Hey kind krafters! My name is Annie Laura and it’s nice to meet you!

Hey friends! Welcome to the kind krafts blog! For those of you who don’t know me - my name is Annie Laura! People tend to call me Annie, which is totally cool too. I thought it would be best for us to get to know each other since I will be one of the folks posting on this blog! I decided to set up my introduction like a profile to give you a little snapshot of my life! I would love to connect with you and hear all about you as well!

Future aspirations!
While I do aspire to be a professional sushi eater, I am currently studying Therapeutic Recreation (TR)  incase the sushi gig falls through.  Hehe! Just kidding. I absolutely love my program. Are you unsure of what TR is? No problem! To be honest… I wasn’t sure what it was until I was studying it- interesting concept I know! Therapeutic Recreation to me is a health profession in which a recreation therapist helps facilitate leisure services to help benefit the health and well-being of the people they work with. I love this degree because when I graduate, I can work with any population and each day will be something new! I hope that I will go on to deliver wilderness therapy, a method of treatment where I can work with those suffering with traumatic injuries and/or traumatic life experiences to better their symptoms beyond the traditional practice. I think connecting with nature and getting outside is one of the best ways to heal!
When I am not in the library, you can find me at a local coffee shop, out exploring nature, volunteering or just hangin’ out! Out of all the lovely things that fill my day- volunteering is by far my favourite!
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How I get involved? 
I have always had a passion in volunteer work! I love spending my time focused on making a positive impact wherever I can. I have attended a couple of trips to the mountains of the Dominican Republic to build houses for families in need. These trips opened my eyes to the privilege I have, and the ways in which I can use that privilege for good.
After taking a few international development courses, I learnt about the great need to give back locally. My friend introduced me to kind krafts. Since being introduced, I ask kind krafts to attend a camp night event I was hosting on campus. kind krafts volunteers came to the event and taught attendees how to make kind karma bracelets. All the bracelets made and proceeds from purchased bracelets at the event were donated to the seasonal cause! kind krafts creates opportunities to get involved locally in a fun and interactive way! If you are interested in other ways to get involved reach out! I would love to share my volunteer experiences as well as hear about yours!

​Why get involved?
I love volunteering because it is something beyond myself. By volunteering I am focusing my time and energy on others. It is amazing to see how far a little kindness goes. I try to make at least one person smile a day! Which leads me to my challenge for you!

Make a difference!
I challenge you to make someone smile today. If you are feeling up for a challenge, try and make a stranger smile! To show the impact of kindness I felt the need to share this video. This video was originally conducted as an independent project, and evolved into a social experiment. This video captures the smile of the people being videotaped. I find that when I watch it I can’t help but smile! Happy smiling everyone, let’s talk soon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW8BDgLpZkI

Let’s make a difference together! 
Add me on social media so we can share our smile stories!!
Facebook: Annie Shannon-Dwyer
Instagram: ashannondwyer
Blog: catch my next blog posted here!