COLORADO SPRINGS — Eclectic Co. is working alongside a local artist to sell stickers that raise awareness of congenital heart defects (CHD) in infants; all of the proceeds go to support the American Heart Association.
The retail space that helps to promote and sell creations from local makers has continued their work through 2020 and have even expanded their space, opening a new storefront in Old Colorado City.
The new location gives the owners the opportunity to host more local artists and continue to support the community, of which they are a part.
"Over all, everyone has just been [rallying] around small businesses," said Ani Trejo Barrington, co-owner of Eclectic.
"We just feel very fortunate to be in this community that was so ready to jump behind their small businesses," added Peri Bolts, co-owner and founder of Eclectic.
The business is now also selling heart-shaped stickers created by Hope Ezell, an artist who formerly partnered with Eclectic, whose infant son, Liam, was born with a congenital heart defect.
"When he was 15 days old, they found a congenital heart defect and he had heart surgery at 18 days old," stated Hope.
Following a successful surgery, Hope reports that Liam is thriving but will have to make regular visits to the doctor regarding his heart for the rest of his life.
Hope crafted the design on the stickers to feature her son's heart and birth flower.
The sale of each sticker will send proceeds to the American Heart Association. The owners of Eclectic and Hope aim to raise awareness of CHD's and how to detect them early.
According to the CDC, CHD's affect about 40,000 births per year in the United States and, "About [25 percent of] babies with a CHD have a critical CHD. Infants with critical CHD's generally need surgery or other procedures in their first year of life."
"So now it's really about raising awareness and making sure that people understand that this is not the time to back away from helping people," commented Hope, "this is the time when we need to move forward and help these associations do what they need to do for the families that are in these situations."
To learn more about Eclectic and these heart-shaped stickers, CLICK HERE.
