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the m.a.d.i.a. project
The M.A.D.I.A Project is our 501c3 nonprofit. The acronym stands for making a difference in America. It was formed in 2012 and self funded with my income tax return as a way for my family to give back to the community. I was doing foster care at the time and saw the need for a resource to help get kids clothes quickly when receiving an emergency placement. I began collecting kids clothing donations, organizing and offering to other foster families.
In 2014 CECILIA HOUSE was opened. A random conversation with a co-worker about my vision to open a transitional home for women in crisis set in motion another amazing opportunity! It was in the summer of this year we acquired our outreach vehicle THE PINK BUS which enabled us to be mobile and involved in various community events
In 2015 CURVY GURLZ BOUTIQUE was borne..the concept was partly a funding source for the nonprofit but also had personal meaning as a plus size woman myself. After a year..new building ownership and a huge rent increase for a space we had already outgrown closed us down..in the interim of searching for a larger space,
We opened THE PINK HIPPO in 2016 to help offset our nonprofit costs and have a place to sort, store and organize the kids clothes that we were providing to foster families. In 2018 we secured a large retail unit, expanded CURVY GURLZ BOUTIQUE and had space to operate The MADIA Project..soon therafter starting the free kids clothes voucher program in a back room. Tragically two months later the devastating Paradise Camp Fire would happen 15 minutes up the ridge from Chico. The Apocalyptic-like event would start us on a 4 month long disaster relief effort we never could have imagined..by the end we had helped almost 300 plus size women and families with kids who were fire survivors, not only free clothes but an endless stream of surplus supplies that had quickly started being donated to us. My call out on our Facebook page for plus size donations in addition to a news story about us quickly went viral leading to a massive onslaught of daily donation packages and boxes; clothing, supplies, gift cards and cash from all over the US. I was humbled by the overwhelming compassion of strangers. I still don't know how just me, my amazing mother and a couple volunteers a few hours a day were able to quickly and fairly efficiently transform the boutique into a major donation hub and for a sustained period of time. Looking back now I know we were meant to make an impact the minute our small grassroots nonprofit was being entrusted with such large scale donations during an historical natural disaster. We were called into action..and with the help of others we
MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Tax ID# 27-0525360
The Pink Bus (2014-2018)
THE PINK HIPPO(2016-2017)
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Cecilia House (2014)
A six month, goal-based residential program for women and children in crisis. A product of fortunate timing and opportunity I was able to initially self fund a portion of the start-up costs while networking donations to furnish and stock with food and supplies. Once we had a full house (5 women, 3 w/kids) we operated on a sliding scale for program fees or offered funding from post rehab programs. We were a CPS approved transitional housing program, and a safe house option for women coming from the domestic violence emergency shelter. We provide 2 group sessions per week..one led by a holistic drug and alcohol counselor, the other by me on life skills topics, motivation, empowerment and goal-setting. We quickly had a waiting list and was deemed a huge resource for the community. Unfortunately it was short lived due to the owner of the house falling ill and his family choosing to sell the house. We had to close only 6 months after opening.
The Voucher Program (2018-2019)
Having personal experience through fostering and my social services background I had an understanding for the hardships both financial and emotional facing single mothers. I developed the voucher program (housed inside a separate back room of Curvy GURLZ Boutique) to be a resource for qualified low income families to supplement clothing for their children. Not meant for long-term "free" clothing, but to help with immediate needs with the option of volunteering in exchange for clothing should the need be ongoing or more than the set limits. This was to encourage women be independent, gain a job skill, or be able to give back to the community. This program was set up just prior to the fire disaster in our neighboring community Paradise, Ca. in which hundreds of families with children were able to get new and donated clothes.