What our members are doing during this crisis

Times are difficult right now thousands of businesses have been shut down for months, some are still out of work and the world of weddings was at a standstill.  Some areas can't host weddings some can only do tiny weddings and things are still very uncertain for the remainder of the year.But I have something to brighten your day!  Our ABC members are out there making a difference, from sewing masks to pivoting their businesses and much more!  See what they have to say:Antonio Faraón Chaul from Fusion MX has created quite a few Facebook live videos!  You can see them here.Michele Workman from I Do Weddings by Michele - Since COVID began in March I have become a certified wedding planner through the Association of Bridal Consultants,  I am now certified in CPR and I am currently working on my Wedding Design Fundamentals Certification through The Bridal Society. I am also volunteering at my church's food pantry every Saturday morning.  We have been serving close to 100 families every weekend!  So, lots of education and serving!:)Kasie Donoghue from EFD Creative - We created a new COMPLIMENTARY package to help couples who were planning 2020 weddings and now don't know what to do - it's call the "Pandemic Pack" - it's one of our new Mini Packs by EFD.  We have also been doing some Facebook LIVE conversations pertaining to current affairs. See those here.Susan B. Daly from Daly Floral Designs - My little business has been very busy.  Since I work from my home I have been delivering arrangements, with my mask on and social distancing.  I also grow many seasonal flowers so I have busy in the garden and adding plants that I could use as greenery.  I encouraged a small group of vendors to get together for two styled shoots to show intimate weddings and get our creative juices flowing.  I have been doing zoom calls and trainings.  Most importantly organizing and planning for the future.  It will be hard to hit the ground running in the fall if the size of weddings increases.Control what you can control and plan for the future.Lynn H. Wheatley from Lasting Impressions of Tulsa, LLC - First of all, we’re staying in touch with cllients and postponing all of our spring and summer weddings to fall or beyond.  That includes negotiating with all venues and vendors to move dates and try to keep the clients from losing deposits.  Secondly, we had an opportunity to create florals for healthcare workers at the beginning of the shutdown when our local wholesale florist supplier had to dispose (quickly) of all the flowers in his cooler.  I made about 30 arrangements and then volunteers stepped up to deliver to hospitals and other healthcare responders. I’m also getting ready to teach a floral design class for our church – remotely.  And yes, we’ve been working on the website and our contracts.  So when someone says they’ve been watching TV all day, it’s not me!Adrian Pedraza from Pharelli Agencia De Eventos - We´ve been training ourselves to provide tranquility and security to our clients in biosafety protocols and to be all united in the romance industry.  We´re doing Facebook Live with different specialists to offer options to our clients and leave aside the situation that is being lived.  Additional in our team there´s an ontological coach and we offered free support to be able to support stress management and emotions for couples who had to cancel their wedding.  Also support of consultancies to be able to plan your wedding in these times of contingency.  We don´t know when to return to perform weddings but we´re sure that love transcends any adversity.  This situation has given us the opportunity to reinvest ourselves, review our strengths and work with our weaknesses, we have restructured our way of working and see how to continue supporting our industry and seek new ways to create effective alliances and revive the economy.TeNisha Taylor from Totally Taylored Exp - In the midst of the uncertainty of the pandemic, Totally Taylored, LLC is attempting stay positive, engaged, and busy.  We are rebuilding by updating our website. We are hosting virtual events as well as offering virtual consultations. We are servicing MINI-Monies (ceremonies with 25 ppl or less) and encouraging social distancing.  As always, Totally Tayored is aiming to provide a Totally Taylored Experience even with the changing times. For other creatives, I would encourage you to think outside the box and get creative with ideas. Times are changing, and we, as well as the services we provide, must change as well.Ann Taylor from A Chair Affair Rentals - A Chair Affair has remained in contact with our clients. We reached out by video chats, email, and text messages. We’ve encouraged everyone to stay positive!  We’ve made cash donations to our local food bank, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, and Feeding Children Everywhere.  We’ve updated our website to include a Covid-19 clause.  I’ve used Zoom meetings to stay in contact with our team and do sales training.Rosie Moore from Miracles by Rosie - I am the reigning Ms. Puerto Rico World. Due to covid all my in person appearances were canceled.  This meant also that our charity events for my non profit The Gift of Life, were also canceled. But what was not canceled were women still reaching out to me for support to help with how to handle the daily parent stress, how to handle being alone during this time if not seeing family, moms giving birth and needing support when their baby is born prematurely. Brides who's weddings are cancelled and they are debating what to do. Hospitals reaching out that they need masks for the NICU nurses and the parents. All this while your active 10 year old needs to be on virtual learning, your elderly mom learning to deal with being recently blind and her program is on hold due to covid, you have two active puppies who can't go to dog parks because they are closed, and your in person patients that you used to see you have to be seen through telehealth.  It is definitely a Calgon moment. But a Master Wedding Planner and doctorate of nursing graduate, me, had to put all the stress, anxiety, and fear to the side because in the midst of chaos we are required to bring calm. I organized through my charity a mask sewing team. I put the request and we have to date received and donated 850 masks and there are more coming. The corporate shoe company Tieks heard of what we were doing and sent us a box of 150 masks that were sewn in their community. I partnered with AkosMD connection to bring telehealth  to support our preemie parents with our mentors. Our knitters and crochet group in this past month have made about 300 baby hats. Also during this time since I was not able to do story time with the elementary kids in person I was able to zoom on to the school site and read one of my books that I wrote.During this time I have taken the time to connect and bring our beauty community together!  Too often we operate in our own worlds and do not genuinely connect well as beauty competitors.  This time has brought the leaders of CA and other states together.  It has been great connecting and staying together as we navigate this difficult time.  My family and I have been a few times to give a bag of food to a homeless person to give someone a smile and hope.  Plus it gives us some way to give back while social distancing and I like my kids seeing good deeds.   Our contracts were updated shortly after to include clauses to protect the client and us that includes pandemic language.  We have also updated our website copy and added new content.  This has pushed us to future goals, so we have launched an online store where our clients and vendors can purchase services online and NOW Online Beauty Sessions, where we can bring a Live Beauty Pro to Clients, virtually!  To continue our technology play, My team and I have started our online course and membership buildout. We created a FREE business beauty mini-series that is designed to help Beauty Pros elevate and grow their business, even in this time!  I have been hosting Zoom meetings with our beauty community to connect us and navigate through this all together.This is just from 10 members!  What inspiration!! Stay tuned to our Facebook page also - we'll post what some of the members are doing there also.  We'll also post more as more and more members are letting us know what is going on where they are!Wishing all of you peace, health, and happiness!Veronica