Meet Jess of People to People

{image via simply jess jewelry, her blog}

Our friend Cathy Walsh from Sprout has been asked to design a celebrity jewelry piece for Jess's jewelry collection. Her efforts are for fundraising a trip to Europe through the People to People organization. Jess will be representing Shrewsbury, where she is a student at Oak Middle School. We all know, the minute you step into the airport you are representing your country as well, so not only is Jess representing her town, her state, but she will be a part of a much larger, life changing event.

The aim of the organization, founded by Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 is "peace through understanding" for children ages 10-18. Eisenhower asked 100 key people to the White House to brainstorm his ideas. One of those founders was Walt Disney, who was inspired by the event and built "It's a Small World" in Disney. That ride is very close to my heart, as I remember my aunt and grandmother made me ride on it over and over on my first trip to Disney. Perhaps my sense of adventure was fueled by this trip, my first flying experience. Another notable person was Hallmark card founder, Joyce Hall was on that same committee. As a designer of invitations, this inclusion was also very cool for me to learn. That Eisenhower started something pretty magnificent for a lot of American children with the help of some pretty significant creative American minds.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty, the cost is between $2000 and $7000 for each child, depending on their age and whether it is a foreign or domestic program they are in. I don't know how much each child is responsible for. For most, the price tag and the whole process could be daunting. While earning a spot in the organization is very prestigious, they also have to work extremely hard to come up with the cash.

Jess here has started her own business selling jewelry and looks like she is working pretty hard and thinking of all her resources. Bravo Jess! I hope that you sell a lot of jewelry. Your designs are great and it certainly looks like the right girl was chosen for the job. I had goosebumps while reading your blog, which I found through Cathy's facebook page. I am sure your parents are proud of you, but I think your fan club will get bigger by the day!

Jess is selling her jewelry to defray the cost of her amazing adventure to Europe. She will be visiting France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. Check out her blog and email her if you would like to purchase some of her jewelry.

simply jess jewelry