"I wanted to create a safe place for kids because when I had my daughter, I realized there was no store that only carried safe products," Adriana explains. "I also wanted to educate people about product safety," she adds. "Thi s [store] mixes this all together." After one year of business, Adriana recalls that the biggest challenge was explaining the importance of buying safe products for children and putting safety first, even above what celebrities and the stylish mom next door are buying .
"Safety for kids is more important than those things," Adriana says, so to get her message across loud and clear, she decided to donate all the store’s profits.
"I’m doing this for kids, not
business reasons, so I decided to show people I was really into this by donating all the store’s profits to children’s charities as proof that this is for real." This bold step paid off. Since then, Adriana says, business has increased thanks to curious customers and attention from local media.
She adds that selling the store’s merchandise has gotten easier as has explaining the benefits of safe, smart products, because customers know Summer For Kids has no ulterior motive. However, she adds, charitable contributions aren’t enough. "You have to have the products people will want to buy and need. [Consumers] are coming in for that first, and they also feel better knowing the profit goes to charities."
Adriana also created a blog (
summerforkidsstore.blogspot.com) to share information with parents about choosing safe products. Posts such as "Why Summer For Kids Chooses Natural, Wooden and Organic Toys," explain the store’s stance on holistic play that is healthy for a child’s imagination, mental and physical health, and the environment.
Other blog posts and e-mails are inspired by products Adriana encounters while selecting merchandise to carry on her store’s shelves. "I heard about a body-care [product] that was supposedly safe, but found out there was fragrance in it, and this isn’t needed. The company wasn’t honest with me." So, she says, rather than simply choosing not to carry the product, Adriana wrote her customers so they could learn from her experience. "I sent an e-mail
to customers about what to look for when buying body-care products and how to read ingredients," she says, noting that arming parents with information allows them to make the best decisions wherever they shop.
Summer For Kids also invites customers in the area to participate in events like Child Safety Day and the January Toy Drive, during which children donated old toys after Christmas. "
All of this is really exciting," Adriana adds, "but I never thought it woul
d make me so happy.
"
As she sees it, the store is helping all kids — "the customers’ kids who need and deserve the best and the charities that help vulnerable children. My hope," she concludes, is "to show that helping people in this way is possible."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Post - Holiday Toy Drive
Event Details
Date: January 16, 2010
Time: 10:00AM-5:00PM
Location: Summer For Kids Store 1235 Coast Village Road Montecito, California 93108
Phone: 805.565.2277
Link: http://www.summerforkids.com
Child Price: Free
Adult Price: Free
Organization: Summer For Kids
Event Description
For most children the holiday season means that new toys are on the way. After the holiday season the new toys are put to use while the old ones are left unused. Summer For Kids' intention for this toy drive is to encourage children to participate and donate their old toys to children in need without receiving anything in return. These children will receive a good feeling in their heart for donating their toys to children who are less fortunate.
Summer For Kids
Organic Children's Store is Hosting Post Holiday Toy Drive! We promise Good Feeling, Fun activities and Savings!
Date:
01/16/2010 from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Special Instructions:
bring unwanted toys
Join Summer For Kids in their post - holiday toy drive
Boutique collects toys for local children's charities
This Saturday, January 16th we will be collecting new and gently used toys for children in need. The purpose of this toy drive is to remind children of the Santa Barbara community the principle of giving. How exciting! :)
For most children the holiday season means that new toys are on the way. After the holiday season the new toys are put to use while the old ones are left unused. Summer For Kids' intention for this toy drive is to encourage children to participate and donate their old toys to children in need without receiving anything in return. These children will receive a good feeling in their heart for donating their toys to children who are less fortunate.
Summer For Kids will provide a fun activity for the children to participate in.
The ENTIRE STORE will be 10% OFF
for all who come and donate!
*FINGER PAINTING and COLORING!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SCOTT STEEPLETON, NEWS-PRESS CITY EDITOR
November 19, 2009 6:38 AM
After devoting her time to local children's charities, a Santa Barbara businesswoman and mother is now turning over the profits from sales at her children's store to help youngsters in need.
| The sign says it all for Adriana Shuman, right, owner of Summer For Kids. |
| STEVE MALONE/NEWS-PRESS |
Soon, a corner of the store will be dedicated to the charities, so shoppers know where the money is going.
