EARRINGS
Earrings For A CauseBY VIOLET NOE ON MAY 16, 2014
An estimated two million people in the U.S. injure themselves in some way; the majority of these people are teenagers. Senior Alexis Hicks hopes to shed light on this issue by making earrings to raise awareness about self-harm.
Self-harm, the act of intentionally harming your body or putting yourself in danger, is an issue that is close to Hicks’ heart. “I actually used to deal with self-harm; I struggled with it for years and I got therapy for it,” Hicks said. “I wanted to address a topic that so many people joke about and don’t really know about.” To increase awareness about the issue of self-harm, Hicks turned to her love of making earrings to raise money for the cause. “I’ve been making earrings for about five years and my mom was the one to convince me to just go out there and sell them,” Hicks said. “I wasn’t really sure but then I started selling them and people loved them.” Hicks truly enjoys making the earrings and loves sharing her creations with others. “I make the earrings at my house and sometimes even at school if I’m bored,” Hicks said. “All I need to make the earrings is a wire, beads, the actual [earring] hook and a little bag to put the earrings in; I usually tie a ribbon around the bag and then give it to people and they love it.” Hicks donates all of the money she raises from her earring sales to a local charity that helps those struggling with self-harm. “The money raised from the earrings goes to the Mental Health America,” Hicks said. “They have a small chapter in Rocky Mount and I’m donating all of the proceeds to them.” The money received by the chapter in Rocky Mount will not only benefit those who struggle with self-harm, but will also help raise awareness about self-harm. “They are going to use the money for more equipment as well as to make more pamphlets about self-harm itself,” Hicks said. Hicks hopes that her efforts will not only help to increase awareness about self-harm but will also help those who are struggling with self-harm. “Everybody’s supposed to be scared and dark, but I want to show people you’re just a normal person,” Hicks said. “[self-harm] is just like any other addiction; it affects everybody.” If you are interested in purchasing a pair of earrings, you can contact Alexis by phone at 252-621-0609. She can also be reached by email at [email protected]m HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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