Hi, I'm Richie

When I was four years old, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She faced this disease over the next 22 years, with a multitude of recurrences and metastases, using chemotherapy, radiation, drugs, including some experimental drugs. She passed in November, 2015.  I made a promise to her that I would work to try to make the world a better place.  As I looked for a way to keep my promise to her -- and to honor her memory -- I thought of ways I might be able to help other cancer patients during the challenging times that they can face. 

 

From that, I created the World Change Organization, a social enterprise with the goal of finding ways to help support women challenged with breast cancer.  I wanted to create a product that would both help support women by making a useful product and create the opportunity to financially contribute to non-profit organizations supporting women undergoing breast cancer treatment.  On many occasions, I accompanied my mom to doctor's appointments and treatment centers.  I thought back to how inconvenient it was for her to carry things like her ID, insurance cards, and money when she went to the multitude of doctor's appointments and cancer treatments. She always had to carry a purse as her jeans didn't have pockets big enough.

 

That's when the idea came to me to make a pair of jeans that was incredibly comfortable to wear and had functional pockets that could easily carry her identification and insurance cards and even her phone.  A pair of comfortable jeans that were both functional and looked great as well.  I named them for her and Cathy's Jeans were born.  Additionally, 15% of the profit from selling the jeans will be donated to non-profit cancer support groups.
 

Growing up and watching my mom face the challenges and struggles of metastatic breast cancer, I saw what courage really means.  I saw a woman with incredible strength and will to move her life forward.  She was truly courageous.  She had a big heart which was manifest in her empathy for others, her incredible kindness, and an unbounded love of her two boys.  She was an incredible role model for the kind of person we all would like to be.  What she was as a human being was model for what I want to be as a person.  Watching her journey with metastatic breast cancer has taught me invaluable life lessons:

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1. Life is temporary. This is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn. Facing one's mortality changes the way you view the world. It changes priorities, goals, and how you live life from day to day. My mom lived her life with appreciation of the present and hope for the future.

2. Empathy for others. Real suffering exists. Watching your mom suffer with cancer brought a real focus on the importance of human empathy and caring for one another. She always cared about others and helped people in so many ways.  She showed me the power of dignity. 

3.  Perseverance is key. As my mom underwent more surgeries than I can count, she never quit, and she never gave up on those who held her so close to their heart. She never wavered in her dedication to her family, even with all the periods of pain and suffering she would going through. She was the epitome of courage. She was an incredible person and a even more incredible mom.

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These three important lessons, among others, are the foundational values for me and for World Change Coalition. Believing there is more to life than profits, we strive to leave a legacy that has a positive impact on others and makes the world a kinder and gentler place.

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The logo of World Change Coalition™ is my mother's fingerprint. My mom was an amazing inspiration to me and the driving force behind the vision for this business. Her fingerprint on these jeans, as well as future products and endeavors, is symbolic of the impact she has had on those who loved her and those that she will touch in the future.  The World Change Coalition™ is as much about paying tribute to my mom as it is to creating a better world.

 

That's why we are contributing a portion of the profit from every pair of jeans sold to organizations that provide wigs to help support cancer patients on their journey.

 

As my brother often reminds me, sic parvis magna, great things from small beginnings. Every journey starts with a vision, and a small first step.

 

This is ours.

 

We hope you'll join us.