LuLaRoe And the Charity Spin

I am absolutely no one to scoff in the face of charity. Any charitable effort is a good one in my eyes. On yesterday's weekly LuLaRoe call from home office, it was announced that $1 from the launch of a new item in a Mommy and Me capsule release would be donated to the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) on behalf of DeAnne's granddaughter, Scarlett. The dress will be a child's version of the Carly, and carry Scarlett's name. LuLaRoe capsule items have carried an upcharge (at least in the last 9 months), and reports from consultants indicate that the Scarlett dress is currently only available when purchased in sets. Information sent to MommyGyver indicates that the Scarlett will retail for $39, and the Carly will be $59.

Historically, capsule launches have always had a higher cost to consultants, and in this instance, the $1 from the launch of the Scarlett would more than be covered in the consultant upcharge. No announcement, however, if the company plans to continue the $1 per Scarlett donation to the organization beyond the initial launch. All of this is wonderful. Truly. I think Scarlett is an absolutely adorable child, and children with Down Syndrome are being given the attention and investment to their academic, social, and career futures now more than ever in society. This shift to embrace those affected by Down Syndrome has made leaps and bounds to improving quality of life for those afflicted, as well as overall life expectancy. Any organization that benefits these individuals is an applaudable one. However, I'm a little disappointed that the $1 isn't being matched by DeAnne and Mark. Essentially, that $1 pledge is offset by the capsule upcharge to the consultant. It doesn't cost more to make a smaller Carly. It costs less. Personally, I'd love to see the following happen: 1. $1 from every Scarlett in the launch donated. 2. $1 from every Scarlett in the launch MATCHED by DeAnne and Mark, personally. 3. A portion of the sale of ALL Scarletts donated going forward 4. A match of all Scarletts matched by the Stidhams going forward That being said, I find the timing of this whole launch and charity spin to be slightly on the side of "perfectly timed". With all the negative circulating in the media right now, a good PR person would advise the Stidhams to do exactly this. Spin it. How can we be bad if we're donating? Indeed. I know we would sure like to see a copy of an accepted pledge letter or a cancelled check to the NDSS after this whole launch goes on. But this whole report is only a portion of the reason for this blog today. Talking charity, and charity spin- I want to use my influence to do a good deed for an individual that needs it immediately. Because I can. Being MommyGyver, and writing on the topic of LuLaRoe draws a lot of inquisitive minds to my blog. It brings in scores of emails and comments. Some of those lead to conversation, like the one I had last night with a husband of a LuLaRoe rep. I swore to keep his information confidential, as well as his wife's. But I also pledged my help in getting a cause important to them heard en masse. This couple has a little girl. She's 8 years old, and she has a best friend. Her best friend, Maddison Mertz, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme Cancer on November 18th… and Maddison needs a miracle. This form of cancer is extremely rare and difficult to treat. To add insult to injury, they discovered 6 more tumors in her brain recently. Now, this strikes me on a very personal level. Readers may be aware that I have an 8 year old daughter, and may also be aware that I lost a son, just under 2 years ago to a rare disease. Even though my son passed away, I absolutely believe in miracles. For us, our miracle was the child that came after my son's death- who should have also been born with the same rare disease- but through the miracle of medicine, I have a healthy 8 month old boy to love twice as hard. But because I know what it feels like first hand to deal with both rare disease and the need for medical miracles, this particular story resonated loudly with me. And so, I'm going to do my part and share. You, me, and the LuLaRoe representative whose husband told me about this young girl's fight- we are not DeAnne and Mark. We do not have an empire of leggings. But we can still help. We can do more than $1 a dress in a launch, can't we? We can be led by example. This couple donated ALL their LuLaRoe profits from December to Maddison's cause. To the tune of around $6,500... to help Maddison fight. I'm not going to ask you all to do the same. Instead, I am going to ask you to take DeAnne's example. (This is the one and only time I will EVER instruct you to follow her lead, I can guarantee.) For every Carly in your closet- I want you to donate $1 to Maddison. For every pair of leggings you own, holy or otherwise, I want you to make a donation. Count them up, and decide what you can afford to give from each pair- 10 cents, 25, or $1... whatever you can afford to give- and give it. If you are a consultant, I challenge you to pledge a portion of your sales to this little girl. You decide what you can afford- and do it. The why? Because how many of you are mothers? How many of you signed up to sell to better your children's lives? Better HER life too. Here is an example of a little girl that needs it, and needs it now. There is no negative media here. There is no damage control. Just a little girl with cancer who deserves a dollar a dress just like anyone else and you don't have to upcharge anyone to make a difference in this one life. Can you do this? Will you do this- and do it because Mommy said so? Here is her link: https://www.gofundme.com/maddison-mertzs-miracle UPDATE: There is an event being planned for her benefit. Please check it out HERE.