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KR Jewelry's #FridayFallFundraisers

posted by The Princess Shop    |   November 25, 2020 19:19

Those of you who follow us on Instagram know that KR Jewelry has been running the #FallFridayFundraiser in support of The Princess Shop since September 18th, 2020. The hashtag really explains most of it - each Friday, Karen Robson, owner, jewelry-maker extraordinaire, and past Princess Shop Executive Director, posts a new piece that people can bid on all day in her Instagram comments. 100% of the auction sale is donated to our organization and if Karen's commitment to The Princess Shop wasn't magical enough, her jewelry featuring gemstones such as Rainbow Moonstone, Labradorite, Pyrite, Onyx, and so much more take the cake. So far, the auction fundraiser has raised $1126.00 with one week left! We (virtually) interviewed her to feature the business that has been giving back since it was formed and running this specific fundraiser for three years now!

 All photos from KR Jewelry's Instagram.

All photos are from KR Jewelry's Instagram.


The Princess Shop has been shortened to TPS in the following questions:

 

TPS: Tell us more about the KR Jewelry brand  - what inspired you to start making jewelry?

Karen: It started as a gift in 2011! I had a budgie named Tookey who would drop beautiful feathers and my mom commented how they would make beautiful earrings. Knowing that she loved earrings and that Mothers’ Day was coming up, I quietly gathered feathers until I had a nice pair, searched up a video tutorial, went to the craft store and back home, and immediately made a pair of earrings. I had so much fun (and my mom loved them), that I started to take apart whatever jewelry I had and started making new pieces. I was hooked! From there I continued to make jewelry as gifts or donations, and did that for 3.5 years until I decided I wanted to market my jewelry.

So it started with a gift, continued with giving – that is a major part of the KR Jewelry brand, and what it was founded upon. Selling it only provides me more opportunities to continue to give (I have never said no to a raffle/auction) and support our community and the volunteers/staff that are pouring so much into it.

 

TPS: How does #FridayFallFundraiser fit into your mission?

Karen: While I haven’t coined a phrase for a mission, I know that I want to make jewelry because it is a creative outlet, and that because it has the power to make a positive impact. 

I started #FridayFallFundraiser in 2018 because I wanted to initiate my own fundraiser. While I will always donate to raffles and auctions, I had an itch to take initiative and be a leader in the business community by creating my own fundraiser. I did not want to sit and wait to be asked to contribute to something, I wanted to do something myself. 

 

TPS: What’s your creative process like? It felt like that first giveaway piece you made to kick off the fundraiser was designed so perfectly for TPS!

Karen: I am completely inspired by the materials. The gemstones, the textures, the shine… the shapes. It is kind of hard to explain, but I like to figure out new ways to put all these materials together in a way that is unique, one-of-a-kind, and beautiful! Some have described my pieces as “from another time” which I really love.

 

 

TPS: What’s the importance of businesses like yours continuing to donate and fundraise on behalf of charitable organizations, especially in these uncertain times?

Karen: Having worked in Community for so long outside of the jewelry business, I saw firsthand how challenging it can be to fundraise, even in non-pandemic times. With a community full of many worthy nonprofits and charities, fundraising has to be creative even in a regular year. I also simply and truly believe in the concept of Community - taking care of one another, looking out for one another, and reaching out to offer a helping hand - and businesses like KR Jewelry benefit from a strong community, so it is in a way giving back.

2020 has been tough on fundraising, but 2021 might be even worse as the organizations that provide funding will likely be looking at reduced budgets for philanthropy and sponsorship. So now, more than ever, it is so important to support our nonprofit organizations that really do provide vibrancy to our community - something we all benefit from! I encourage and welcome any small creative business to take the #FridayFallFundraiser model, pick an organization to support, and get fundraising with their following - that is an amazing gift to the community.

 

TPS: How can people best support both KR Jewelry and The Princess Shop during this pandemic, even if they can’t afford to purchase items or donate?

Karen: Both of us are quite active on social media, so following, liking, commenting, sharing (this one especially), to help spread the word. And not even just on social media. Be a vocal advocate in your day-to-day life with coworkers and friends – tell them about The Princess Shop. The more people know about organizations like The Princess Shop, the quicker they will be able to step up and support when they can, because they are keeping their community front of mind. I believe that it is not just up to non-profit organizations to spread their own word and gain awareness, I believe it should be a community effort. I urge citizens to meet community organizations half way, pay attention to the amazing initiatives and programs happening right here in our backyard, learn about them, get involved if you can, and simply be a community advocate.

 

TPS: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to businesses and non-profits during this time of covid-19?

Karen: This is not the time to dwell on what once was, or wait on things to return to “normal”... even as we establish the “new normal”. I’ve watched businesses adapt with a growth mindset and those businesses have been successful. I have also seen some businesses that took this time to work on wish-list items (e.g. renovations, restructuring) to improve their current offering or customer experience, and they were able to because they had saved financially. There is a lot to learn from that as well.

 

Thank you Karen, for all that you do for the community! KR Jewelry can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

How the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon Serves the Community's Greatest Needs

posted by The Princess Shop    |   January 6, 2017 16:29

The Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon's mandate is to "Serve the Community's Greatest Need.” The Princess Shop is honoured to be among the many worthy causes in the city being supported by this volunteer organization. 

The Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon have been a major sponsor of the Dress Program since the 2011-2012 graduation season, as Diamond Sponsor! This commitment and support has allowed The Princess Shop to grow and flourish over the years, and this year we are celebrating our 10th graduation season supporting Saskatchewan’s graduating women in need! With last year’s 127 Princess Graduates, we anticipate another busy year ensuring graduating students in the province have an equivalent graduation experience to their peers!

