I love working with people in the community, it  gives you a sense of connectedness and community pride that I don't think can be achieved any other way. When John, one of the amazing teachers involved with the World of Work program, approached me about a mentorship I was honored.   When I initially went to the school to check out their program I was blown away!  Chris and John have built a fabulous program that is intensely gratifying for the kids,  I saw a true sense of accomplishment  on those 8th grade faces when they  told me about the different projects they were working on.  They have taught them not only technical skills but life lessons as well. The student's faces lit up when they explained to me that they have learned how to work hard and take pride in their work, how to be part of a team when they realized others were counting on them.  After seeing their fantastic program, John and I brainstormed, we wanted to do something extra as well, create a partnership,  I wanted to involve their program in my local business, a way of offering my clients a distinctive way to invest in the youth and give back to the community,  so we came up with an exclusive boutique item.  Chris and John have professional experience that has allowed them to teach the students how to make a quality art product, along with their state of the art equipment, they are hand making and creating canvases in a custom barn wood frame.  They do a fabulous job, my clients have been thrilled with their art pieces.  Proceeds from these sales go back into the WoW program.  I had to share the article that was in Simply Family Magazine last month just in case you didn't catch it,  you can see it here!  Take a minute and read all about the awesome WoW endeavors, our schools have some fabulous things going on, we can be proud!