November 25 
Happy Monday everyone! Oops, I mean Wednesday! Wait, is it Tuesday?! Happy day everyone! =) I’m switching my posting schedule around this week and hope to see you again on Thursday! But today is very special and I can’t wait to share the details with you.
Playing with a fall palette today by mixing burgundy with camel. I adore the texture and details of this cape. It’s super cozy and the faux leather trimmings add a touch of sophistication.
Can I be honest with you? I had a really hard time writing this post. Since we’re in the holiday spirit, I wanted to say something uplifting but found myself at a loss for words. There is a happy message in this post I promise. But I guess I needed to reflect in order to appreciate the positives. With that said… before I talk about the Share The Warmth campaign, I wanted to share a few personal moments with you.
ECHO Design reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be involved in their Share The Warmth campaign. I immediately said yes under one condition. I needed to visit the foster home or organization myself. They happily arranged it for me and I deeply appreciate their kindness and support. I don’t have a goal or mission in mind. I honestly don’t know what value I would add, but I wanted to see the girls myself. To see if they’re ok. To see if I can share with them that there are people out there rooting for them.
Before being placed in a foster home, I spent a few weeks in a group home. The group home was over-crowded at that time, so there were a lot more girls than normal. Most of them were bigger than me. I felt very intimidated and scared, so I kept to myself and stayed as quiet as possible. I did befriend two other girls who happened to be my roommates later. Our days were pretty structured. Everything was documented so that the staff could keep track of us. But there were days when that structure was broken. I remembered vividly one night when the staff walked the hall and did their usual night routine. They shined their flashlights into our rooms to take roll and… BAAM!!! A door at the end of the hallway swung open, and then red lights and sirens filled the floor. From inside our room, I heard the staff members yelling “Stay in your room! Stay in your room!” from the outside. I laid there completely frozen. The next morning we found out that there was an a-wall (the official term is AWOL – Absent Without Official Leave). In other words, one of the girls tried to run away. Evidently, she didn’t get too far and was caught shortly afterwards. A-walling didn’t happen often. Most of us didn’t have the courage to run. And to be honest, that’s because we didn’t have anywhere to go. After that event, I remembered all of us sitting around with blank stares on our faces. And a few of us bursted out laughing. Humor is a powerful tool in times of distress. At least she had the guts to try. When the laughter died down, there was a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness in the room.
While in the group home and foster home, I didn’t remember any organizations that came to visit. Maybe it was just bad timing that I missed out of those occasions. Now when there’s a campaign that involves foster youths, I greatly appreciate the effort. As part of their Share the Warmth event – for every hat, muffler, outerwear and pair of gloves purchased, 2 are donated back to foster youths. I’m so happy to be joining ECHO next month to deliver these items to Together We Rise in Chino. They’re also partnering with organizations in NYC. In addition, they are making a monetary donation to 3 different foster programs. Please kindly join us! If you’re looking for holiday gifts or winter classics, please consider these cashmere gloves, textured leather gloves, lush cape, and/or cozy cashmere wrap. It would be amazing to bring as much to the foster youths as possible. More importantly, I hope to have a moment with them. Just to sit and be a listening ear, and if they give me the honor, to share my experience and to tell them that there are people out there rooting for them.
Thank you so much for your kindness. Thank you for your support. And thank you so much for reading.
:: Outfit ::
Cape :: ECHO Design
Shoes :: Joie
Bag :: Sophie Hulme
Accessories :: ECHO Design gloves, ECHO Design scarf,
Casio watch, Brandy Pham bracelets, Rag & Bone hat
