Gifts that Give Back

I’ll be bringing several gift guides to the blog in the next few weeks and wanted to start with my favorite one. This year, I’ve learned of several new companies and organizations that are making a big impact with their products and the thoughtful way they run their businesses and accomplish their missions. I’m thankful for the experience this year of seeing one of these companies’ impact up close in Rwanda where I was able to spend time with artisans and hear how the work they’re thrilled to create has helped sustain their families and change the outcome of their story. I’ve realized how great our purchasing power is and how the enjoyment we share of shopping for our families and friends can gain meaning when we support causes that need our help. Not every single thing we buy is fair trade certified or gives back, but we are definitely more aware of thoughtful shopping habits and try to find ways to support causes when we can. It certainly helps, especially during the holidays, when there are so many beautiful and unique gifts available to us that give back. These are some of my current favorite giveback gifts to make the holidays more meaningful.

1. To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. Their message and inspiration is applicable to everyone–that you are worthy of love, that your story is important and that your life matters. They focus on community and aim to connect those who are struggling with the help they need. Their store is full of hip products with positive messages–the sales of which help fund their mission. I love this baseball tee and everything it stands for.

2. Franklin Brush Print from Sevenly. If you don’t know about Sevenly yet, you should. They’ve raised over $4 million to date for a number of different charities by donating $7 from every item sold to a designated charity that changes every week. They have supported Down syndrome causes on several occasions as well as anti-bullying, adoption, global health and many more. Their products include an incredible collection of t-shirts as well as prints and accessories ranging from toys to tech gadgets. This week, they are donating $7 from every item sold to Exodus Cry, an organization that combats sex trafficking and restores the lives of survivors. I love this simple yet modern print: “Well Done is Better than Well Said.”

3. Northern Fair Isle Hat from Echo Design. This shop is full of beautiful gift items that feature great design and patterns. From November 17 to December 17, for every hat, muffler, outerwear and pair of gloves you buy, they will donate two comparable items to one of three regional foster care programs. As their mission states, “Echo Design values the powerful impact family makes in the lives of children and young adults.” If I lived where it was cold, I’d be pulling this colorful beauty over my head every day.

4. Leather Kindle Case from Unicef Market. This weathered leathered is dreamy and makes this Kindle case a great gift for him or her. Unicef’s Market site features an impressive selection of beautiful gifts (their leather bags are gorgeous and unique) for everyone in your family, and purchases help fund the work they do to save and protect the world’s most vulnerable children. This gorgeous Kindle case from West Africa is fairly priced and can provide 14 doses of measles vaccine to protect children from this deadly disease.

5. Collection 21 Hooded Towel Set from Vintage Giggles. My friends started this company right here in Naples and continue to make beautiful gifts for babies. The three bathroom hooks next to our tub feature Vintage Giggles hooded towels–all which have held up to frequent use and wash beautifully. This year, Vintage Giggles designed the Collection 21 towel set–featuring simple pastels that work for boy or girl–with 21% of proceeds from every sale donated to the National Down Syndrome Society to help continue their mission of creating a culture that accepts, includes and offers opportunities to individuals with Down syndrome.

6. Knit Arm Warmers from Noonday Collection which provides pathways out of poverty for the vulnerable. I traveled to Rwanda with Noonday this past summer to meet artisans and see the way Noonday is helping to transform their lives with employment opportunities. Noonday has formed partnerships in many countries, from Guatemala to Vietnam. These darling arm warmers are 100% Alpaca and handmade in Peru.

7. The Able Scarf from Live FashionABLE. Live FashionABLE’s mission is to create sustainable business for Africans so they aren’t dependent upon charity but instead earn the dignity of a job. They focus primarily on empowering women, knowing that statistics show she will have a life-changing impact on her family and community. My beautiful friend, Erin Loechner, designed this Able Scarf, handwoven in Ethiopia from Ethiopian cotton and screen printed with handwritten statements that unite and empower all women across the globe.

8. The Chloe Blouse from Cooper & Ella. My favorite blouses. My friend Kara started Cooper & Ella in 2013 and continues to make the most flattering blouses for women with beautiful details like this season’s cut-outs featured in this Chloe Blouse. This year, Cooper & Ella made a commitment to give back with their sales and launched Empower, a partnership with the Hope Foundation School in Bangalore. With each and every Cooper & Ella item purchased, one hot nutritious meal is donated to a child in need.

My favorite giveback choice for our family this year is International Justice Mission. Since traveling with them to Rwanda in July, visiting their field office, hearing first-hand stories from clients they helped rescue and following along on their social media sites as they report rescues that we get to help fund, their mission has become near and dear to my heart. IJM is a global organization that protects the poor from violence and seeks justice by holding slave owners, sex traffickers, rapists and criminals accountable in court. IJM was named 1 of 10 non-profits “making a difference” by U.S. News and World Report. One of their current taglines that showed up in the subject line of my e-mail box the other day was simple and powerful: “What would you do to save your family?” Because in many parts of the world, this means mothers like us–willing to do anything to save their families–take jobs where they are enslaved and their children are used for hard labor, sex and dangerous jobs. IJM is doing great work in changing this. I follow their Twitter and Instagram accounts and celebrate every reported victory: “9 victims were rescued from a street-based prostitution network that sold girls and young girls…THIS WEEK THEY LIVE IN FREEDOM.” “Two girls rescued from sex trafficking in Cebu, Philippines and one suspect arrested. These girls are now safe.” “Last week, nearly 100 people got their rightful land restored to them in Gulu, Uganda. Let’s join them in celebration!” Taking care of our babies and keeping our families safe is nothing where we live compared to the choices and sacrifices mothers and fathers are making in other countries. Supporting IJM is one small thing we can do to create big impact for these families.

Be a part of their great work this year by shopping their gift catalogue. I love making gift baskets for close family members every year, and this year we’re including donation cards from IJM. It’s easy–you choose the gift and increment, pay for it and IJM will send you a card to give the recipient, letting them know that a gift was made in their honor to protect the vulnerable and rescue the oppressed.

This is also a great way to include kids in giving. While not all of the depth of IJM subject matter is appropriate for kids, there’s so much they do to make lives better for vulnerable children. Their gift guide offers many opportunities for kids to give, and saving change or donating a few allowance dollars to something like “Sponsor a child survivor in primary school“–a $30 gift package–can be a meaningful (and relatable) experience that helps teach kids about giving and the deeper message that we are all connected.

I’ve encouraged my friends to consider including IJM giving cards in their holiday gifts this year as well, and I know that those who receive these will appreciate the deeper meaning in their gifts.It makes holiday cheer all the better, you know?

Happy Friday.