Rule number one, my own personal rule anyway, is that you need to always look at the why’s to truly understand the what’s, and for those that are truly interested in becoming a part of the Believe Foundation, either as a mentor or as an applicant for this program, we need you to know why this program is so important and beneficial for women between the ages of 18 to 30.

I am a big believer that things happen for a reason, and that we are meant to be where we are meant to be, but when I think back on my life from the ages of 18 to 30 I realized that if I had the support of others in my life, maybe my life would have turned out differently. Maybe, I wouldn’t have felt like I was the only one living through my own personal hell. Maybe, the other women in my life, me included, weren’t products of our time and behaving like they were told to. Whether I was told to suck up my emotions, because god forbid your air your dirty laundry or embarrass anyone, or maybe, if I had not been made to feel like I had the plague because I had a vagina, I may have made better life choices and still struggling to find my place in the world at the age of 54.

I started to research and get feedback from other women as to how they also felt at this age, because as the years passed, and when I started to have a voice, I came to the realization that the majority of us felt like we were sinking in that same boat back then. Many women that have lived with, and experienced any form of trauma, remembering trauma comes in many forms, had a support network that was almost non existent between the ages of 18 to 30, and, as sad as it is, this problem still exists to this day, if not worse.

Whether it be from the lack of governmental funding and mental health resources and programs, sexism, stigmatism from society, or from the history of our upbringings, it was no excuse, but when looking back at the big picture, all I know, and as many other women have agreed, is that if we had not pushed other women away, like we were taught to, then maybe we would have made better choices and looked at ourselves, and the world a little bit differently.

Dollz by Dezign’s main focus has and always will be about helping women live a better life. With our experiences, and by educating ourselves, we are proudly introducing The Believe Foundation as a Mentorship Program for women between the ages of 18 to 30, with the second prerequisite being that they are living with, or a survivor of any form trauma, abuse, or mental illness. We choose this age group because we felt that it is one of the most detrimental ages in a women’s life where she has become an adult and has many decisions to make about which direction her life is going. Being a trauma victim, suffering from the effects of trauma, abuse, or mental illness, only makes her ability to make the right choices that much harder, especially when the underlying factors within society such as government cutbacks and the lack of a support network for this age group are extra added stressors and create more damage.

The Believe Foundation Mentorship Program allows the woman to have a diverse group of women of all ages, that are all unique in their own life experiences, to hang out with, and use as a sounding board in hopes that she will make decisions in her life that will benefit her the best. Decisions that will allow her to live her best life and never feel guilty for being her true authentic self.

Whether it be through education programs, meet ups, riding the roads, taking courses, and helping out as a group in their communities with the variety of charities we support, both the mentor and mentee are asked to take part in the future of The Believe Foundation. We embrace each person as an equal and welcome their voice as to how the foundation moves forward with its daily functions, and adopt their ideas for future outings, etc. All of us working as a whole, together. We are pretty excited about how things are moving forward nicely and with the women we are mentoring so far, so please stay tuned for future updates and events in this section

One of our greatest highlights, while this program was being finalized was that we had already started with our first Mentee “The Girl With No Name” as a test run with her permission, to see how things would play out to help where help was needed the most. She is one amazing girl who we have purchased a motorcycle for. Each woman is unique so we gear her program to what would implement the greatest positive changes in her life, and having the ability and resources to ride a motorcycle is what she showed the most interest in. The ability to be free and on her own terms was the basis in our decision. With the heartwarming thanks to great people like Don Redekop from Learning Curves, and his donation to put her through the M2 course for free, she passed not only her M2 but also acquired her G1 at the same time with flying colors. She is experiencing what wind therapy and sisterhood truly means, so please make sure you read her monthly blog in our blog section.

We are always looking for great women and men to take part in this program. So if you, or anyone you know, would be interested in becoming a supporting Member, or Mentor of the Believe Foundation Mentorship Program for a fee of $10.00 a month, please feel free to drop us a line in our volunteer section, or email Skully at dollzbydezign@gmail.com . This will allow you access to monthly financial reports, details, and updates on our program, with the option to also become more involved as a Board Member.

Do you know a woman who may qualify as a Mentee and may benefit from this program? Please feel free to drop us a line in our volunteer section, or email Skully at dollzbydezign@gmail.com We will gladly set time aside for you, for a call or meet up time, as each girl is unique.

