Westminster College to Host Global Gift Market Nov. 28

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Westminster College's Young Presbyterian Scholars Program (YPS) will sponsor its ninth annual Global Gift Market Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. in the Witherspoon Maple Room of the McKelvey Campus Center. The event is open to the public.

At the market shoppers can purchase very special and unique gifts in honor of those on their holiday shopping list. The majority of the gifts at the market are not physical items, rather the "gifts" are purchases that go towards helping those less fortunate around the globe.

This year's theme, "Gifts That Change Lives," makes shopping with a conscience possible. Items to fit every budget will be available, ranging from $1 for 40 doses of medicine for women and children in Burma fleeing from aggression against ethnic minorities; $6 for one book for a school or library in Nicaragua; $28 to train a family in Haiti to raise goats, which creates income sustainability and decreases malnutrition; to $44 for one day of aftercare for girl rescued from forced prostitution in India. A wide range of gift amounts are available.

According to Alternative Gifts International, the organization that provides the market, "The gifts offered in the ‘Gifts Inspiring Change' catalog are unique. They are like no other gifts in our world today. They are gifts of peace and justice, gifts that are sustainable and that build security. These alternative gifts multiply and grow, sometimes exponentially, and offer hope and new life to people facing grave crisis and need. These are authentic gifts that people really use and cherish. They always fit and are never thrown away."

In addition to the organizations affiliated with Alternative Gifts International, Westminster College's surrounding communities will also participate in the market.

Westminster alumna Wendy Farmerie will display a variety of items from her fair trade shop, The Silk Road, located in New Wilmington. Such items at her shop include scarves, purses, soup mixes, pottery and jewelry. Items are made by those in less fortunate areas of the world, and fair trade ensures that the artists receive fair wages, are in safe working conditions, and are able to maintain a sustainable way of life through the purchase of their products.

Shoulder to Shoulder Pittsburgh helps provide for medical needs in San Jose del Negrito, Honduras. A gift of just $10 to this organization provides medicine for an entire family for a year. A gift of $6 allows a child to have a comprehensive wellness check.

Contact Carey Anne LaSor, YPS coordinator, at (724) 946-7365 or email for additional information.

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