cancertainlysmile :)

Never before had I come back from a salon with such a big smile on my face! Had never experienced such joy that came from getting a hair cut. Cos obviously it wasn't just a hair cut, it was a hair donation :)

It's been almost two years since I last donated my hair and I am eager to do so again. (Unfortunately it takes a long time to grow back 13 inches!)

What sort of hair donation you ask? It was a donation towards an organisation that makes wigs for young kids who suffer from hair loss due to various reasons such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy etc. One of my good friend who has also donated her beautiful long hair for this cause, told me about the organisation.

The entire process of making the wigs is a very lengthy process and requires on an average 20-30 pony tails, each at least 13 inches in length and close to $2000 to make one hair replacement system!

Children who are being treated for cancer, not only have to endure the physical discomfort but also the emotional and social pressures that come with the treatment. The change in appearance can cause intense emotional suffering and undermines the kid's image. It is sad that many cannot afford the artificial hair as it is so expensive. 

Thanks to the incredibly generous organisations that are making these wigs for the kids and contributing to boost their self confidence.

Many of us have the inclination to contribute but do know know the channels. I for one believe in spreading the word and helping in whatever way I can. 

I feel very deeply for the cause and therefore have designed the initiative called 'cancertainlysmile'. The intention is to spread awareness so that more people contribute hair and or money towards the cause. 

Since this is purely an awareness program,  I do not wish to name and publicise any specific organisation. You may choose any organisation that suits you. Do read the process of donation carefully before going to the salon.

Besides creating awareness, I wish to contribute in other ways too. So I have made these dangle earrings that you can purchase and show your support. The money generated is of course going to be used for the cause.

Doll Dangle earrings by Design Kreeda 

The response I have got for these is phenomenal! Specially little girls like them a lot and whats amazing is the fact that they understand the seriousness behind it. 

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Inspiration

Andreya's story - Back in Phoenix, a young lady visited my residence to purchase some products from my collection. She had recently found out that she was pregnant and shared her joy with a lot of excitement. She had a lovely glow on her face and her long golden beautiful hair complimented her color. She bought a lot of jewellery including the doll dangle earrings.

At that time I was not disclosing the purpose behind making and selling the earrings. I wanted to see how people reacted upon seeing them. She found them very interesting and asked me the idea behind making them. I then told her my inspiration and the cause for which I was actually making them.

She looked at me with teary eyes and a gentle smile, said ''thank you'' and as she did so, raised her hand and slowly pulled back her hair which in fact, was a wig :)

A cancer survivor herself, she told me how much she appreciates the hair donation programs that gave her the much needed confidence to have a near-normal and happy childhood. 

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Our Awesome Supporters

Since the time I have started the program, I have received tremendous support and encouragement from many but the best is when it comes from the young hearts!

This is Niharika, 8 years old and one of our youngest supporter :)

''I wear the dangles all the time and tell everyone to donate hair so that kids like me can look 

pretty and be happy :)'' she says.

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There are many kids who are waiting for support from generous hearts.

Please do give it a thought and contribute in whatever way you can. 

As a donor, take it from me... you will love the feeling and the kids will love you even more! :)

|Please share if you care|

'Kids Need To Read' is Design Kreeda's new friend!

I know... I am writing after a long time! I feel a blog is worth writing only if the content is interesting and worthy of reading. Dont you think?

This is one of my exciting (and challenging) tie-ups! Recently joined hands with an organisation called Kids Need To Read - An organisation run by an enthusiastic group of people who are dedicatedly working towards 'inspiring imagination'! And what better way than BOOKS to do so!!

When I first learned about the concept of distributing books to kids with a goal in mind ... I was amazed! I think it is a brilliant way to spread the joy of reading :) 

They work on various topics to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children.

I consider myself very lucky to have bumped into Denise Gary - Executive director of KNTR  and Robert Gary - A photographer at one of my exhibitions. Denise was one of my happy customers :) She bought a tote bag and I remember clearly cos other than the colors, motifs, craftsmanship, she was thrilled about the peace symbol on the bag (she calls it her 'peace bag' :)) 

Little did I know that an amazing concept was in her mind and up for execution - Kids-N-Peace!

Peace - A very important topic that needs to be understood and practiced by kids today. 

We were lucky again to bump into each other at another event and once we got talking... ideas started floating, meetings got fixed and excitement was at its peak! She explained how she and her team were working on the topic 'Peace' and was looking for ideas/products/services to spread the message.

I visited their work place... a very pretty, cozy house turned into an office with books everywhere :). It felt like sitting in a huge bucket of books! 

I learned a lot about the organisation and the entire concept of KNTR. 

I kept thinking why they were so eager to do the peace project. I mean sure, it is a very important aspect of life and kids must understand it but I got to know the seriousness of it only after Denise explained that according to the survey, most kids who drop out of school... as early as eighth grade is because of being bullied!! 

That was rather sad and also an eye-opener... So taking this very seriously, KNTR is compiling book sets for different age groups of students and distributing them to various schools and libraries. They are doing extensive study on student behaviour and accordingly conducting counselling sessions for kids.

When Denise approached me for this project, I had no reason to say no. Design Kreeda is extremely happy to contribute for this cause and thankful to KNTR for considering me and giving such a great opportunity to try and make a difference :)

It was very thoughtful of KNTR to mention Design Kreeda's contribution in their newsletter - 

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3910e70f47748eddc0e1326ee&id=d264d60b0a 

We will be doing fundraisers and book events to spread the message. Many Peace products are in the making and will be available for sale at the Peace events and online store very soon! :)
 
So here's me signing off on a happy note... off to make the goodies! :)

More on Kids Need To Read -
Website : http://www.kidsneedtoread.org
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/kidsneedtorea
Store : http://stores.ebay.com/Kids-Need-to-Read