beauty in things which lie in plain sight…such as dryer sheets, old leather jackets, Christmas wreaths, used leather jackets, old sweaters, which I baked and turned into necklaces, or old bicycle tires. I transformed these recycled materials to the point where nobody could accurately guess that the iridescent skirt on the runway was made of Snuggle dryer sheets. After two years showing my line at Fashion Week New Orleans, I decided that I enjoyed making artwork and wearable art to relax, instead of trying to meet deadlines for a big production. I began auctioning paintings of my recycled jewelry on Facebook to raise money for local charities. It's wonderful when someone appreciates my work enough to buy it. However, nothing feels better than being able to auction off my artistic creations to raise proceeds for worthwhile causes, while uniting people and making a difference.
My friend and fellow artist, Cat Hammes, is also a motivational speaker and a tireless advocate for Veterans. She approached me and proposed that I become the Honorary Ambassador of Veterans Outreach of WI. The remarkable thing about this relatively new non-profit organization is that 100% of proceeds and donations go right back into the community. Donations of food, clothing, furniture, home goods and furnishings are stored in a warehouse, where Veterans are able to come and pick out whatever they would like, free of charge. Organization volunteers would then deliver the items and set them up in the new apartments of formerly homeless Veterans. The work that this organization does is nothing short of incredible. The majority of donations to other non-profit organizations go towards extensive overhead costs and hefty salaries. It's refreshing that Veterans Outreach of WI does exactly the opposite of that, and puts everything into helping those who put their lives on the line for our country. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that 23% of homeless people are also Veterans. Nobody that serves our country and is willing to sacrifice their life should fall through the cracks and end up homeless once they return home. It's heartbreaking to hear stories of formerly homeless Veterans who secured a place to live, yet their place remains completely empty. We take so many things for granted, like a warm, safe place to live with a bed, furniture and food. Imagine a scenario where someone risks their life to ensure that we are free and safe, only to return with PTSD and end up homeless. It's unacceptable, and we can do better than this. Learning some of these eye-opening statistics and witnessing the incredible amount of work that this organization does to help a growing number of Veterans inspired me to help increase awareness about them. They have been surviving only on donations and almost had to close their doors simply because of a lack of community awareness. Any amount of help or little donation can help keep this organization running, especially since everything, including the work hours, gas to deliver donations, rent and heat for the warehouse is completely funded by volunteers. You can learn more about this wonderful organization by checking out their website at: http://voamc.8m.com/vow/.