It Could Be Anyone, Even You
Take a moment to think about a time you had difficulties paying for something that was either a necessity or maybe something you just really liked.
Take a moment to think about a time you had difficulties paying for something that was either a necessity or maybe something you just really liked. Can you remember how you felt when you knew you could not afford it but still needed it? The fear of the credit card not going through or being declined. The embarrassment of being told your card was not approved. OH my gosh it is the worst feeling ever.
I can admit I have felt that way and it is humbling. I have lived paycheck to paycheck and remember hoping to not have my account be in the red. Thankfully I did not have any one else I was responsible for and could live off of soup for a few days.
But imagine having a child. Now imagine that child being sick. Not only sick but with a life threatening illness. Your child is so sick you have to stay at a hospital a few times a month.
Now what do you do?
Life throws us curves balls all the time and a lot of the families we help were not ready or prepared to have to dedicate their paycheck to a hospital or doctor visit. It was not in their budget to pay for their child to have surgery.
I was determined to be able to eliminate that fear and stress a family has when they cannot pay for their rent or utility bill.
Recently we had a mom (Ruth) apply for our grant who was 4 months late on her rent. Her bill was over $5,000! I spoke to her landlord and she confirmed to me that Ruth had never been late in the past and that her and her daughter have been living in her apartment for a few years now. I was able to work out a deal with the landlord and the foundation sent her a $2700 check to help. I know that was not the total amount but that is the most we have EVER helped one family.
Every family leaves an imprint on my heart but for some reason this one hit me differently. I spoke to her on the phone and she was walking me down the path her and her daughter have been on the last few years. She first told me that her daughter was not properly diagnosed and her doctors thought she had a urinary tract infection. They sent her home, and a few days later she went into a seizure. Her daughter has chronic kidney disease. She has been on the verge of death a few times and is fighting for her life. If it wasn’t for the persistence of her mother to fight for her she might not be alive.
So do you leave your child who is in the hospital to go to work? I wouldn’t think so.
I am not a mother yet but I am a “bonus mom” and I believe that when your child is this sick it is a moment of fight or flight. You fight for your family and continue until there is no fight left.
The impression I received from Ruth is that she will do anything for her daughter and will continue to fight for her and her health until she cannot anymore.
I wanted to write this post because it is important to focus on why The Pearce Family Foundation exists. Sure, we love throwing events and fun parties but at the end of the day it is for the families who have nowhere else to turn. We are trying to keep them from living in a shelter or on the streets.
With the money we bring in from events and individual supporters we can make these exceptions sometimes.
Do you think you could spare $5 or $10 a month to be a part of our Angel Club? It is one or two cups of coffee a month, that you won’t miss as much knowing you are helping a mom like Ruth.
If you are ever in this situation or know someone who is, wouldn’t you want to know that there is a place like PFF who can help them?
Think about it, be an angel.
Let's Get Real
A few local companies who have done nothing but support us are the ones who will stand out in our hearts forever.
This might come off harsh but I am so sick of companies or people who don’t keep their word. Whether that be; locations promising you a great venue, working with others as a collaboration, to even a business not paying you as a sponsor. I have been blown away by the lack of professionalism PFF has had to experience.
You would think that being a small nonprofit in our community would protect us from the riff raff of bad business deals, but that is not the case.
I am of course not going to name names of those who have burned PFF but I will say it is very upsetting. My husband says, “you have to get everything in writing” and I see why. Over the past almost five years, the bullets we have had to dodge or things we have backed out of because they were a joke is appalling.
People say you always learn from every experience. What I can take away from those experiences that have left a bad taste in our mouth, is that not everyone is like that. When we do have an amazing company that keeps their word, goes above and beyond for us, we need to show them some love.
With the “bad” ones there are more good ones of course. A few local companies who have done nothing but support us are the ones who will stand out in our hearts forever. They are also successful in their own right and will last-unlike the faux companies/people.
So let’s show a little love to our rockstar companies:
I could probably go on and name a few more, but those are a hand full of the ones that have been a part of the PFF family for years or who have done more than we have asked of them. They are the ones who believed in us when we were a small barely existing nonprofit hoping to make a name for ourselves.
