Big Love Legend: Danielle RG from Stitches Collection
Say hello to our Big Love Legend for September, Danielle RG, a fresh amaysim customer and Founder of Stitches Collection - a unique series of trademarked therapy dolls designed and made in Australia through the Creative Groundz Studio program.
Like all our Big Love Legends, we want to shine some light on the inspiring work she's doing and help spread the Big Love. You can watch the video of her team in action below:
We spent a day with the team in Blacktown at their studio, and DanielleRG was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the initiative.
What is Stitches Collection?
Stitches Collection is a not-for-profit social enterprise with a community conscience. Stitches Collection are a series of unique therapy dolls designed to raise awareness of Mental Health, Health and Social Justice Issues through creative works. They are created to open up dialogue with the next generation about challenges they will face.
How do the dolls help the community?
They help in a few ways:
- Stitches donate dolls to partnering children's charities supporting children in need who find themselves in hospital.
- Stitches in schools - Stitches Wellbeing Resilience Program - is promoting Healthy Minds and Hearts.
- Stitches Vocational and Corporate Team Building workshops partnering with Fun Day Out.
- Stitches Studio - Manufacturing project creating meaningful activities for those with Mental Health and Disability challenges.
How did this journey of creating Stitches Collection begin?
Stitches was started by community art engagement where I spent time drawing with local children - the idea came to create easy designs using shapes to teach children to draw. Stitches was create but not developed until six years later when I suffered a mental health breakdown and through my pain revisited the Stitches drawing concepts and bought them to life. Through all my 17 years of Community Arts development it was inevitable that the dolls would take on the issues all communities face, from all the individuals I've met, and they became a tool to engage children and raise awareness of Mental Health, Health and Social Justice issues.
How important are volunteers to the process?
Volunteers are the life blood of Stitches. Through our studio in Western Sydney we continue to engage local community and specialised groups that assist the manufacturing of Stitches. Stitches are hand made by those with mental health challenges for those with mental health challenges.
What’s your greatest success so far?
Our greatest success so far has been the development of our Stitches Wellbeing Resilience program (even covid could not stop its development) - actively starting in western Sydney schools.
What’s been your greatest challenge so far?
Our greatest challenge so far is the ability to continue stitches development through two years of covid in 2020-21 and being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. So it is with great community support that I'm cancer free and back on deck doing what I do best.
What does the future hold for Stitches Collection?
The future looks bright for Stitches Collection with book developments, Life size mascots, Theatre productions and Animation we aim for Stitches to be the next big project to reach the world promoting Healthy Minds and Hearts supporting the next generation on multiple levels.
What does “Big Love” mean to you?
Big Love means to us the heart of community that beats through Stitches dolls stories reaching the next generation one story at a time. It's the freedom to promote "it's ok to be you".
What’s the best way for people to help support you?
Support our fundraiser at www.startsomegood.com/healthymindsandhearts or visit our website.
You can discover more at the Stitches Collection website - https://www.stitchescollection.com/
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