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Meet Lucy. Lucy is fourteen years old and in 8th grade. While Lucy lives in America now, she was adopted from The Raining Season in Sierra Leone, West Africa. When she arrived at the center she was two years old. In 2011, she was adopted by a family in Iowa. Lucy has cerebral palsy, however, that has never slowed her down. She loves to play basketball with her friends, FaceTime with her friend Kylie, and most recently, run her own business. Lucy's best friend Kylie is also her business partner. They met in first grade and have been friends ever since! How did Lucy start her own business?
When Lucy turned fourteen, she saw her brother applying for jobs and wanted to get a job to earn money like him. Lucy has a heart of an entrepreneur, so with the help of her Mom and friend, Kylie, the idea of Lucy Love Boxes was born in June of this year. They sat on her front porch brainstorming and choosing all of the special items they could include in each box. Lucy loves hot cocoa, and after learning how to make it by herself using the family's Keurig, including cocoa in each box seemed like the perfect way to spread smiles. Beyond gourmet cocoa, each box includes a coffee mug, stackable marshmallows, a stirring spoon, a sweet and easy snack-size treat, and two Jesus-loving inspirational wisdom stickers. Lucy also includes a card that describes Lucy Love Boxes and the reason every box is sent anonymously.
Lucy's Mom saw this as the perfect business opportunity for Lucy. Lucy has brought so many smiles to so many people over the years. Now, Lucy Love Boxes will bring joy and help Lucy, too. It not only helps with her organization, but she is also working on her fine motor skills as she hand packs each box. She has learned how to weigh each box and understands that the heavier the box, the more it costs to ship. Lucy has learned how to deposit money at the bank through the business, and she can take the boxes to the post office to ship them. She even works hard on the presentation of each box, making sure that it looks so good!
Finally, as she prepares each box, she gets to shop at her favorite store, Walmart! Quite possibly the most special part? Lucy prays over every single box before it is shipped and seals it with an air kiss. Lucy's mom Jen shared, "It touches my heart to see her praying over every box. I can't always understand, but God knows what she is praying for each person."
To date, Lucy has already shipped more than fifty boxes, including boxes to Maryland and Arizona. They recently ordered a pinboard to keep track of how many states they have shipped to. While her business is off to a great start, Lucy is already looking ahead to the future of her business and brainstorming new ideas. She just sold out of her Fall box, and she is working on developing a Christmas box! Learn more about Lucy's story by clicking here.
Blog Post Written by Megan Laune, Blog Writer for The Raining Season.
