12/01/2021
Hello there! I'm Kate and I'm the face behind The Works Studios and dutiful maker of the reusable gift bag sets.That lovely lady next to me is my mom.
My mom started sewing fabric gift bags when I was a kid after getting tired of the massive amounts of waste produced by wrapping paper and plastic ribbons every year. As I grew older, I started to give gifts to friends and family in reusable gift bags and found that there were a lot of people interested in low-waste solutions to wrapping gifts. I started to sell them in earnest last year and was amazed by the support.
This year, I'm taking it two steps further. First, I decided to make the bags from fabrics with a second-life instead of buying new and contributing to the extremely wasteful textile industry. Secondly, I'm donating 12% of each bag set sold to the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA), a non-profit organization close to my heart.
When I was 22, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of Ovarian Cancer. It's a long story, but after chemo, surgeries, and a lot of overnights in the hospital, I'm happily No Evidence of Disease! For the past 7 years, I have been working closely with MOCA through many of their impactful programs, primarily Survivors Teaching Students, where we talk to medical students and professionals about the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer (which until recently, were thought to be non-existent). In addition to education, MOCA provides financial, emotional, and logistical support to gynecological cancer patients and survivors as they navigate the lifelong experience. MOCA gives millions of dollars annually to gynecological cancer research. I'm incredibly proud to be a MOCA supporter and volunteer and I'm so excited to give back this year. Please join me in reducing our waste this holiday season AND giving to an incredibly worthy cause.
Also, remember and share the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer:
* Bloating
* Pelvic or abdominal pain
* Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
* Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Listen to your body. If these symptoms are persistent and progressive, see your gynecologist ASAP. Visit MOCA's website www.MNovarian.org for more information
