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Natali Carrera

Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her nine-year-old son, husband of 14 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works full time with ValleyPBS as their Director of Educational Services and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.

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This time of year, there is no shortage of holiday boutiques and craft fairs to shop if you enjoy purchasing handmade and local gifts. However, one specific event, The Lydia and Pearl Market, taking place on Saturday, Dec. 8, is particularly special.

The event allows local business women to participate in a market that will raise funds and support for one of the most underserved populations in our Valley—foster youth.

I interviewed event co-founder Mallory Mueller, and the founder of the non-profit benefiting from the event to learn more about the market, what shoppers can expect, and the organization you’ll be supporting when you shop.

FresYes: What is the Lydia and Pearl Market all about and what are the goals of the event?

Mallory Mueller: Co-founder Melissa Danisi and I wanted to create a space for women in our community to have the opportunity to sell their goods for a purpose. Our desire is not just to host a fun event for people to come and shop, eat some great food, and go home.

There are other markets, boutiques, and craft fairs out there who put on amazing and successful events, however, our market is different in that we do not keep any of the profits raised from this event. The fees vendors pay for their space, ticket sales, and raffle ticket sales are all given to the local non-profit that we choose to support. This is our fourth year holding the event and this year the organization we’ve chosen to support is City Without Orphans. This market is very mission-minded.

FY: What is City Without Orphans all about?

Whitney Bunker, Founder, City Without Orphans: City Without Orphans (CWO) was created out of a vision to see our city become known for caring for our most vulnerable children and youth. We believe that every child deserves a place to call home, and that everyone can do something to support a foster youth or families who foster or adopt. Our four main areas of focus are:

1. Awareness about the needs of kids in foster care and the stories from our community. We share through video, social media, and a traveling awareness exhibit called Stories Untold; Every Number Has A Name.
2. Education. We do live workshops and video teachings to educate families considering foster care or adoption.
3. Support. We support families after they bring children and youth into their homes. We offer free babysitting nights for foster and adoptive families and parent training courses on trauma and attachment.
4. Mobilization. We always say it’s not if you are called, but how. We mobilize community to serve foster and adoptive families and foster youth in a variety of ways. We hear tangible needs from social workers and agencies and we relay them back to churches and businesses. This could be for duffel bags or personal care items for youth in foster care, or helping make connections for greater support for foster parents.

FY: What are your goals for this event in relation to City Without Orphans?

MM: To raise both money and awareness for the organization. They are working on a project (which I will let Whitney share about) and we want to help bring them closer to the financial goal for that project. We want people to learn about CWO and be educated on what is happening in our city when it comes to orphan care. We also want women to connect with one another; encourage one another in what they do and their skills. This is not a competition, this is a community and we are better together!

WB: This boutique fundraiser will help CWO create an online dashboard called “Fostering Connections”—think Craigslist especially made for the population we serve to be able to post needs and services that the community can provide or meet. We are working on it as we speak and are excited to hopefully get fully funded and launch in early 2019.

FY: What are the specific time and location details for the event?

MM: Our event is at The Well Community Church on Maple  and Nees ( 2044 E. Nees Ave. Fresno 93720) on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is a $5 entry fee that is donated to CWO. Kids 10  and under are free. You can buy your tickets early here!

FY: Tell me a bit about the awesome vendors you have lined up for the Lydia and Pearl Market. Can additional vendors still take part?

MM: We have over 30 amazing vendors joining us! (Scroll to the bottom of this interview to see the full list.) We will also have food vendors including Wafflicious, Quesadilla Gorilla, and Humble Hustle Barista. We have very few vendor spaces remaining. Interested parties should email lydiaandpearl@gmail.com.

Nosh on a delicious liege waffle while you shop the Lydia and Pearl Market!

FY: Anything else you’d like readers to know? If they can’t attend, but would like to help CWO, what’s the best way to get involved?

MM: Last year we raised roughly $3,500 for City Without Orphans. We would love to see the community come together and help double that!

WB: We are looking to have volunteers who can help us in a variety of ways, whether it’s helping out with events, office work or child care for our babysitting nights. You can contact CWO’s Program Coordinator Kyra Zimmerman at Kyra@citywithoutorphans.com. Thank you!

…

Here’s just a small sampling of the hundreds of awesome wares that will be available at the Lydia and Pearl Market:

Lydia and Pearl Market Confirmed Vendor List