Crimson is embarking on its most ambitious project yet! We’re taking our philanthropy to a grand, global scale and inviting you all to join us on this new, international project! Today we’re interviewing Cheryl about Asia’s Hope, what this project means to her, and why we’ve decided to throw the party of the year!
How did you get involved with Asia’s Hope?
Cheryl: I first heard about Asia’s Hope through family friends. We learned about the good work they’re doing and got curious about how we could participate. We decided we wanted to contribute to their cause so we started by supporting a home in India, donating $2,000 per month. Then, this past year we took a trip to visit the home in India, just to see how Asia’s Hope operates on site and to see how the kids were doing. We were absolutely blown away. It’s so clear that these kids are able to have real childhoods, go to school, and some even go to college- an opportunity they may not have had otherwise. We decided we wanted to give back in an even bigger way.
You could have just donated more to Asia’s Hope, but instead you’ve decided to build a whole new home! Why is that?
Well adopting and adoption is really deeply important to our family. Luis is adopted, we adopted our daughter Mia, and many of my siblings have adopted children. If I could I would adopt twenty kids and give them a home and a family but, unfortunately, I can’t. We were presented with a unique opportunity when Asia’s Hope floated the idea that we could get involved with building a new home. We had just celebrated 15 years as a business and thought, “What better way to celebrate 15 years of building meaningful homes and spaces than by building our most impactful, meaningful space, yet?” In building this house we’re going to be able to design aspects of the home, for example we’ll be picking out all the bedding and some of the paint colors. We design joyful spaces everyday but this space will have a positive impact on the lives of twenty kids who will go on to great things for their community too. This house will create change throughout their entire community while also giving them a place to feel safe and loved. What could be better than that?
What sets Asia’s Hope apart, in your mind?
We love Asia’s Hope’s model because they don’t build orphanages, which are more transitional by nature. They build family style homes. The kids that are brought into these homes have been abandoned, orphaned, or their families can’t take care of them. When they move into the new house we’re helping to build, they’ll be coming home. They’ll be given caretakers, friends that become an extended family, education, food, clothing, love, and support in a place that is permanent and grounding rather than transitional. Plus, they’ll get to stay within their own culture and be raised by people who speak their language and understand where they come from. We thought that was very important too. A lot of the kids that go through the Asia’s Hope program end up going to college and then coming back to their home towns and villages to make a difference. They really create generational change.
How do you think this will impact you and your family? Do you think this will impact your business?
For one, I think this will help our kids feel connected to the global community. We’re going to be able to visit the home in years to come and I think bringing our children with us will give them an appreciation for the importance of service and giving back. People look at adoption, or at this kind of work, as “rescuing” a child when in reality, you can also get so much out of supporting children in need. Seeing their joy and watching them grow is incredibly rewarding. It really feeds the soul. In terms of our business, I can only see this being a beneficial step. We’ve always had philanthropy as a cornerstone of our business model but this just takes us to that next level. For our employees, this gives them a chance to be part of something larger than themselves and at the same time our clients will know that a percentage of their fees will be allocated towards improving and supporting the lives of 20 amazing kids in Thailand who are going to, undoubtedly, change the world.
Why kids in Thailand? Why not kids in the Columbus or Central Ohio community?
Well we actually do support a lot of organizations that support children here in Columbus and Central Ohio! We support iBelieve, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Columbus School for Girls, and we designed a Creative Incubator space for free for the Waterson Catholic School and donated $10,000 to their program. We still believe, and always will believe, in supporting kids in our community and will continue to donate to those organizations. But we decided we also wanted to help kids on a global scale. Asia’s Hope is a local organization, based here in Columbus. They’ve created jobs within their organization locally while still making a difference across the world!
So why kick off this project with a party?
To be honest, we barely need an excuse to throw a party here. Luis and I are both all about creating incredible experiences and having a great time. This is just an amazing opportunity to have a great time with our clients, vendors, and friends (essentially everyone who has helped bring us to this point in our business) while raising money for a good cause!
What can people expect at this party?
Well it’s a prohibition, speak easy style party. The location will be announced the day before to ticket holders, so be sure to purchase tickets if you want to come! We’ll have great music from Hoo Doo Soul band, amazing food, open bar, plus a bourbon tasting room in the back where guests can buy tickets to taste high end bourbons. All the money from those tickets will go directly to Asia’s Hope! They can also look forward to an auction; we’ll be “auctioning” off pieces of the Asia’s Hope House as a way to raise the $150,000 we need to build it! People will be dressed to the nines and having a great time!
