Nina Cooper — Have a Heart, Save a Child
Nina Cooper is a businesswoman, a talented jewelry designer and the “lucky mother” of two girls adopted from China. Though Nina was already running her business, taking care of her children and donating to Half the Sky, she decided she wanted to do more.
Nina recently started a campaign whose goal is to raise enough money to open a new Half the Sky preschool and infant nurture center in 2008. A longtime jewelry designer, Nina created a silver heart with the word “Love” in English on one side and in Chinese on the other side. 100% of the revenue collected from these $35 hearts, which come on a sterling silver chain go to Half the Sky’s “Nina’s Fund.”
To promote her “Have A Heart, Save A Child” campaign, Nina sent a letter to thousands of her friends, customers and acquaintances, introducing them to Half the Sky and asking them to buy a heart or contribute directly to Half the Sky’s “Nina’s Fund” to “provide training for new teachers and nannies, renovation, equipment, furnishings, toys, educational materials, and more…”
Nina says the letter was her way of reaching out to a wider community: “I’m trying to hook up with other people and create some synergy. I’m new to fundraising.”
Though Nina is new to fundraising, she is not new to combining her social conscience with her business, Nina Designs. When she started her business, Nina was dismayed by price wars that often meant that the Balinese artists who provide much of her jewelry were paid very little. From the beginning, she made the commitment to pay the artists fair wages by paying not by the gram but by the piece, factoring in how difficult the style is and how long it takes to make: “In return they do amazing work for me.” In the 15 years she has been in business, Nina has also seen the artists’ standard of living increase: “That’s really nice to see. Everyone has thrived together.”
Nina is just as committed to ensuring that children in Chinese orphanages thrive, which is why she added “Nina’s Fund” to her already busy agenda: “People often say to me, ‘Your children are so lucky that you adopted them.’ The truth is that all of our children are extremely lucky and so are we. Please help me celebrate our collective good fortune and honor all the children of the world by improving young lives one school at a time.”