As a nonprofit group, the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon puts on many initiatives throughout the year to raise funds that will go directly back into the community. It is important for the greater community to pay attention to these events, because their success is spread across so many initiatives in the community from grassroots sports to cultural events to social impact organizations like The Princess Shop! 

Keep an eye out for these fundraisers put on by the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon:

Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner - Feb 3rd, 2016 (tickets on sale now, here!) - The 57th Annual Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner pays tribute to hockey legend Guy Lafleur with special guests Mario Lemieux, Luc Robitaille, and GM of the Montreal Canadiens, Marc Bergevin.

Kinsmen Home Lotto – Spring and Early Summer

Kinsmen Car Awards – July/August

Aside from fundraisers, the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon also creates accessible experiences for the community:

Special Needs Shopping Night – November every year

Special Needs Movie Matinee – Spring and Fall

Kinsmen Day at the Zoo – Late June – Enjoy free access to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm 

Kinsmen Day at the Children’s Discovery MuseumMonthly free admission for all to enjoy one of Saskatoon's newest museums! The next one is on January 22!

Thank you, Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon, for your loyal support and commitment to the Saskatoon community, and especially to the Dress Program!

Pretty Little Shoes Gives Back to The Princess Shop

posted by The Princess Shop    |   August 23, 2016 19:32

 

 

 

Pretty Little Shoes creates an at-home shoe shopping experience while giving back to local women’s charities such as The Princess Shop! Pretty Little Shoes is an e-commerce initiative founded in January 2016 by Baillie Janex with majority of sales being online or through home Shoe Parties. Baillie is passionate about giving back to the community and that’s how Pretty Little Shoes became involved with The Princess Shop! For every 150 pairs of shoes sold through Pretty Little Shoes home parties a brand new pair of shoes will be donated to The Princess Shop to be used by Princess Graduates participating in The Dress Program

 

We have asked Baillie a few questions about Pretty Little Shoes and her involvement with The Princess Shop:

  

Q1: Tell us about Pretty Little Shoes

 

Pretty Little Shoes is a home and ecommerce based shoe company located in Saskatoon. The bread and butter of Pretty Little Shoes is the in-home shoe party.

 

Shoe parties are so much fun - we bring a selection of shoes for you and your girlfriends to try on, purchase, and take home the day of the party. What better way to spend an afternoon/ evening then trying on shoes with your girlfriends?! In addition, we also offer one-on-one shoe shopping appointments, shopping via our online store, and we also have Facebook and Instagram so our customers can stay in the know about all things Pretty Little Shoes.

 

Currently we carry ladies shoes from size 5-11, but also carry a small selection of little girl shoes. We offer a wide variety of shoe styles (boots, heels, flats, sandals, booties), and carry a wide array of brands.

 

Q2: Tell us about yourself! Why did you wish to be involved with The Princess Shop?

 

I am an entrepreneur, student, runner, friend, and volunteer. I love the flexibility that my business allows me to have. Each day is a different schedule and brings something new - which is good because it keeps me on my toes. :)

 

When I first started Pretty Little Shoes, it was a priority of mine to find a local organization that we would be able to give back to. I know a couple ladies who are Fairy GodMothers with The Princess Shop and they have expressed how much they love their roles, so The Princess Shop was an obvious choice. Not only is it wonderful that they provide graduation attire for the Princesses, but offering mentoring to these young ladies is very encouraging.

  

Q3: How does The Princess Shop benefit from your involvement?

 

I'm very excited to be involved with The Princess Shop! Every woman deserves to have a day that they get to dress up and feel gorgeous and if we can help by providing a pair of shoes, then I am so happy to be involved. Pretty Little Shoes is excited to donate one pair of shoes to The Princess Shop for every 150 pairs of shoes that we sell. We also gladly accept donations from our customers/ hostesses that we pass on to The Princess Shop.

 

Q4: What was your graduation experience like? Your dress?

 

To be honest, I wasn't overly excited about graduation and the dress up experience. I used to say I was going to wear a brown paper bag to my graduation. But when I went dress shopping and found a dress that actually looked good on my tiny frame, I got so excited! It was a gorgeous strapless, navy blue dress with ruching.

 

Graduation was always something that scared me a little - fear of the day, fear of what would lie ahead, and saying good-bye to many friends who I had become so close to. But my graduation day was close to perfection. I have so many fond memories of that day, whether it be the ceremony, getting dressed up, or spending the day with my friends.

 

Q5: If you could give Princess Graduates a word of advice, what would it be?

 

If I could give a word of advice to Princess Graduates it's this - Work hard. Dream big. Have faith. Don't settle. Success isn't just handed to you - you have to work for it. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, lift you up, encourage you, and love you just the way you are.

 

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Good things can happen if you stay within your comfort zone but great things happen if you step out and see what else is out there.

 

The Princess Shop is grateful for local initiatives that can give back to our Princess Graduates in unique ways! You can find Pretty Little Shoes online, to shop or book a home party, at www.prettylittleshoesonline.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PrettyLittleShoes. You can also find them on Instagram @pretty.little.shoes and using the hashtag #PLShoes. Check it out for back to school shopping and you will also be contributing to a good cause, The Princess Shop!

The Princess Shop Sponsors
The Princess Shop Sponsors
The Princess Shop Sponsors
The Princess Shop Sponsors
The Princess Shop
our location
12 - 1622 Ontario Avenue
Saskatoon, SK S7K 1S8
t: 306-222-3311

Store Hours for Dress Returns & Donations:
Monday: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Wednesday: 10:00am - 1:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 3:00pm

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