Beauty Tuesday - Shop for a Cause!

You're invited to an online Stella & Dot Trunk Show! All commissions from this show will be donated to a family in need. They happen to be my cousins and are beautiful souls who happened to walk into an icky situation. The money earned from the show will be deposited into their goFUNDme account. You didn't think we would let you help this cause without a benefit for you did you? There are also specials going on just for shopping this particular trunk show! if you spend $50, you can get any of the following at HALF off! It is a great steal and that scarf is one of my faves! Shop for a cause here. Look good, feel good! :)
I have attached their story after the jump!



 This is their story:

"I’ve been in Portugal for the past three months with a goal of resolving a dilemma with my mother’s inheritance.  Over the years, after my grandparents passed away, their house was pretty much vandalized by people, who basically spent majority of their time under the influence.  My uncle, who is dependent, felt alone and abandon.  Therefore, he got involved with the wrong crowd after my grandparents death, and suffered the consequences immensely.  Now, we’re suffering the overall outcome of the situation, and my mother is left with the responsibility of fixing the damage.   Since my grandparents declared that my mother would inherent the house, she decided what she wishes to do with the house.  Originally, the plan was to sell the house in order to give us a quick fix for our financial struggles, but the house, for one, is not worth much in the condition it is currently in, and, more importantly, my mother came to the conclusion that it is best to preserve the home and restore it with time so that we – us, my uncle, and our family – can have a place to call home.

However, with a lack of finances and help, it has been difficult moving forward with the house.  We were under the expectation that the house just needed a quick clean and paint job, which was not the case whatsoever.  On top of it all, my mother has been the only one working on getting the house cleaned, and it is far too much work for my mom to be doing alone.   Unlike me, my mother got here about a month ago, so she has been working on the house on her own since.  As she made her arrival, I started working, so I have minimal time to contribute to cleaning.  However, I do try to help when I can, and when I help, I get insanely overwhelmed with the difficulty.  In all honesty, it is unjust that my mother is left with this responsibility.  I can only imagine the wave of emotions that take over her.  Not only is it difficult to clean, but also it is difficult to process the fact that this lovely house, which belonged to her parents, is in this condition.  What is even more unjust is the humiliation she is facing.  Neighbors are constantly contributing negative opinions and discouraging her, and some even think that she’s involved in drugs as well.   As her daughter, it's hurtful to hear, and, well, I feel the pain my mother feels.  

By the time my mother made it over to Portugal, we were staying in my grandmother's cousin's house while we tried to sanitize our house beforehand (she lives about four houses down from ours).  However, things did not go as planned and we had to make make our way out.  The humiliation we experienced and borderline torture was absolutely inhumane to the point where we were sleeping paranoid.  With everything we have been confronting, it's like we were thrown on a ship traveling through a midnight storm. 

Since then, we have been sleeping in our house cleaning it day in and day out.  It's a difficult process, but we will get there slow and steady.  However, there are unresolved issues with the house that go beyond our reach.  As of now, we have about four functioning light sources, so we have to use a flashlight to get upstairs.  There is a toilet that doesn't flush, clogged sinks and pipes, and rain gets in the house from time to time.  Aside from the asthetics part, there are some serious internal renovations that need to be done as well. 

I wish, and wish immensely, that I had the ability to help my mother myself, but, unfortunately, I do not, so I had the idea to create this fund, which I hope can shed some light in this unfavorably situation.I am attaching photos as well as videos of the current situation we are facing, and I do explain more in the video about this topic.  I ask that you all take the time to watch the videos, and please contribute whatever your heart desires and help spread the word.   Aside from my mother, I don’t have whom to turn to, so this is my cry of desperation.All proceeds will be going strictly toward fixing the house, so that includes replacing doors, broken windows, kitchen cabnits, any plumbing issues, paint, lighting, door knobs, etc.  Basically, the essentials for the house, not including furniture." 

- Michelle

Thank you for taking the time to read this all and thank you for shopping for a cause!

XO, Chris