Brittany and I have always been two peas in a pod.

I was a single mom when Brittany was born. Growing up, she was avidly involved in soccer and dance. Brittany always loved people and wanted bunches of siblings. Most of her childhood was filled with friends, sleepovers, and activities surrounded by others. I worked at Wright State University and was excited to support her through her college education. We have great memories of having lunch together and spending time on campus together. Even as Brittany grew up and pursued dating, her career, and volunteer opportunities, we still prioritized our relationship. We bonded over a shared love of fashion. We joked and talked about being mother-daughter influencers. Brittany fully believed and embodied the philosophy of style having no size, so we had the idea of showing different outfits on diverse body types. One day, we decided to make our vision a reality!
We named our social media "Little Bit of Leopard." We both show the same article of clothing styled in 3 different ways and on 2 different body types.

We started this on Christmas Eve of 2020 until she passed away in January of 2021.

Even though we weren't even a month into it, we had an absolute blast curating a following. Our family and friends encouraged me to keep the account going, and I finally decided to pick it back up around the first anniversary of Brittany's passing. I did it to continue to remember her. I've been working on that vision for over a year on my own. I decided I wanted something a little deeper to continue remembering my daughter through.

The idea of Knotty Leopard Designs was random. I was inspired by boho earring trends and decided I wanted to create my own. I asked my loved ones if I should pursue a philanthropy project by creating and selling earrings with the vision of donating 100% of the profits to organizations in Brittany's name. They cheered for me and encouraged me to go for it! The name Knotty Leopard Designs is a play on words that I know Brittany would adore. I had a highly successful first month and was able to donate $1,002.00 to Shoes 4 the Shoeless. I know Brittany is cheering this business on and feel it daily. I know boho earrings are accessible in many places, but I hope that Brittany's story can be felt here. I want her story and passion for people to be felt in tangible ways. That's why I'm so confident in donating all the sales proceeds. I want Knotty Leopard Designs to continuously be a working example of Brittany's love for people.

Some of Brittany's most noted philanthropy endeavors include her involvement in Leadership Dayton with a nomination as a class representative. She held a two-year position at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. Brittany proudly sat on the board of Project Read. She was active with organizations such as Shoes 4 the Shoeless and Habitat for Humanity. Not only was she involved with organizations but also in her intimate community. She was a pillar of support for her friends and family. I'm so proud of the mark that Brittany has left on the community in big and small ways.

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