Common ties
WHEN companies with similar values and visions come together to collaborate, only good and fruitful things are yielded. When these companies have a heart for the common good, the outpouring of giving is even more widespread. Such is the case in the partnership forged between lifestyle concept store Common Thread that curates and introduces many local and international brands, and renowned paper experts Printsonalities, who have come together for the benefit of MovEd – a non-profit organization that advocates to bring access to early childhood care and education programs in underserved communities around the country. Though both companies have individually supported MovEd and its causes through their own independent efforts, this is the first time they come together to collaborate for the communities and the children the organization serves.
Through a purchase from an array of some of the cutest paper merchandise (if I may say so myself) – think money envelopes with pig, elephant, and panda drawings, as well as pastel hues of unicorn stencils and unicorn outlines on notecards and notepads – designs of which are the results of the collaboration and concerted efforts of yours truly and the Printsonalities’ creative team of artists, available exclusively at Common Thread outlets – Printsonalities donates a percentage of the proceeds to MovEd to further fuel its programs.
In addition to providing Printsonalities an outlet in malls to showcase their products and give customers the opportunity to help out, Common Thread has set out to further its own initiatives through a school kit drive that runs until December 3. By giving its customers the option of adding a minimum of one hundred pesos to their bill upon check-out (one hundred percent of which goes straight to MovEd), the store is helping the organization raise funds for the school supplies its students need to aid their learning. For every one hundred pesos, each school kit includes: a pack of jumbo crayons, jumbo pencils, an eraser, scissors, and a plastic envelope (that doubles as their school bag).
When Managing Director of Terry SA (umbrella company under which Common Thread is one of the brands) Anne Arcenas-Gonzalez was asked why they chose to engage their customers in a school kit drive for MovEd, she responded, “Common Thread has a strong base of young parents and even kids, who are more socially aware and conscious about how their shopping choices can affect others.” Since they opened their first store in Greenbelt in 2013, Common Thread has always made sure to include in their merchandise mix select brands that have a positive impact on local communities, and they feel that the school kit drive is a great effort to make their customers participate in social change, even in a small way. As a personal believer in the vision of MovEd, Gonzalez, after having worked with MovEd in the past, has once again chosen the organization as the beneficiary of a social initiative of Common Thread because she has “always admired its vision and the actions it has taken to help Filipino children reach their full-potential through early [childhood] education and also through other programs that support the overall well-being of young children nationwide.”
MovEd’s success and its ability to continue its programs is heavily dependent and reliant on the support of donors, and in this case, customers who choose to patronize the promos and partnerships being mounted by Common Thread and Printsonalities to create a more widespread platform to help out. Because beyond early childhood education, MovEd’s greater advocacy is to encourage everyone and to show them that every penny and every step made towards change – big or small – goes a long way in the grander scheme of things. So yes, YOU can make a difference, and this world is counting on YOU!
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