Tuesday's Child - Making a Difference
We've all heard the saying "Tuesday's Child is full of
grace." But what does that saying really mean? What does the word grace really
mean? According to the dictionary, grace is a disposition to be generous or
helpful. It is a sense of consideration for others. And grace is also a favor
that is rendered by one who need not do so.
As CEO of Technique Tuesday, it seemed appropriate to name our new charitable
giving program "Tuesday's Child." Through Tuesday’s Child, I hope to help
improve the lives of other people, especially women and children, by donating a
portion of the profits from Technique Tuesday to key non-profit organizations.
I know that I am speaking on behalf of all the Technique Tuesday employees when
I say that we feel so honored to be able to give back to those in need in our
community and our world.
Our Focus in 2007, continuing through April 2008
In 2007, our Tuesday’s Child efforts were focused on autism. I've seen our
creative director, Eileen Collins, search for answers, challenge the status
quo, and share quiet moments of joy with her son who has autism. Through her, I
learned that autism affects 1 in every 150 children. It is more common than
pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. There is no known cause or cure
for autism. Based on these statistics and the impact that Eileen and her son
have had on me, I decided to try to help change the future of children and
families who are affected by autism by focusing our first Tuesday’s Child
program on autism.
In April of 2007, we released two products—a stamp set
called Pieces of
the Puzzle, and a
set of 12x12-inch Technique Tiles called
FUNdamental Pieces—in support of autism awareness. Although we
designed these products to include some images and words associated with
autism, these products were also intended to appeal to those who may not even
know what autism is.
We asked our customers to join us in this fight by sharing their stories about how
autism had impacted their lives, by supporting a friend who has a child with
autism, by raising awareness in their communities, by donating directly to a
charity of their choice, or by purchasing these two Technique Tuesday products.
We have been thrilled with the response.
Numerous scrapbookers sent layouts to
us that we highlighted during 2007 in a gallery on our website. People from all
over the world called us, wrote email, and tracked us down at scrapbook
conventions to tell us about how autism has touched their lives. A number of
our wholesale customers had fund raisers in their stores or events to promote
autism awareness. The response has been astounding. We are also thrilled that
we were able to donate thousands of dollars to
Autism Speaks so far and we’re not done yet. We will continue our
commitment to this cause through April (Autism Awareness Month) 2008.
Our 2008 Focus: Breast Cancer Research and Prevention
In 2008, I chose breast cancer as our Tuesday’s Child
cause, with our beneficiary being the Komen for the Cure. Again the
statistics are staggering. According the Susan G.
Komen website:
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One in every eight women will be diagnosed with
breast cancer.
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During this year alone, over 40,000 women will die
from the disease.
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The causes of breast cancer are still not fully
understood.
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Without a cure, an estimated 25 million women around
the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer - and 10 million could die -
over the next 25 years.
In
January 2008, we introduced a new stamp set called
Celebrate Life as our fund raising stamp set for this year
with 50% of our profit from this stamp set going to the Komen for the Cure. You don't even have to know someone affected by breast cancer to
use this versatile stamp set.
Whether you choose to help by supporting someone who
is fighting breast cancer, by making a donation directly to the
Komen for the Cure, or by
purchasing this stamp set, please join me in helping find the causes
and effective treatments for breast cancer!
Sincerely,
Bev Kramlich Grey