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LEHI — A local jewelry company is set to donate $75,000 to Alzheimer's Association in honor of the owner's mother who passed from the disease.
Sydney Bledsoe and her brother's wife Janelle Lucero started Pip Pop Post in January 2022 after not being able to find earrings that checked all their boxes of style, quality and comfortability. But soon after, the two wanted to do something more.
"We knew as we started getting more customers we wanted to be able to connect with them on a deeper level, so wanted to give back somehow," Bledsoe said. "Our mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2010, so that was a cause that is very near and dear to our heart."
Pip Pop Post already had a heart earring style, so they decided to honor their mom Laneeda Lucero and those affected by Alzheimer's by creating a purple heart design where all proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association. The next donation, all from the purple heart earring proceeds, will total $75,000.
"It's been really amazing to connect with customers on a deeper level rather than just a surface customer-business relationship," she said. "The (messages) we have received — just off of this one earring — are really amazing and just the stories we have heard and the people that in a such a small way it's helped them feel seen ... (that) has been really special to us."
This will be the third and largest donation the company has made to the foundation.
The majority of the donation will be split up between the Utah chapter and the Seattle chapter where Bledsoe's brother lives, but smaller portions will also be given to the Dallas chapter where Bledsoe grew up and to communities where the company has seen a lot of customers purchasing the purple heart.
"Alzheimer's is a really fascinating disease, it feels kind of invisible. We generally think about it for those who are in an older population ... but for Sydney's mom to be diagnosed as early as she was, it affected the family in a really material way. The send-off to college and weddings looked a little different. The first time babies were born, that looked different as well," Bledsoe's husband Brandon said.
He said it's important for businesses to find ways to contribute to the community and to do as much good as they can.
As the company is nearing the threshold of having donated more than $100,000 to the foundation, Brandon Bledsoe said it has been so special and exciting to see how much impact Pip Pop Post is having on a disease his family has experienced so intimately.
"No matter the size of how you give back — whether it's monetary or just serving your community — I feel like it's important and it sets an example to the other companies around to show that people are still doing good things," Sydney Bledsoe said. "We have been really lucky to see the success we have had and this is the smallest thing we can do to give back."
Sydney Bledsoe said she is hoping Pip Pop Post can lead by example in helping her community and helping other companies prioritize giving back as well.
Pip Pop Post will be participating in the Utah annual Walk to end Alzheimer's on Sept. 28 where people gather to walk in honor of those battling the disease and teams raise funds for research. Pip Pop Post is hoping to raise even more funds for the foundation at the event with their team donation page.
The business is planning to always have the purple heart earring available for anyone who wants to support the cause. The company also hosts a 19% off sale in honor of Bledsoe's mother's birthday on June 19.
"Any reminder that we have of her we like to bring that up with our customers. It's easy to lose the personal touch when it comes to business and companies, so we like to stay personal with our customers," Bledsoe said. "We will always have the purple heart."