__________________________________________________________________________
Village Beat
Summer For Kids
T his week, Summer For Kids
owners
Adriana
and
Mark
Shuman made a major
announcement: from here on out they
will donate
all
proceeds from the store
to local children’s charities in Santa
Barbara.
Adriana’s vision in opening the
children’s boutique on Coast Village
Road was to offer parents a healthconscious
and environmentally
responsible children’s shop, where
they can be assured that
products they purchase are organic
and ecologically safe. Since then the
Shumans have continued to participate
in local child safety events and
have regularly donated to children’s
charities.
In addition to 100% of all store profits,
Adriana is also donating her salary.
this year are Child Abuse Listening
& Mediation (CALM) and the Teddy
Bear Cancer Foundation. The charities
will change each year.
CALM is a non-profit agency in
Santa Barbara County whose mission
is to prevent, assess, and treat
child abuse by providing comprehensive
programs and services for children,
families and adults. Teddy Bear
Cancer Foundation seeks to ensure
that children with cancer receive the
undivided comfort of their parents
during the treatment and recovery
process. It provides middle- to lowincome
families with financial aid for
rent, mortgage, utilities, and car payments,
as well as other supportive
services, thereby allowing families to
focus on their children.
Adriana explains “they can’t do it
alone” – and call on all those who believe
in paying it forward. “Purchases will
directly impact the lives of children
for the better. Customers can feel good
about shopping, knowing that every
penny of profit will go to support children
in the Santa Barbara community
that need it the most,” she says.
To find out more about the Summer
For Kids Children’s Charities initiative,
stop by 1235 Coast Village Road,
Suite C or call 565-2277. Visit www.
___________________________________________________________________________
By RAY ESTRADA
While many South Coast business owners are just trying to get by, one Coast Village Road shop is going to give its profits to two charities that help children.
The boutique, 1235 Coast Village Road, Suite C, was founded a year ago as child health-conscious and environmentally responsible, where parents can be assured that all products they purchase are organic and ecologically safe, Shuman said.
Summer For Kids carries a collection of merchandise that is safe for children, environmentally friendly, chemical and toxin free, she said. To celebrate its first anniversary, the store’s owners decided to donate all store profits to the charities.
“We feel so passionately that this is the right thing to do,” Shuman said.
She said. “Our goal is to provide support to agencies leading the way in making Santa Barbara a better place for at-risk children, taking care of them and making sure they can get the services they need, and ultimately providing the foundation they need in order to achieve success as adults in life.”
CALM’s mission is to prevent, assess and treat child abuse by providing comprehensive programs and services for children, families and adults.
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation helps children with cancer to receive the comfort of their parents during the treatment and recovery process. It provides middle- to low-income families with financial aid for rent, mortgage and car payments, as well as other services.
Shuman said, “I’ve always wanted to do more to help these charities.”
Summer For Kids
Announces ALL Store Profits to Benefit Local Children’s Charities
Boutique’s passion for children’s causes makes lasting community impact
Santa Barbara, CA
– Summer for Kids, a local children’s boutique on Coast Village Road, was founded with the goal of creating a store that was child health-conscious and environmentally responsible, where parents can be assured that all products they purchase are organic and ecologically safe, and know which products are the most safe and healthy for their children.
To celebrate their first anniversary, and in an extraordinary effort to make a lasting impact in the lives of children, boutique owner Adriana Shuman, and her husband Mark, made the decision to give back to the community, and donate 100% of all store profits to benefit local children’s charities in Santa Barbara.
Even Shuman’s salary will be donated – she wants every penny possible to go towards children’s causes. Everyone understands the joy of helping those in need, and Summer For Kids and the Shuman Family are dedicated to donating every dollar of store profit to support local children’s charities providing support to children that need it the most.
“Summer For Kids’ mission is to positively impact the lives of children that otherwise do not have the means to live happy and healthy lives,” said Adriana Shuman, owner, Summer For Kids. “We feel so passionately that this is the right thing to do. Our goal is to provide support to agencies leading the way in making Santa Barbara a better place for at-risk children, taking care of them and making sure they can get the services they need, and ultimately providing the foundation they need in order to achieve success as adults in life.”
