because the horse moves in a L shape, which is the first letter of my Chinese name Lingfei.
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| Our Horse Chess Piece adding life to our already colorful Hudiefly HQ, and the adorable, grateful LPTM student posing after Jasmine purchased the Chinese Flag piece. Good thing red is the color of happiness in Chinese culture! |
Months go by, and albeit a failed first attempt to bring Chinese artists to participate in the “Courage on Canvas” exhibit, an annual fundraising exhibit supporting LPTM, I was thrilled that I was able to attend the opening reception last night for this year’s exhibit.
What’s more, I was delighted to see several pieces of artwork, including this one of the Chinese national flag being displayed there, and was happy to hear Miss Mary Brown, the extraordinary, idol worthy executive director of LPTM tell me that they were inspired by the Chinese Cultural Workshop Theorina from our team presented at LPTM this summer while I was on a business trip to China. So naturally we had to take the piece home with us, well, not literally, as it will continue to exhibit at the Courage on Canvas exhibit through the month of October at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery.
So, yes, there you have it, Hudiefly announce its official love entanglement with the amazing Life Pieces to Master Pieces, and may we dance together beautifully in our business to social causes rhythm.
Xoxo
Jasmine Zhou
dancer, art collector and boss lady at Hudiefly
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| Theorina presenting the china flag over the summer, Jasmine with the co creators of the inspired work, cheesing hard! |
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