Grammy Gift Bags Include Proof of the Potential of People with Disabilities

NEW YORK -- When Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and other musical celebrities hit the red carpet for the 2018 Grammy Awards Jan. 28, they'll receive a beautiful gift representing the work of SourceAmerica member nonprofit Adelante Development Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The agency employing people with disabilities packaged and shipped products from Blush & Whimsy, which produces all-natural lipsticks that encapsulate tiny dried flowers and change shades based on the person wearing it. The lipsticks are being included in 170 swag bags for the celebrities attending. The products will also be included in swag bags for the March Academy Awards.

Micaela Brown, founder of Blush & Whimsy, said Adelante is an essential partner in the growth of her new startup. Adelante not only offered all of the services she needed to outsource, it fit her vision of empowering people through her products. Each item shipped includes a card about her partnership with Adelante.

"I'm just one person working from a living room couch. I knew that the only way to grow in scale was to find a partner organization that can help me with every stage of the process," she said. "I wanted to make sure the message gets out there that you can hire people with disabilities and the work is fantastic. You're hiring people exactly for who they are and not trying to conform them into something they are not. It directs the vision of where this company is going."

Adelante provides warehousing, quality control, packaging, assembly, fulfillment and shipping for Blush & Whimsy. Adelante Mailing & Fulfillment Center employs 73 people with disabilities to provide a range of services to 400 clients. The organization is a member of the SourceAmerica network, which includes 800 nonprofits across the country creating employment opportunities and choices for people with disabilities.

"Blush & Whimsy is a forward-thinking business that understands the power of a diverse workplace and the Inclusion Economy™ we're working to build," said SourceAmerica President and CEO Steve Soroka. "We appreciate Blush & Whimsy recognizing the potential of people with disabilities, about 80 percent of whom are left out of the U.S. workforce. Partnerships like this are working to change that."