In 18 months, a local mom’s enterprise, Monkeez Makes a Difference, has raised $95,000 for three national charities, all by harnessing children’s desire to help others. Chrysti Carol Propes founded the company as part of her family’s MVP Group International, introducing a crew of plush critters in a range of sizes. Each comes with a code—after entering it at monkeezandfriends.com, a child can watch videos about nonprofits Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, and Samaritan’s Purse and choose which will receive 10 percent of his or her toy’s wholesale cost. The same applies to Do Good Trading Cards, which challenge kids to complete kind acts.
The products are sold nationally at the likes of Neiman Marcus. Find local retailers, including Wonder Works and Palmetto Moon, listed online.
