Catherina Gomes

2020 Reflections

Hello Friends!

 

I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday no matter what that may have looked like this year. As we reflect during the end of the year, I want to acknowledge everything that we went through together. Saying that 2020 was a lot to handle is an understatement. There was loneliness. There was grief. Loss. Confusion about the world we live in and the racial disparities in our country. There was a freaking pandemic.

 

But…

 

There were also social movements. People using their voice and their vote. Reflection on who we are as individuals and what we stand for within the quiet moments. Communities grew larger through virtual meetings. We learned to love in new ways.

 

And then there was the 700 Rivers community. All of you. The community that continues to show up and do as much as they can to give to others no matter the global circumstances. This year, you helped us…

Keep all 28 of our artisans employed and financially stable when we pivoted to employing our artisans to handsew fabric face masks from their homes...

 

 
Sponsor a Bangladeshi orphanage that cares for 400 children and donate fabric face masks to every single child to provide them with protection against the pandemic...
 
Donate fabric face masks to artisans at Designed for Joy, an NC non-profit that helps women escaping vulnerable situations learn to handcraft jewelry, bags, and more to allow them to safely return to work...
 
And welcome new members to our community through our feature in the Skimm. Thank you to whomever shared our Cinnamon Spice soap with The Skimm – they showcased it as a Fall Must-Have item!
 

This year was hard on so many small businesses. But because of you, we were not only able to hit our financial goal for the year amidst a pandemic, but we also made a bigger impact than we ever dreamed we could within our first year of our soap line launch! We were able to send thousands of dollars to our artisans in Bangladesh to create more soaps and prepare to launch new products by next year. If we were able to do all of this together in 2020, I cannot even imagine what we will accomplish together next year.

 

Thank you all for always proving that together we can create so much good in this world.

 

Sending you endless gratitude,

Cathy