OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Cindy Simon and Dorothy Miyake have been friends for over 25 years. They met in 1993 when Cindy walked her oldest son into class for his first day of kindergarten, where Dorothy was the teacher!  Through the years Cindy and Dorothy’s friendship was nurtured by a shared interest in bringing the joy of arts & crafts to children.  When Dorothy retired after 27 years in the kindergarten classroom, and Cindy’s youngest child headed off to college, they reconnected through volunteer work with children at the local YMCA.

After the Haitian earthquake of 2010 occurred, Cindy was on the east coast visiting her oldest son at his high school. That morning she read in the local newspaper about a group of ladies in Cape Cod, Massachusetts who had seen the newscaster Diane Sawyer broadcasting from Haiti, picking through the devastation and ruin only to find a little doll buried under the rubble.  Ms. Sawyer reportedly said, “How sad that some little girl has lost her treasured Dollie”.  These ladies decided to sew cloth Dollies to send through their local church to children in Haiti.

A fire was lit in Cindy, and she brought this idea home and immediately called Dorothy.  “Why don’t get our friends together and sew Dollies for children in Haiti?”   Dorothy replied, “Absolutely, let’s get to work!”

Cindy and Dorothy consider themselves perfect partners in Dollies Making A Difference.  Each one is more enthusiastic than the other in coming up with new designs for Dollie clothes, tracking down deals in purchasing fabric and supplies, making connections with possible recipient organizations, and welcoming and encouraging new members to join the group.