Who: Karen Dascoll of Towaco
What: Designs jewelry to raise funds for nonprofit organizations.
Quote: "I get as much joy out of making a check out to the nonprofit from the sale of the jewelry as I do creating the jewelry itself," Dascoll
said.
Background: After graduating from the DuCret School of the Arts in Plainfield, Dascoll envisioned a life as a commercial
or graphic artist and photographer.
For a time, she was able to live her dream.
Then she began to suffer from tremors.
"When
I was 29, I started getting mild tremors in my hands and it took 13 years to get a diagosis of Parkinson's," Dascoll said.
Two
years ago, determined to not let the disease destroy her dream, she began designing sterling silver and gemstone rings and necklaces
to sell at local shops and flea markets.
"I don't define my life by my disease. I'm not Parkinson's. It's just
something I have to live with," Dascoll said.
"As it turned out, a very close friend of mine, Cecilia Driza, has had a series
of health issues, including breast cancer. She got involved with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer a couple of years ago, and
a few months ago, I began thinking of how I could help," she added.
Dascoll began selling her line of "Awareness Jewelry" in
April. Created from sterling silver and Swarovski crystals, the combination pin and bangle design is called Binglez.
"It
takes me about 20 minutes to create each one. That's about three an hour," she says.
The jewelry sells for $35 and $39.
A portion of the proceeds is donated to the following causes:
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
American Heart Association
American Cancer
Society
Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
The Red Cross (to support our Troops)
The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (ASPCA)
"I haven't been doing it long enough to make a sizable donation--only $200. But it's a start, and I'm
hoping to be able to get the help of a manufacturer
willing to work off of my designs and donate the money to charity," Dascoll said.
Personal: Dascoll
is an animal lover and has made a home for two cats, two dogs and 5 birds.
