One day Chris was scrolling through Instagram and stumbled on a post about an organization called Turning Leaf and at the very same time I was in the process of designing our classic tees and our collaboration tees with the Lowcountry Autism Foundation. It was a sign.
If you haven’t heard about Turning Leaf, put your listening ears on (sorry I’m a Mom of a 1 & 3 year old) because this company is the real deal. Yes, you can design and purchase your tees from any online company, probably in China, for 1/2 the price. But why do that when you can support a local company that is making a difference in peoples LIVES!
Nationally, 80% of inmates return to prison.
In 2011, Amy Barch, founded Turning Leaf. In her time as a volunteer at the local prisons, she saw the system was broken. In the last 9 years, they have proven that with a 4 month training session, which includes group therapy, one on one counseling, and on site employment training, they have an 80% success rate of graduates not reentering prison. Instead, every graduate is placed in a job, with competitive wages and the possibility of advancement within their career.
So how does this have anything to do with our tees? During the 4 month training session at Turning Leaf the men are placed in their onsite t-shirt shop where they are paid hourly to work between their therapy sessions. Each shirt that leaves their shop is signed by the man who made it. You will know by buying this shirt, you have impacted the life of the person who made it, by helping them stay out of prison.
Chris and I had the opportunity to tour the facility while picking up our tees. It was an eye opening experience, and these fine folks at Turning Leaf are truly making a difference in the world.
Check out their website at www.turningleafproject.com
