Most hotels I visit use card keys to access guest rooms. I’m happy to hear that there are still hotels that use real keys and Caitlin Crosby, after falling in love with her motel room key, decided to put the key on a chain. Once she was home in Los Angeles, she asked a locksmith to engrave the word LOVE on it. On her next tour, Caitlin sold old keys with words like HOPE, FAITH, and STRENGTH engraved on them. The project continued to grow, but wasn’t complete until Caitlin met Cera and Rob, a homeless couple she met on Hollywood Boulevard.
Eager to turn her hobby of making key necklaces into a charitable endeavor, Caitlin partnered with the homeless couple she met on Hollywood Boulevard to engrave inspirational words on keys and sell the jewelry pieces called The Giving Keys. Since, she has created jobs for the homeless and supported shelters and transitional homes. Now, the homeless couple that Caitlin originally partnered with is living in a transitional home, working, and taking college classes. What progression! Caitlin now employs fifteen people who are transitioning from homelessness to living in a homeless shelter. It’s so wonderful to see people who might otherwise feel hopeless and sometimes useless, be part of something so beautiful. Her necklaces are sold online, at Fred Segal and 40 stores around the country. Her employees have made around $40,000 from sales of about 8,000 keys.
You can get involved by purchasing a customized necklace online or at selected retail stores. Once you make a key with the word you want, it is Caitlin’s wish that you will give it away to someone who needs it. Engraved HOPE? Give it to someone who needs hope. It’s a new take on paying it forward and it’s impossibly easy and a gift that won’t be forgotten by any involved. You can find stories of why people gave away their necklaces here.
The Mommy Insider is not affiliated with Caitlin Crosby or The Giving Keys – we just like sharing great news!