I like crossing bridges. Many times as I drive across the Golden Gate Bridge towards San Francisco, my hometown, I’m always in awe of the beauty of the city that I live in. The feel of entering into the misty fog with the Ferry Building on my right makes me thankful for the many opportunites and relationships that I have here. The plethora of resources, the abundance of life and vitality are all a blessing to me in this world-class city.
I’ve often thought of myself as a bridge in this world. I’ve seen the deprivation of the majority world and the abundance of the first world and wondered how could I be a bridge to bring more balance. Being in the marketing and design world for over a decade, the imbalance was extremely prominent to me. More often than not the messages being marketed were not entirely truthful to their claims and I’ve wondered how could I redeem my skills for something more meaningful.
This lead to a life-changing decision to start EllieFunDay. We design baby blankets that empower marginalized women by providing a fair wage and dignified living. I’ve always dreamed of designing a product that would be the bridge to helping an under-resourced group of people. I’ve realized that in order to make hope tangible it doesn’t just stop at helping marginalized women, but it means looking at the whole entire cycle of the product and asking ourselves how are we being responsible and honoring for the whole supply chain.
For everyone connected to our blanket from the cotton grower, to the sewer, to the buyer; we ask ourselves, what is the most honoring way we can respect every person that has a hand in making it. This might mean asking “were pesticides used to produce our fabrics?”, or asking the question “how does employing a women bring freedom for her and her family?”, or asking “what does it mean to gift meaningfully?”.
This might seem idealistic in a broken world, but we realize that if we are able to just start with a small corner of our world then we are making hope tangible. We hope that this sparks others to do the same and that in the end we can all become bridges to opportunities and meaningful relationships that bring change in a big way.
SARAH LIN Chief Blankie Crafter, Co-founder: I am a visual story teller, a social entrepreneur, a craftster, and fashion aesthete. I am constantly finding ways to make the world a better place through design in new and unconventional ways. My passions are often fueled by my own experiences as a child, my travels, my day to day interactions with the unexpected and the ever changing world.
I am blessed to live in gorgeous Northern California with my husband, Elton of 13 years. We are adventurers that constantly challenge the status-quo and ask how can we make our world a better place.
Contact Info
T // 408 657 3331
408 657 3331 (FREE)
Fax // 509 355 9255
509 355 9255 FREE
On the web: www.elliefunday.com
Facebook: facebook.com/elliefunday
Twitter: @elliefunday