Down to Business

(See what I did there?)

Not gonna lie, when I was first informed that my unborn baby most likely had Down Syndrome, I was terrified. I had no idea what to expect, as I had little to zero experience interacting with anyone with Downs. I wasn’t sure what she would or wouldn’t be able to do. How serious a disability is this? How long is it going to take her to learn basic things? Will she have extensive health problems? Turns out I had very little to fear. I had never even imagined having a kid like her before hearing this news, and now I feel blessed beyond belief. Even being around Betsy for a few minutes, you can sense in her very spirit that she is not going to allow too many things to stop her or slow her down. She’s got a determination and a fire in her like I’ve never seen. Yeah, we’ve had some scary moments, most of them involving her surgeries, but she overcame those like a beast.

Seeking to learn whatever I could, I started finding people like her to follow on social media. Instagram is where I was spending most of my scrolling time, so that’s where I started searching. At first I was finding parents who had small children with Down Syndrome, and that has been especially helpful, giving me a clearer picture of what I can expect for Betsy as she grows. What I didn’t expect was being blown away by the adults with Down Syndrome that I have come across, and I want to highlight three in particular who are young entrepreneurs. I’ve wanted to promote them for awhile, and now seems like a perfect time, as they all offer products that make great Christmas gifts. They can all be followed both on Facebook and Instagram. I also must note that these are not sponsored promotions, it’s simply me telling you about some people I like.

First, there is Collettey’s Cookies. This girl is an inspiration! Tired of being rejected from job applications, Collette Divitto took it upon herself to create her own business with her homemade cookies. She is committed to hiring people with disabilities and helping them gain independence. She also has a mission to help change legislation so that the disabled can gain the same minimum wage rights as everyone else. Her cookies are awesome, and she uses healthy ingredients. There’s even breakfast cookies and dog treats, and whatever you order can be shipped anywhere in the United States. A mere paragraph is barely even scratching the surface here, so I recommend checking out her website.

https://colletteys.com/

Next, we have twenty-one-year-old Nate Simon and 21 Pineapples Shirt Company. Nate brings his humor and passion for fashion, specializing mainly in Hawaiian shirts and tees, and also offering other cool stuff like hoodies, hats, and even drinkware. They even have infant and toddler sizes, which I am especially excited about! One of the most popular shirt slogans is “Be a good human,” and I love that. Also important is that they donate a percentage of all profits to support Down Syndrome organizations worldwide. So not only are you buying awesome gear, you are helping others. Can’t go wrong here! If you want to take a look at their website, here ya go:

https://21pineapples.com/

Lastly, I want to mention John’s Crazy Socks, founded by John Cronin and his father, Mark. The two wanted to start a business together as John was finishing school, and they took John’s love of crazy socks and ran with it! They have thousands of designs and styles to choose from. This is an especially cool product because fun, colorful, and/or mismatched socks are traditionally worn every year on March 21, World Down Syndrome Day. Personally, I love this because I have despised boring socks since I was a teenager; a trait I passed on to my elder daughter, who refuses to wear matching socks ever. John and Mark donate 5% of all earnings to the Special Olympics, and over half of their employees have “differing abilities.” Like Collette, they are committed to fighting for the rights of the disabled, and their website is chock full of helpful information. You can find them here:

https://johnscrazysocks.com/

So maybe these young entrepreneurs have inspired you the way they inspire me, and you’ll feel like checking them out. As I said before, there are great gift ideas available from all of them. My guess is that anyone who has Down Syndrome (or a family member with it) would absolutely love getting a present from one of these places. And supporting these guys is a sure way to make a difference and help some worthy causes. Please share this if you know someone who might enjoy learning about them.

And before I sign off, just thought I’d let you all know that Betsy has had her first tooth break through TODAY! We are so excited! She is also working hard at learning to crawl, so I’ll have a funny story or two about that next week. Maybe a video too, if you’re nice. Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and subscribe if you haven’t already, or consider upgrading to a paid subscription. We’ll be back again soon!