Creating a Revolution – One Bracelet at a Time

rivet revolution

Let’s face it mid-life, middle aged, whatever you call it – can be daunting. In most cases our houses are a bit more quiet as we adjust to being empty nesters. Our jobs are transitioning or wrapping up and retirement is lurking over the horizon. As women we are facing so many physical changes we can’t even see straight some days. It’s an interesting time to say the least.

Sometimes it is in the depths of change that we find our most kindred spirits in life. Personal experiences with parents suffering with Alzheimer’s brought my business partner Susan and I together a few years ago and it has been nothing short of a blessing for both of us. We like to think that meeting one another and deciding to launch a new new business is the start to an amazing bucket list.

Susan and I are are amongst the 140 million family members and friends who have been impacted by a loved ones Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Susan’s father is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and I lost my mother to the disease a little over a year ago.

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The things we have learned about Alzheimer’s since we begrudgingly joined this community could fill a room:

One in 10 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s dementia
Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women
Alzheimer’s Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States
Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops the disease
More than 44 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s

In 2016 Susan and I met working at a small San Francisco Bay Area start-up and upon discovering that we both were travelling the same Alzheimer’s caregiving journey, bonded in a way that only those who have experienced the blank stares of a loved one’s eyes as Alzheimer’s steals their memories. Sharing experiences with memory care facilities, paying for care, finding ways to steal yourself away from the sadness led us to the idea of bringing awareness to this journey we were on and to connect the community of people affected by Alzheimer’s.

So what do two 50 something year old women do – they start a company. Rivet Revolution is a jewelry company with a big heart. Our goals were and continue to be: #1 – spread awareness of Alzheimer’s and connect the community – offering support to one another on this journey; #2 support the multitude of people caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s while trying to raise a family, go to college, or simply care for themselves; #3 support unique organizations who are helping to educate communities, politicians, medical professionals about Alzheimer’s and #4 support cutting edge research striving to find a cure.

We are often asked are we a charity – we like to think we are both a social enterprise and a charity project. Our 10% donation from every sale is helping us accomplish our goals. In less than 2 years, we have donated over $110K to our charitable partners. We are proud of the work we are doing, the impact we are making and we are excited about the future.

This fall marks 2 years since we started Rivet Revolution! We are popping the champagne and celebrating all the milestones. Loyal customers and amazing charity partners – we are so very thankful for each and every person who helped us launch this company, and to to those who continue to help us spread our message and to everyone who encouraged two crazy women trying to change the face of Alzheimer’s. At the end of the day your feet should be dirty, your hair should be messy and your eyes sparkling. Here’s a toast to all of us Revolutionaries.

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Creating a Revolution – One Bracelet at a Time
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