We had the good fortune of connecting with Karie Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
DETERMINATION…..On paper I was set to be a statistic, raised by a single mom, poor, father who rarely came around, sexually abused as a child, no college graduates in the family and drug and alcohol prevalent. I recall comments from peers, school staff, friends and their parents; “she’s not going to be able to go to college, she needs to just get a job and work her way up, she’s gonna have kids and not pay attention to them like her parents, how is she going to do better with no role models”, etc. What they didn’t know is that with each comment a little fire was lit in me. That determination grew with each comment. That determination was going to show I was not a statistic, my past did not determine my future and I could do anything I set my mind to. So I did what anyone with a heart full of determination did, I proved each and everyone of them wrong! I graduated with a bachelors of science, I became a mother to a beautiful daughter and my parenting skills are impeccable, I bought my own home, attended graduate school and obtained my Masters degree! I was even able to fulfill a little passion that was placed on my heart, I became a foster parent. I opened my home to kids in foster care to provide them with safety, stability and love, something I longed for as a child. Becoming a foster parent gave me the opportunity to adopt my son and give him a forever home. Becoming a foster parents led to new determinations that lead me to starting Stitched Together to meet a local need with kids in foster care.

What should our readers know about your business?
Stitched Together is a small, new non-profit and is being ran out of my home. I had this idea back in February of 2019 to make Hope Cases, I solicited via Facebook donations from family and friends and set a goal of making 100 Hope Cases. OMG so many donations started rolling in and I was able to meet my goal with 2 months! I was BLOWN away. I kept going and finally in November of 2019 I created Stitched Together. Stitched Together was started when as a foster parent I saw kids coming into care with nothing to call their own. These kids were being removed from the only home they knew with nothing or minimal items that were shoved into a trash bag. What kid should carry their “life” in a trash bag? Stitched Together was created to meet a need for local kids entering foster care. We strive to provide each kid entering care with a Hope Case; bag filled with both essential items (shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) and comfort items (stuffed animal, blanket, coloring book, crayons, book, etc). Each Hope Case contains age age specific items. The cases we currently pack are Preemie, Baby, Kid and Teen. We want to foster hope to each kid entering the foster care system and let them know THEY MATTER and THEY ARE LOVED as well as ease their transition. I am excited that we have already been able to add new programs in this short time and are currently partnered with another non-profit for a Back to School Bash where Stitched Together will be providing lunch kits for foster kids. Stitched Together is ran solely on donations and generosity of others, This girl is not stopping and I will be the voice for these kids!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Can I just say food and wine! We would need to visit Meza Wine Shop in my hometown of Westerville for a nice glass of wine and a charcuterie board. They have this cute little shop in downtown that is inviting and perfect for a catch up session. Heading next to Short North for some art and catching a sunset of our cities skyline in Downtown Columbus.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first SHOUT OUT needs to go to my sister Shelly, if it was not for her I may not have survived my childhood and she defiantly provided me with many memories! She was only 4 years older but had the responsibility of caring for me. She has always believed in me and is one of my biggest cheerleaders. My second SHOUT OUT has to go to my long time friend Kerry. This girl saw me in my darkest hours and never judged me or gave up on me, she loved me and kept trying to lead me to God, Because she never gave up on me it lead to my third SHOUT OUT Adventure Church! My home, my biggest supporter and my family, with out Adventure Church I am not sure where my life would be or if I would have found the path God had for me. My last and final SHOUT OUT goes to my two amazing kiddos Isabele and Jonquin, they do this crazy thing called life with me and make each day an adventure, I do what I do for them. There are lots more family and friend I could not name but they know who they are and that I love them all.

Website: https://stitchedtogethercolumbus.org
Instagram: stitched_cbus
Linkedin: Stitched Together Columbus
Facebook: @stitchedtogether

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