Helping the Autism Society of North Carolina

As many of you know by now, both the Arts and Autism Asperger’s Awareness are important to me. And I have a not so subtle goal of combining the two when I can. (Remember the blog post featuring Faded Leaves?) Last month, while at a craft fair, I had a chance to take a break from my table and walk around and check out the other booths. That’s where I met Elizabeth and what made a slow day priceless.

The bright green caught my eye immediately. It’s the unique color for the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC). (North Carolina is one of our states here in the US.) I had read about the, “It’s a Cinch,” campaign, and was thrilled to meet Elizabeth, who began this amazing project.

What am I talking about?

It’s a cinch.

Really.

Like many moms of kids on the autism spectrum, Elizabeth decided to delve into her creative side and come up with a unique effort to give back to a place that has given her and her family so much - the ASNC.

Here’s the project.

Volunteers make cinch bags (those small fabric jewelry bags that “cinch” when you pull the strings taught) out of either their own fabric remnants or donated fabric, which are then sold for $10 each. All proceeds are donated to the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Here’s the goal.

Make and sell 1,000 bags, generating $10,000 for the ASNC. To date, 370 have been made and 286 have been sold, and she is always looking for volunteers to help her meet and exceed this number.

There are so many angles to this project that I love. For instance, the economy has hit hard for many of us, but if you can sew, you can participate. Click HERE for the project's link on the ASNC site. Too busy to sew? You can do what I did and donate some fabric so others can have some to work with, or recruit a friend to make some out of your stash. (Takes care of quilter fabric stash guilt! Give that fabric a happy new home - but email Elizabeth first to make sure she has volunteers who can make use of any donated fabric.) And if you’d love to buy a cinch bag, just like other sites that offer unique handmade gift ideas for the Holidays, this truly is a unique, handmade gift – and all for a great cause!  100% of the proceeds go to ASNC. Simply send an email to: jewelrybags@autismsociety-nc.org for more information. Bags are $10 each plus shipping. Although she can’t promise a specific bag, Elizabeth will try to fill general characteristic such as color, style, etc.

Not in North Carolina, or even the US? Not a problem. Have questions? Want to help? Just send Elizabeth an email and she can fill you in with all the details.

But if you are in NC, and have an interest in helping Elizabeth expand her project, she would love to hear from you, too. (email her at jewelrybags@autismsociety-nc.org)

See, I told you.

It’s a cinch.