The Summer For Kids team has diligently researched the many incredible children’s organizations in town and has chosen two that will be the beneficiaries for 2010:
Child Abuse Listening & Mediation (CALM)
and the
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
.
CALM
is the only non-profit agency in Santa Barbara County whose mission is to prevent, assess, and treat child abuse by providing comprehensive programs and services for children, families and adults. CALM has led the way in building awareness, providing education and inspiring hope to everyone involved in the effort to prevent child abuse and neglect in our community. Visit
www.calm4kids.org.
While the concept of the store is already in and of itself a good cause for children – Summer For Kids carries a carefully edited collection of merchandise that is proven safe for children, environmentally friendly, chemical and toxin free – the Shuman’s have always been passionate about supporting children’s causes. Now, customers that shop at Summer For Kids will transcend loving support to those in need.
“We believe in the support of our friends in the community and look forward to the help that will be generated for these vital community agencies!” said Shuman.
To find out more about the Summer For Kids Children’s Charities initiative, stop by the store located at 1235 Coast Village Road, Suite C in Montecito, or call (805) 565-2277. Visit
www.summerforkids.com.
-###-
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer For Kids Donating All Profits to Local Children’s Charities
Summer for Kids
, a local children’s boutique on Coast Village Road, was founded with the goal of creating a store that was child health-conscious and environmentally responsible, where parents can be assured that all products they purchase are organic and ecologically safe, and know which products are the most safe and healthy for their children.
To celebrate its first anniversary, and in an extraordinary effort to make a lasting impact in the lives of children, boutique owner Adriana Shuman and her husband, Mark, have decided to give back to the community by donating 100 percent of all future store profits to benefit children’s charities in Santa Barbara.
Even Shuman’s salary will be donated. She said she wants every penny possible to go toward children’s causes.
The Summer For Kids team has diligently considered the many incredible children’s organizations in town and has chosen two that will be the beneficiaries for 2010:
Child Abuse Listening & Mediation
and the
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
.
The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation ensures that children with cancer receive the undivided comfort of their parents during the treatment and recovery process. They provide middle- to low-income families with financial aid for rent, mortgage, utilities and car payments, as well as other supportive services, thereby allowing families to focus on what is truly important — their children.
The concept of the store itself is already a good cause for children — Summer For Kids carries merchandise that is proven safe for children, environmentally friendly, chemical and toxin free.
Summer For Kids realizes it can’t do this alone, so it’s calling on all those who believe in paying it forward. Customers can feel good about shopping, knowing that every penny of profit will go to support children in the Santa Barbara community who need it the most.
“We believe in the support of our friends in the community and look forward to the help that will be generated for these vital community agencies,” Adriana Shuman said.
To find out more about the Summer For Kids children’s charities initiative, stop by the store at 1235 Coast Village Road, Suite C in Montecito,
click here or call 805.565.2277.
— Jennifer Guess is a publicist.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer For Kids carries a carefully edited collection of merchandise that is proven safe for children, environmentally friendly, chemical and toxin free.Now, customers that shop at Summer For Kids will transcend loving support to those in need.
Summer For Kids
1235 Coast Village Road, Montecito, CA
Visit the website at:
GREEN GUIDE
Summer for Kids store owners Adriana and Mark Shuman said they turned their passion for children and the earth into a shop that sells only environmentally friendly products. “We’ve been very fortunate,” Adriana
Shuman said. “I believe we’ve filled an impor- tant niche by being the only store in Santa Barbara County that carries only (environmen- tally) safe products for children up to 6 years old.” The Shumans said they had no idea that they were starting a business at the start of one of the toughest economic periods in U.S. histo-
ry – beginning October 2008 when real estate, banking and the stock market took a collective nose dive. Summer For Kids, 1235 Coast Village Road, marked its first anniversary by dedicating the first week of October to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. Shuman said the store also carries bath, sleeping and feeding products free of toxins and other items that are safe for the environment and children.
The store offered a 10 percent discount off merchandise to anyone who donated “gently used” items for children to the store for the foundation. Two of the products carried in the store are made by companies that manufacture toys out of recycled plastic bottles and sawdust. Other toys are made of organic cotton and recycled cardboard.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer and Adriana Shuman of Summer For
Adriana Shuman
of Summer For
Kids tells us the store’s first anniversary
(which they are celebrating until this
weekend) has been a big success, but
they are still collecting donated items to
benefit Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation.
