To celebrate Mother’s Day last May, we created the Global Opportunity Quilt, a tool that let donors honor women they love with gifts that change the lives of women on the other side of the world. Donors chose from 24 inspirational patches with quotes and images about motherhood, and with a gift of anywhere from $5-$500, they could write custom tributes and added their patches to the Quilt. Then they shared the patches directly with the women they honored and on social media, especially Pinterest (one of the fastest growing websites ever). Thanks to lots of generous tributes from so many of you, the Quilt raised thousands of dollars for moms around the world, and inspired thousands of people who saw the patches on Pinterest and elsewhere.

Sound like a fun way to do Mother’s Day? We had a blast creating the Quilt and we weren’t the only ones who liked it. The project was selected by Stay Classy as a Midwest Regional Finalist for the Most Creative Fundraiser. Opportunity was also selected as a finalist for Charity of the Year; a huge honor considering the incredible organizations nominated.

Now, we need YOUR help! The Stay Classy Awards, now in its fourth year, is the largest philanthropic awards show in the country, earning media attention nationwide. But we can’t win unless you vote for us in our two categories and help us to advance to the next round. If we win at Stay Classy, we gain recognition, visibility and respect for our work bringing Opportunity to more people worldwide. Voting began this week and will end on Thursday, July 26.

Here’s how to vote:

1. Visit stayclassy.org/classy-awards/vote
2. Click on Midwest region of map
3. Select Opportunity International for “Charity of the Year” (1st category listed) and “Most Creative Fundraiser of the Year” (4th category)
4. Submit your ballot in the bottom right corner of the page. You can log in via Facebook or alternative login option to complete your submission

Thanks as always for supporting us and for partnering with us to raise awareness for our work. Stay classy!

Our Mother’s Day video about our Global Opportunity Quilt patches: