During our 8+ year stint in China, I did some volunteer design work for a local non-profit, Home Sweet Home Shanghai. They provide vocational training programs for people with physical disabilities, including a educational residency program.

Below, is one of the items I designed and was produced specifically for The Giving Tree, who gives gifts to migrant children on an annual basis. Life on the road is tough, so the gift had to be easy to carry, and also be functional. The elephant backpack, doubles as a pillow or transforms into a snuggly fleece blanket. It features what was Home Sweet Home’s signature floral fabric at the time.

Items for HSH’s shop:

HSH also has a small web shop selling the goods they produce, and I designed the graphics for a few of their totes. The first, featuring their signature buildings of Shanghai at the time: the Pearl Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao tower on the Pudong skyline. The second design showcases popular street food.

What is love? Fundraiser

We put together a fundraiser for Home Sweet Home to publicize their mission and raise funds to support their vocational programs. We did this by organizing a large scale event, attendance over 1,000 people, by building a steering committee and team to execute the event. We secured sponsorships, an emcee, marketed, held a raffle, and partnered with local organizations to provide free services (e.g. mini couples assessments from license counselors). It was so successful, we were asked to organize the event the next year.