Helping those who need it.

From time to time I like to donate a percentage of sales to a charity or organization I feel strongly about. To date it's been animal welfare organizations as I've always thought of myself as an animal person, and when it came to helping, I was of the mindset that people could help themselves but animals could not. I will be an animal person for as long as I live, but as I get older, I find myself more sympathetic, empathetic, and sensitive. More and more, human rights and well-being issues have weighed heavily on my mind, and like all the animals I want to gather up and help, I've found myself wishing I could just give each person that needs it a hug, a home, love, food, treatment, and whatever it is they need to succeed. After watching The Released | Frontline on Netflix over the weekend, I felt compelled to do more than sit on my sofa with moist eyes and a tight throat.

If you've not seen it, The Released examines the number of currently and previously incarcerated with serious mental illness, and the cycle of arrest, release, and re-arrest that so often is the case when adequate treatment, medication, and support isn't readily available. The statistics are daunting, and the reality - depressing. I feel so strongly about people like the ones I watched in The Released receiving the help they need to have a chance at breaking the cycle. I know that I can't rectify the situation, but I want to feel like I'm not just sitting idly by while others are struggling. So for the next month, I'm donating 10% of all sales from both my art shop and my jewelry shop to Refuge of Hope, an organization providing shelter, food, and access to community health care services for people like those in The Released, the homeless, and others who are struggling to get by.

This isn't a sales pitch by any means, but any time I'm donating a portion of sales to a worthy cause, I just want to be sure to share so you'll know who you're helping when buying from my shops!