A volunteer effort to give new clothing to children at the Door of Faith Orphanage in Baja, Mexico.
Giving Tuesday is a movement that was started years ago to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of holiday season. It takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For Giving Tuesday 2019 we chose to work closely with Tea Collection with a goal to get clothing to children that need it most.
Tea Collection’s Story
Our family support’s Tea Collection and their Giving Tuesday 2019 campaign for many reasons. We align with their company values to support children and their focus on the global community. On Tea’s website they say, “Tea began with the dream to inspire global connection and curiosity for little citizens of the world. We believe that no matter where we live or what language we speak, there is so much we all have in common. We travel the world bringing the beauty of different cultures and modern design to children’s clothing.”
Why We Love Tea Collection Clothing
Why Tea?
My four children have grown up wearing Tea Collection clothing because of their beautiful styles, well made clothing, and their purpose. We are life long customers because of who Tea is behind the scenes. Tea’s CEO Leigh Rawdon founded the company with a purpose of giving back. She explained this years Giving Tuesday campaign by saying, “I started Tea with children in mind. Since the very beginning, we’ve given back to make the world a better place for children everywhere. Giving Tuesday is no different. For every purchase made today, we’ll donate an outfit to a child in need. Follow us on social to double your impact. Tag a friend to spread the word. Together, we can help advance the dignity of children around the world.” #Teagivesback
One for One.
This one for one message that the Tea Collection has committed to for Giving Tuesday 2019 resonates deeply with me. Every purchase and every follow resulted in 1550 outfits being donated to children in need. So, when they reached out to see if I was interested in getting involved my answer was YES!
The Kelsay’s Giving Tuesday Campaign 2019
I immediately started reaching out to orphanages near me. The closest of which is an Orphanage in Rosarito, Mexico. Well, close to Rosarito in a little town called La Mision. The Door of Faith Orphanage is an organization that I have worked with many times in the past. Hanna, a dedicated volunteer and their Mass Marketing Communicator said, ” Door of Faith’s main purpose is using really cruddy circumstances, and teaching our kids that they are not victims. They are capable of using skills and education that they have acquired while here, to go out into the world and make a difference.”
The Door of Faith is like no other Baja Orphanage I have worked with before. Volunteers and staff members are dedicated to creating a healthy family like setting for the kids. Each child is shown that they matter, are worthy of love, and can make a difference. I knew the DOFO children would directly benefit from receiving the Giving Tuesday clothing Tea was sending.
Door of Faith Fire
Recently a fire in Baja, Mexico had almost destroyed the Door of Faith Orphanage. Each person living there including the 90 plus children almost lost everything during the Door of Faith fire. So, I was even more committed to helping in any way I could. I started putting the Giving Tuesday 2019 plan into action. Each person in our family was involved in the giveback and we had a plan. We decided to add a few extra special Kelsay touches to the giveback as well. As Tuesday hit I invited friends and family to purchase, follow, and get involved. Tea received new orders and followers and the boxes started to ship. Box after box showed up on my doorstep and our family went to work!
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
My home was overflowing with clothing of all shapes and sizes. We had family nights filled with discussions about the give back and the purpose behind it. The kids were pumped and we rallied together as a family to create the greatest impact we could. Each of my children took action in their own way. Juliet, my six year old was busy for hours wrapping each outfit with a ribbon because she was learning to tie shoes. Chase, our four-year-old was busy cutting out tags to and taping lollipops to each tag. Aubrey and Kirra, ages 12 and 9 worked alongside myself and my husband Matt to organize the clothing. It really was a family centered volunteer effort that resulted in us feeling more connected.