Much Love

Skully

In all the years I have been riding, I honestly, cannot give you an exact count of how many times I have been sitting at a light waiting for it to change, or riding down the road with my girls, even on those times by myself, and interact with women who represent our parents and grandparents age. Those times are to many to count. It’s the reflection in time when the lovely ladies of this generation seem to take notice of you, and slow down, follow you for a bit, and take their time to flash you a great big smile, and give you the thumbs up.

I love their stories and could listen for hours. Listening to them as they share and reflect on the stories of their past could be the key to imposing the wisdom necessary to helping our younger generation of women today live a better life then what they experienced growing up. I truly enjoy their stories, but the belief that they lived their best life possible, was furthest from the truth. The more stories I listen or listened to, the more I realize how many women, not only from my generation, but also from theirs, have not experienced life to the fullest, but they make the best of it. They all have wants and dreams, which they feel are unreachable due to their age.

What’s that term you hear all the time, “Live each day like it’s your last”? As time has past, and the more stories I hear about how many restrictions women lived with, and are still living with because of past beliefs, is that living each day was only the life you were allowed to live. Not a life you wanted to live by your choices.

Women finally being declared an actual person in 1929, having the right to vote in 1960 and actually being a part of having rights in our Canadian Human Rights Act in 1977, is largely a part of why women have not lived the life they have always wanted. Even though these factors have helped us along the way possess some form of equality, we still act how we were taught. The stigma that follows from these past actions, and our parents upbringing, their parents, and so on, and so on, still haunts us, and them, and all because we born as girls and is experienced by women worldwide.

This is where the idea for The Geriatric Wish Foundation came from. Giving these women the opportunity to do the things they have always wanted or dreamt of. We realize there are limits to what we can give, but if we can help and give these women the ability to access their dreams or wants, wouldn’t it be wonderful just to see that smile on their face.

One thing I have learned from this generation of great women, which took me till this age to realize is that the littlest or simplest things mean the most. This wisdom is like a gift of gold and costs nothing, and this is just another staple in a page as to why this foundation is being created. They deserve our thanks.

I myself would not want to die knowing that I had not at least tried something when I could have, so just like the Childrens Miracle Network, this is for the women who have worked so hard to raise us and that were not graced with the opportunity to stand up for themselves. Its for the women who did not have the life they deserved.

If you would like to take part of our up and coming Geriatric Wish Foundation Program, whether you know a woman who would benefit from this or have an idea, skillset, or the ability to sponsor this program in anyway, please submit your details through our volunteer or sponsor links. We are just in the beginning stages of this project and we need your help to make this a reality. To make a difference in another woman’s life.

Together we can make the difference.

Much Love Skully

Have you ever asked yourself this question, if you could change one thing about yourself, if you could help that one person, if you could do that one thing you have always wanted to try but have always been too scared to break out of the norm, would you, if someone challenged you?

This is what the Doll Challenge is. It’s a game of paying it forward, because once you do something for someone else, if you could change that one thing about yourself, or try that one thing you’ve always been too scared to do, you could be influencing another person, and so on, and so on to do the same things, then what a better world this would be. Not only would you be making a difference in your own life, but also for someone else.

So, let’s play!!

Do you love to crochet and have time to spare? Do you have any spare yarn or craft supplies kicking around and you want it gone? Do you know what happens to your brain when you crochet?

Well, let all of us here at Dollz by Dezign tell you from our experience is that is just makes you feel out right HAPPY, and possibly less at risk of needing bail at some point in your life. It’s a known fact that crocheting produces a calming, meditative effect and actually helps those that are suffering from memory loss and reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety. The mind-challenging nature of crochet helps the brain’s ability to operate even when it is damaged. Therapy plus doing it for a cause equals good feeling all around.

From teddy bears to blankets, we find this is one of the coolest and fun ways to give back, and the two or four legged people we crochet for find its an extra special way of spreading our love.

Stay tuned for up and coming projects, supplies and colors needed and if  you would love to get involved in any way with Crochet for a Cause please drop us a line by submitting your name in our Volunteer section and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

“Remember yarn is cheaper then therapy.” Skully