Of course I want to make money selling merch! Of course I want to be so funny that you all want to wear my jokes and be reminded of them when you're drinking coffee & tea in the morning but more than all of that I want to be able to make a difference in some way. I hosted a Trivia Night on Instagram Live a few weeks ago and during the process of planning that event I learned about Children of Promise in New York.
This organization benefits children who have parent(s) who are incarcerated by providing after school learning, mental health support, academic support and more. This org really touched me because we often talk about mass incarceration but we never discuss the mass number of children affected by the loss of a parent - to the system. Even I was guilty for forgetting our youth and the impact that this has on them. When I learned about how they support the community I knew immediately that I wanted 5% of proceeds from my 2020 merch sales to go to this org! This year I was able to give more than 5% and donate $75. I encourage you to follow Children of Promise on IG as seeing updates from them not only reminds me of the work they are doing, but it reminds me of the work that WE must continue to do to improve the system and improve the lives of our future stars!
*All photos are from the Children of Promise website, I do not own them*