Customers will get 10% off the shop’s
eco-friendly kids’ items when they
bring in “gently used” children’s toys
and clothes.
Summer For Kids is located at 1235
Coast Village Road. For more information
visit www.summerforkids.com • MJ
A First
for Summer For Kids
Adriana
and
Mark Shuman
, owners
of Summer For Kids on Coast
Village Road, are celebrating their
shop’s first anniversary by helping
to collect items for the Teddy Bear
Cancer Foundation. October 3-9, the
Shumans will offer customers 10% off
all merchandise when they bring in
“gently used” children’s items.
Summer For Kids offers eco-friendly
children’s items including organic
clothes, toxin-free toys and feeding
products. The Shumans also provide
educational materials to parents that
cover topics ranging from sunscreen
safety, lead and plastic toxicity, safety
recalls and more.
Summer For Kids is located at 1235
Coast Village Road. For more information
visit www.summerforkids.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer For Kids is dedicating the week of Oct. 3-9 to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
When local residents Adriana and Mark Shuman turned their passion for children and the Earth into a fun, colorful environment that sells only “safe,” environmentally sound products, they had no idea they were starting a business at the beginning of one of the toughest economic years in U.S. history.
A year later, their store,
Summer For Kids
at 1235 Coast Village Road, is bustling with activity — children are often playing in the play corner of the store while parents and grandparents shop — and they are celebrating their first anniversary by dedicating Oct. 3-9 to the
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Adriana Shuman said. “I believe we’ve filled an important niche by being the only store in Santa Barbara County that carries only safe products for children ages 0 to 6 years old … year-round organic clothes; toys, bath, sleeping and feeding products free of toxins; and other items that are safe for both the environment and for kids. We also try to support the American economy by carrying as many vendors as possible from the U.S.A. Now I want to give back in gratitude by raising awareness for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation.”
From Oct. 3-9, the store will offer 10 percent off all merchandise to anyone who brings “gently used” items into the store for the foundation (safe toys, clothes, strollers, other children’s articles or cash — anything that can help the cause). To thank its customers, the store also will raffle off a Plan Toys play table, valued at more than $400, to anyone who spends $50 or more during that week.
Summer for Kids does more than sell consumer goods. Its mission from the start has been to improve the lives of children, so it also provide education to parents and grandparents about product safety through e-mails and an ongoing blog that covers topics such as sunscreen safety, lead, plastics and more.
Click here
to register for its ongoing free educational opportunities.
— Jonatha King is a publicist.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In honor of National Missing
Children’s Day, which officially falls
on May 25, Summer For Kids, Coast
Village Road’s environmentally friendly
children’s store, is holding a threeday
event focusing on child safety.
Saturday, May 23, Original Sprout, a
company featuring non-toxic children’s
products will give a presentation,
and on Sunday the 24th local author
Gabriele Rose de Ginant
will be reading
and signing her book, “Rosabella.”
On Monday the 25th there will be
games and activities for the little ones,
and Officer Clacking
from the Santa
Barbara Police Department will speak
to parents about preventing child
abduction. Throughout the weekend
the store is giving away free child
identification kits, which are considered
imperative in the safe return of
an abducted child. These kits record
fingerprints, and have pages for current
pictures, descriptions of the child,
DNA and dental records.
“Sometimes parents forget their
child’s eye color and other distinguishing
features because they are
so distraught,” explained
Adriana
Shuman
, the owner of Summer For
Kids. “Nobody wants to talk about
the possibility of their children being
abducted, but we have to. We need to
Adriana, here with her daughter Summer, is dedicated to making Summer For Kids a resource for
Through the weekend, everything
in the store will be discounted 10%;
Shuman is donating 10% of sales
to Villa Majella of Santa Barbara, a
non-profit center that helps pregnant
homeless women carry their babies
to term.
Shuman says she is dedicated to
making Summer For Kids a resource
for parents and children. Summer For
Kids carries organic bedding, clothing,
non-toxic bath and plastic products,
and other environmentally sensitive
items. For more information about
the weekend’s events, call 565-2277 or
visit www.summerforkids.com
