Full Name: Shannon Reilly
Major: Liberal Studies
Double Minor: Archaeology and Anthropology
Hometown: Scotch Plains, NJ
Graduation Year: 2018
Shannon Reilly, a Junior student, an internationally certified yogi spoke about her upcoming service trip through the nonprofit she’s involved in, Let’s Imagine.
HerCampus (HC): What do you do in your free time?
Shannon Reilly (SR): It’s all homework. I try to better myself and do a lot of self-reflection. I like to research different things that I’m interested in. Now that I’m trying to kick off with this nonprofit, I’ve been doing anthropological research [on Tanzania]. I set up a potter’s wheel in my garage and try to do that as often as possible.
HC: What is the Nonprofit you’re involved in?
SR: Let’s imagine is a nonprofit that utilizes the transformation aspects of yoga and art to help youth in their developmental stages. It helps them learn to become themselves. To quote the website, “Let’s imagine inspires and elevates youth through the transformational powers of art and yoga. We aim to create opportunities for youth to uncover their inner greatness express their unique gifts and become co-creators of a greater future.” We usually go around to third world countries and look at underprivileged villages bringing them different art supplies. The next project will be going to Tanzania in August 2017.
HC: What is the importance of yoga?
SR: Yoga means union so it’s really being one with and respecting everyone; classmates, teachers, parents, the community and the rest of the world.
HC: What will you do in Tanzania?
SR: Let’s Imagine wants to get [underprivileged children in Bagamoyo who suffer from life-threatening diseases, hunger and extreme poverty that prevent them from going to preschool] excited about their education and global community network. We will be donating many school supplies that have been donated to us from various schools around the country. Because water is so scarce in Tanzania, we have decided that in addition to teaching yoga, meditation, and art to youth, we are going to fund the building of a well in the community.
HC: How did you get involved with this?
SR: I’ve been doing yoga for seven years now, I even became an internationally certified yogi last year in India. I appreciate the arts so much because I was raised around them; my mom is an artist. It was pure fate that I came in contact with the CEO of this non-profit let alone even find out that it existed! A now dear friend of mine, James, (who I met on tinder of all places) moved to California November 2015. April 2016, he called me saying he met someone who he really wants me to contact. Her name is Kim, she is the CEO and founder of the non-profit organization Let’s Imagine. James said he told Kim about me…that I am an artist and a dedicated yoga instructor. I ended up calling her and expressing my interest, but it wasn’t until I told her I had an idea for her organization that she really took me seriously. My dad just moved to Belize last year and that country has a lot of potential and could definitely use something like this in their school districts. She was ecstatic about this.
HC: What role do you play in Let’s Imagine?
SR: At first, Kim asked me if I would like to be a Karma Yoga Instructor for Let’s Imagine, which entails teaching yoga to the children during the various projects we organize around the globe…I gratefully accepted! As time went on, my chemistry with Kim started to really pick up. She asked me to be in charge of fundraising for the projects. Let’s Imagine is also making a volunteer manual for the volunteers we have on board which Kim asked me to help write along with the other teammates. I am also in charge of drawing the various yoga postures that will be published in the Let’s Imagine Resource Manual where the children, parents, and/or teachers at the various projects can refer back to when the Let’s Imagine Team returns home. Kim recently asked me to be one of the three main people in charge of the project in Tanzania next August. I am so unbelievably grateful for this opportunity. I know that the only way this project will lift off is if we get it known!
HC: What is Let’s Imagine currently working on?
SR: On the website it says how much were trying to raise for our trip to Tanzania which is like $6,000. Once a month we have a yoga and art fundraiser (these are hosted in different places in Jersey) where we’ll practice yoga and paint for a little bit. You can get the details on our instagram @lets_imagine or Facebook @letsimagineinc.
HC: How can people get involved in Let’s Imagine?
SR: You can get involved by any method of contact. If you go on the website letsimagine.org it’s a great way to learn about what we do, who’s a part of our team, and where we go.