Without going into my personal, intimate details of the events that transpired in New York City on September 2001, I will say this; small gestures can mean everything.

After a disaster happens, though our basic needs can be met and we can get back to work, it can take a lot of work to feel good again. I believe a kind gesture with that intention can help.

After over a decade in New York City doing hair/makeup and men’s grooming, I was ready to come back to southern California. About the time I decided to move back it was April 2011; tornadoes ransacked parts of Mississippi and Alabama, leaving towns grounded and their people feeling helpless. My older sister and I, both in tears over the phone while watching the news, decided my trip back would be a way to do something, however small, to try to help people feel good again.

The day we curated in October 2011 is one that I am most proud of, I’m ashamed to say it’s taken me 8 years to gain the traction to pick this ball up again. It’s been on my mind, but I’ve been afraid or not confident enough to act. It’s time!!! In the world we now live in, I have a talent/skill to offer, and people have stores they need to tell.