Operation Sock Monkey - Clowns Without Borders

After being inspired by the Holocaust Museum Butterfly Swap , I thought I'd set up a charitable swap of my own.

Clowns Without Borders is an artist-led humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the psychosocial condition of children and communities in areas of crisis through laughter and play. Operation Sock Monkey is an organization that is helping to raise money and psychosocial support tools for Clowns Without Borders.

This is how it works:

• Volunteers make sock monkeys

• OSM leaders work to find people to sponsor the sock monkey's trip (with a CWB artist) to South Africa

• The artist will work to bring laughter and joy with communities of children that are living with HIV/AIDS

• The sock monkey is then given to one of the children to keep and provide companionship and ongoing smiles!

Like the Holocaust butterfly swap, there are two parts to this swap:

1. Please make one sock monkey and send it to the address that will be provided (destination will be in Canada). Sock monkeys do not need to be traditional Rockford Red-Heel monkeys (i.e. feel free to use funky socks and decorations) however, they should be monkeys and not sock monsters / creatures / other animals. Be sure to indicate on the package that the monkey is being sent as part of the Swap-bot OSM initiative and include your name and the name of your partner.

2. Please send your swap partner via email or snail mail a photo/scan/coloured photocopy of your monkey, along with a note describing the materials/techniques you used and how you felt while making it.

This swap is open to everyone with a rating of 4.5 or higher and a filled out profile, even newbies without past package swaps. I'm hoping that as this is such a worthwhile cause that people with not flake on it. Please think of the kids! All flakers will be publically posted.

Even so, I will be following up with the OSM organizer who will be receiving all the monkeys to make sure they've arrived and reserve the right to kick anyone who I don't think will follow through on the swap. In case there are flakers, I will be trying my best to angel this swap because I don't want anyone left hanging, and I want the kids to get their monkeys.

For those of you who have never made a sock monkey before, it's really quite fun and easy! Here are a few URL's to instructions:

• Clubhouse B
• sockmonkey.net
• Step by Step Picture Tutorial

Hearts should go to folks who send multiple monkeys, put a lot of work into making their monkeys fancy / elaborate or who match the monkey's "style" to elements in their partner's profile.