*handmade with purpose*

This month, I am excited to announce that I will be working with other handmade shops and bloggers on a community fundraiser event called Handmade with Purpose. The event was put together by my friend, Lindsay of Paint Me A Picture. When Lindsay approached me and asked me if I wanted to participate, I said yes without even giving it a second thought. 

Handmade with Purpose is all about:

acknowledging creativity.

using our creativity to produce handmade goods.

selling our handmade goods for a profit.

taking our profit and giving back to our communities, those less fortunate, & those in need.

  

Each participant was allowed to select a charity of their choice. When researching a charity that I wanted to raise money for, I knew I wanted one that plum.tree.studio could connect with. For the longest time, the soul purpose of plum.tree.studio has been to create items for little ones that make them smile. When I see a little one look at a creation that I've made and he or she smiles...I know I've done my job.

So after much consideration, I chose Operation Smile. This charity felt like the perfect match for plum.tree.studio's purpose.

Operation Smile is an organization that heals children's smiles. It's a charity made up of caring people and medical professionals who have volunteered to help provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. Operation Smile is an International charity that helps reconstruct smiles all over the world!

There are more then 200,000 children that are born each year with a severe cleft condition. These children are unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. What breaks my heart is that this condition in many regions is often times shunned or rejected. Many of these children are not living a normal life where their families can afford the surgeries that are needed to repair their smiles. This is where Operation Smile comes in.

Operation Smile provides free surgeries to children around the world. Only $240.00 can help give a little one a cleft lip surgery that will change his or her life for ever.

So this month, I will be donating ALL of the profit I make from my shop to Operation Smile. My purpose is to make sure at least 1 little one will get the operation she or he needs in order to smile and have a better life.

No one should have to live with out being able to smile.

To see all the shops who are participating in Handmade with Purpose...check out the site here...