Karen Taber is from Sodus, New York.  Since 2004 she has hosted over 40 MayaWorks sales. Her sales are a family effort bringing together her husband and three children, two of whom are adopted from Guatemala.  We feel very so lucky to have such an amazing woman in our MayaWorks family! Thank you Karen!
Q: What do you see, out your window or door, when you first get up in the morning?
A: Our house is on a very high hill. The first thing I see is Lake Ontario which is about three miles from here.

Q: What do you have for breakfast most days?
A: A cup of tea and that's it!  I have three kids and a fulltime job and I'm busy! Besides, food and I don't get along that early...
 
Q: How many people live in your house and how are they related to you?
A: There are five of us.  Myself, my husband, and our three kids; two of whom are adopted from Guatemala.

Q: How much do you volunteer for MayaWorks?
A: I used to run quite a few sales each year; these days I do maybe two a year.  This August we ran a 3-day sale at a Bluegrass Festival.  The organizer of the fest asked us, they say MW is a perfect fit for the kinds of people who love bluegrass...

Q: How are your children affected by your volunteer work for MayaWorks?
A: My kids have helped run sales since the three of them were ages 1, 2 and 3! They take pride in their ability to help people in the country where they were born.

Q: How has your volunteer work for MayaWorks affected your life?
A: Well, every time you host a sale, you always make new friends.  Plus I don't just tell my kids how to act; I get to teach by example.  I get to show them that it is important to work hard without always expecting to get rewards back.  I am proud of my kids.  Like this: my son sometimes set up a lemonade stand next to my MW sale and then he gives his earnings to MayaWorks, because he knows it is a way to help people in Guatemala. 

Q: Visualize for a moment the hundreds of women who work for MayaWorks as artisans in Guatemala, who work as volunteers in the US.  Imagine all of us together for an afternoon; If you could say something to all of us, what would you say?
A: When we work together, the distances between us melt and the connections between us grow strong, which is the best way to build a better world for all our children.
 
 -Interview conducted by Mary Beth Danielson.