Autism Collection

Our story, and why we donate to Autism Speaks and the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC):

When we started The Pine Torch in 2015, to the outer world we were failing. We were in a tailspin. As a new mother of twins and a toddler, we struggled to pay the bills, we worried how we would afford diapers, and I pumped for my twins hours a day because we couldn't afford formula. When the idea came in a dream to focus on my art and make onesies to celebrate my babies, The Pine Torch was formed and blossomed within weeks.

Once I made the decision to honor and celebrate the blessings we had instead of focusing on our lack, the business exploded in response. That Law of Attraction mindset has shaped everything we do. We are true believers in seeing the lotus in the mud.

Early on, there were a few key moments where a few people reached out and helped us asking nothing in return. We made a pledge when we started this business that we would do everything our power to give back in exchange for the blessing of this business and how it has supported our family of six.

The Pine Torch is inspired by an ancient Latin poem by Cattulus, and our mission is an invocation of strength:

Bind thy brow with flowers //
Pound the ground with thy feet //
Shake with thy hand the pine torch

Through our philanthropic efforts, we hope to be a light in the darkness, a torch urging other families onward with courage on this sometimes dark and tangled path.

As the twins grew older, we noticed something was different. Recently, our twins were diagnosed with autism. Through a series of grueling experiences, feeling isolated and lost, and grieving our expectations of what the outer world saw as "normal," we decided it was time to embrace this diagnosis and march onward toward providing our boys with as much support, encouragement, and love that we could muster. We celebrated our first Autism Awareness day in April of 2018, and have pledged to donate 10% of all Autism Collection sales from that day forward.

That's where our philanthropy comes in. Our Autism Collection was created and inspired by our twins, and 10% of all sales from that collection go directly to Autism Speaks. The donations are automatic, so once you purchase one of the tees, the 10% goes in an account and is donated directly to the charity. You can see our progress via our slider below, which tracks our donations in real-time.