Thank you for your endless love and belief in our cause. If you do not know who these companies are I hope you will check them out!I don’t think any company intentionally was out to get us or cause the foundation unnecessary work, I just sometimes think people don’t know how to work with other businesses. The foundation exists solely from donations and company grants- we are still in business because of the companies listed above. We are a PUBLIC foundation, meaning we have to raise a certain amount and giveaway a certain amount. There are salaries, expenses, and bills to pay just like any other business.
Whether you are a for-profit or not for profit doing business with someone else - big or small, you must work just as hard as they are on the job. The foundation has had to put new rules and steps in place to protect us from phonys.
So lesson is and point of this post is to be respectful of all companies and people you want to collaborate with. Be upfront and honest on what you expect - and remember it is not personal it is business.
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
– Richard Branson
Skye Lucking
Get to know PFF AZ Hustler, Skye Lucking.
Name: Skye Lucking
Instagram handle: (I have a few!) @youarecourageous - For my YouTube Channel, Courageous Creatives@skyelucking - For my art and mural work@joyfulgeometry - My modern art products company@prismagicbooks - My coloring book company (about to close up shop on this)
Profession/Title: Host of Courageous Creatives https://www.youtube.com/c/CourageousCreatives
Artist for Skye Lucking Art & Design www.skyelucking.com
Lead Designer - Joyful Geometry www.joyfulgeometry.com
How do you know of PFF: I do a Fashion Friday segment on my YouTube channel which does a LOT of features around what is happening at FABRIC. I saw your Instagram video about your 4th Annual Runway of Hope and have been following PFF after that!
What makes PFF special: I've followed PFF along and this is an easy question! I am a mother of an almost 4-year-old and could not imagine having to deal with a life threatening illness for him as well as worry about how to keep a household afloat. What an amazing organization you have!
What is something on your bucket list? 2 Things: 1) Attend a Ted Talk. 2) GIVE a Ted Talk! (It'd be about fear and love.)
Sunrise of sunset? Happy to see both. It means I'm alive!
Coffee or tea? Tea. (Trying hard...)
What/who inspires you? Creative people because it takes courage. Courageous people because it takes creativity."Promote what you love, rather than bashing what you hate/" - This is the guiding principal for my YouTube channel. You can see it in what I produce.
This Looks Like the Start of a New Chapter!
In just a blink of an eye, there are so many new changes, additions, and updates that PFF has start to gone through and we couldn’t be more excited!
Can you believe it’s already April?
Yes, sounds so cliché but it is so appropriate for how we are feeling here at PFF. In just a blink of an eye, there are so many new changes, additions, and updates that PFF has start to gone through and we couldn’t be more excited!
To start things off...
this month PFF turns FOUR years old! Okay, wait. It’s seems like just yesterday we were starting things off and meeting our very first Angels Around Us family. Since then we have hosted over 20 huge events, expanded our board, took on a team, started Angel Pups and created long lasting memories. Going in PFF’s 4th year, so many things are changing around the office! We are MOVING. In the next couple of months, we will be taking the old office and moving somewhere new; this will be exciting and refreshing to start on a clean slate and continue to grow. Speaking of growing, we expanded two positions in the PFF team. Meet Hannah our Digital Marketing Specialist and Kourtnie our new Administrative Assistant! You will definitely be seeing Hannah around now and Kourtnie even more as she spent the last year with us as Event Liaison. We are excited to be expanding the PFF team and even reaching into our board. So many great things happening.
It’s always a little scary growing so fast but we are so excited and over joyed with all the success and growth that PFF is going through. We have made incredible new connections, partnered with amazing brands for upcoming events, and scored relationships that will help us give more back into the community.
So, it’s safe to say,
that many changes are amongst the horizon and we couldn’t be happier! We will also be featuring guest influencers on our blog here every month… so message us if you would be interested in a feature! We can’t wait for this 5th year of PFF and connecting with more of you.