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Daniel Nester
Will Design for Change…
Posted by Emily Pilloton, October 14th, 2009
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Filed under: Original Essays.
About six months ago, at a fundraising event for the nonprofit I founded, Project H, a six-year-old girl handed me a pickle jar full of pennies. Project H is a nonprofit coalition of product designers working on humanitarian products, and the event was in honor of the Los Angeles chapter's newly launched initiative, Abject Object. The project is an ongoing collaboration between a team of designers and residents of the city's homeless shelters, through which they design, produce, and sell retail accessories made from reclaimed textiles. The proceeds from sales then go directly back to the shelters, as well as to the individual who made the product. It's an amazing educational and design co-op model that continues to grow. I had recognized the little girl as the daughter of one of the Los Angeles chapter members.
The pickle jar was handed to me with the sort of confidence with which an Academy Awards statue is handed to the winner of the Best Actress category. The little girl's assuredness said, "I think this belongs to you. You've earned it; carry it with pride." The jar was ...
