Got A Lot To Give: Children's Inclusive Books
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill.
Here at No Such Thing, giving back is really important to us. The core foundation of our company rests on the belief that giving is really the best way to show compassion. That is why we partner with organizations that we believe in to help further their causes. We donate directly from the sales of our inclusive children’s books and coloring books.
One company we have partnered with, called “The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation,” believes that every child deserves to play! They thrive on the motto “Never Give Up,” pushing their audiences to persevere through struggles they may encounter. However, most playgrounds are designed to meet the needs of all who want to play, particularly the 1 in 4 of us living with a disability. Gwendolyn’s Playground will be the first fully inclusive playground in Santa Barbara, enriching public spaces to truly serve our whole community, and elevating play to be better for everyone! Within this playground will be a Magical Tree with a free, Little Inclusive Library. And that is where we come in! We wish to provide our inclusive children's books so that every child who comes across them will be reminded how incredibly special they are.
Meet our friend Victoria Strong, Mother and Founder of the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. Here's her incredible story:
“At 5 months, Gwendolyn was diagnosed with SMA Type 1 and we were told, ‘There’s no treatment, nothing you can do.’ Instead, we chose to NEVER GIVE UP. We called every SMA researcher and specialist in the world and though there was no treatment, we learned we could help prolong her life with support interventions and that research was being done on SMA - but it needed funding. Believing everyone can make a difference, we launched into advocacy, turning our devastating pain into purpose, and formed the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.
In the last 10 years, we’ve donated over $3Million to research, including one of the first grants to help get AVXS-101 gene replacement therapy to clinical trials, which is now the FDA-approved treatment Zolgensma. We established the Emerging Investigator Awards to bring fresh research talent to the field, took on the clinical trial process for all rare diseases, helped get federal legislation passed, and advocated for affordable healthcare, newborn screening, and carrier screening. We’ve also given over 500 practical support grants to SMA families for necessary but uncovered expenses like wheelchairs, home modifications, accessible vans, and communication devices. We created the NEVER GIVE UP nonprofit apparel brand, believing words have power and sometimes you need to wrap yourself in courage. Now we are reimagining public spaces and building Gwendolyn’s playground--the first fully inclusive playground in Santa Barbara so all families can play!
From the time Gwendolyn was born she was a social butterfly, she loved being among all the kids. She went to school full time and was like the Pied Piper, with friends all around her fighting to hold her hand. She was an avid reader with a big imagination, and also a dare-devil, loving to go fast and insisting on running three half marathons together. We lived big when we could and we cherished the simplest of gifts along the way. Gwendolyn died at the age of 7, but her legacy carries on fiercely, giving us and countless others the courage to NEVER GIVE UP!!!”
No Such Thing partnered with “The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation” to donate books to the Little Inclusive Library! We plan to fill this library with our inclusive children’s books about diversity! Thanks for being a part.