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Beaded Hope Mission Trip Volunteer Authors Inspirational Novel

CINCINNATI ‚ March 4, 2010 ‚ Beaded Hope, an African non-profit organization based in Cincinnati, inspired one of its mission trip volunteers, author Cathy Liggett, to write a novel also called Beaded Hope, to be released by Tyndale House Publishers in March 2010.

The non-profit group Beaded Hope’s mission is to further the ability of South African women living with HIV/AIDS to earn income by using their age-old African beadwork craft traditions. Of all the nations in the world, South Africa has been devastated the most by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with approximately 18 percent of the nation infected. Out of South Africa’s population, women bear the brunt of this disease. Among those ages 25-29, women are twice as likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS as men.

In addition, South Africans must meet the daily challenges of poverty. More than 60 percent of black South Africans live in poverty and half are unemployed. Beaded Hope founder, Jennifer Davis, set out to create an organization that could help fight these challenges in a number of ways: assisting the artisans of South Africa to earn income for their families by selling their handmade beaded jewelry to a worldwide market, raising African AIDS awareness as well as HIV/AIDS awareness in general, and getting the word out‚ telling the powerful and inspiring stories of people living with HIV/AIDS.

“It’s hard to imagine the impact that poverty or unemployment or a pandemic has on a community,” said Jennifer Davis. “But when you combine all three and witness first-hand what it’s like for women to live in such difficult conditions, it’s clear that you have to get involved.”

One of the people to hear those inspiring stories was novelist Cathy Liggett. After participating in a mission trip to South Africa with Beaded Hope and working with some of the women living with HIV/AIDS who craft artisan beaded jewelry, Liggett’s life and work were changed. Meeting the women made me realize that, yes, their situation is a far cry from my own,‚ states the author. ‚But aside from that, they are no different than I am. They are women who want nourishment and a sense of well-being for their families, and mothers who want a more hopeful life and future for their children.

Beaded Hope the novel follows the stories of three women who travel to South Africa on a mission trip, and discover the truly transformative and empowering nature of hope.

Author Cathy Liggett will donate a portion of the proceeds from her novel to the non-profit organization Beaded Hope.

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Beaded Hope Novel Inspired by Humanitarian Efforts in South Africa to be Relased March 2010

(Carol Stream, IL) Sometimes, hope finds you when you least expect it.

Beaded Hope, to be released in March 2010 by Tyndale House Publishers, is the fictional story of three American women who embark on a mission trip to Mamelodi, South Africa, to work with families whose lives have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Selfless cause, right? Not exactly.

Gabby, Heidi and Cassandra each have private reasons for making the trip. One is running from an overwhelming loss; one is trying desperately to save her career; another is hoping this will be an opportunity to bridge the gap that has separated her from her stepdaughter.

What none of them expect is how profoundly their lives will be changed by the women they meet, women who combat disease and poverty daily yet still embrace life with joy. Through discovering a way to help the South African women support their families by selling the bead work that has been taught to generations of women in the community, the American women find their own lives transformed as they learn to love and accept each other.

Novelist Cathy Liggett was inspired to write Beaded Hope following her own trip to South Africa. “Meeting the women made me realize that, yes, their situation is a far cry from my own,” states the author. “But aside from that, they are no different than I am. They are women who want nourishment and a sense of well-being for their families, and mothers who want a more hopeful life and future for their children.”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Beaded Hope will go to support the nonprofit organization of the same name. www.BeadedHope.com

About the Author ‚ Cathy Liggett is the author of several contemporary romances and one nonfiction book. She worked in advertising copywriting and gift product development before turning to her passion for writing fiction. She was inspired to write Beaded Hope after traveling to South Africa on a mission trip like the one described in the story. Cathy and her husband, Mark, have two grown children and make their home in Loveland, Ohio. Visit her website at www.cathyliggett.com.

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Media Contact: Maggie Rowe
Tyndale Publishing
630.784.5333 > MaggieRowe@tyndale.com

Buy the book now on Amazon

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Purple Trout, LLC Announces Non-Profit Essay Competition Winners!

CINCINNATI- December 7, 2009  During the month of October, Purple Trout, LLC held a national essay writing competition for non-profit organizations to win a 6 month internet search consulting services award. After a review process was completed by a national confidential panel of nonprofit consultants in November, the applications were scored and the top three were selected. Purple Trout will provide complimentary SEO and social media optimization services to the selected winners:

Beaded Hope www.beadedhope.org
(National Market Winner)
Mission: Support of artisans impacted by HIV/AIDS

Covenant to Care for Children www.covenanttocare.org
(Regional Market Winner)
Mission: Advocacy, mentoring, support for neglected, abused, children at risk

Melodic Connections www.melodicconnections.org
(Local Market Winner)
Mission: Therapeutic support for individuals with special needs engaged in adapted music performance

The essay needed to answer this question: ‚”How will your organization utilize social media marketing and search engine optimization to strengthen your message?” The essays were to be no longer than 200 words. Applicants were encouraged to demonstrate need and how they felt a consultant could help them build their outreach capacity and help them better tell their story on the web.

As the largest SEO firm in Cincinnati, Purple Trout helps a wide range of local, regional, and national clients, strengthen their Internet presence by targeting on-site and off-site search optimization factors. The Purple Trout staff thought this would be a good way to give back to organizations struggling with fundraising and outreach during the economic downturn. Staff are looking forward to an opportunity to work on several unique projects that could be developed as helpful case studies for other non-profit organizations and disadvantaged businesses that cannot afford consulting services. As the projects progress, success stories will be shared on the Purple Trout blog and potentially in a nonprofit SEO white paper.

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About Purple Trout: Headquartered in Newport, Kentucky, Purple Trout, LLC is a state-of-the-art search engine marketing (SEM) company that specializes in honest and ethical techniques to obtain higher rankings for company web sites in Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. Services include: Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Paid Search/Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, Social Media Marketing, Video Search Engine Marketing, Usability Analysis, Conversion Tuning, Web Analytics, Competitive Analysis and more. For more information, please visit www.purpletrout.com.

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Media Contact:
Leigh Drake
Purple Trout, LLC
513.885.5000 > Leigh.Drake@purpletrout.com