About
About
thinking of you gift
Social enterprise
gift shop
Thinking of You Gift is a social enterprise gift shop setup in 2015 to demonstrate the belief that marginalised people can be active business peers with their carer, gain meaningful work and live a fulfilling life.
Donna and her daughter Freya set up their shop in the Queensland Children’s Hospital to deliver gifts with love to young patients. The shop provides a platform for other social enterprises and emerging artists – many living with disabilities – to sell and share their work.
Over the past 6 years the shop has grown, with a great range of unique gifts that support Freya and other young people to live a life that is busy, interesting, creative and rich in experience.
Donna and her daughter Freya set up their shop in the Queensland Children’s Hospital to deliver gifts with love to young patients. The shop provides a platform for other social enterprises and emerging artists – many living with disabilities – to sell and share their work.
Over the past 6 years the shop has grown, with a great range of unique gifts that support Freya and other young people to live a life that is busy, interesting, creative and rich in experience.
Our
impact >
supporting others
Our philosophy
At Thinking of You Gift we want to make gift giving unique and special, just like the person you care about. We strive to offer a range of good quality, useful, imaginative gifts suitable to children and adults who care about gift giving.
We are passionate about where our products come from. Most of the selection is sourced from social enterprises that support communities or individuals to have meaningful employment. Most are handmade and use sustainable resources.
Everything is carefully considered right down to the packaging. The cellophane ( cellulose version, NOT plastic), tissue paper and gift bags (made from recycled newsprint from Earth Bound Creations) reduce our environmental footprint. Our bows are recycled from the One Billion Stars project, a movement to end violence in communities.
We are passionate about where our products come from. Most of the selection is sourced from social enterprises that support communities or individuals to have meaningful employment. Most are handmade and use sustainable resources.
Everything is carefully considered right down to the packaging. The cellophane ( cellulose version, NOT plastic), tissue paper and gift bags (made from recycled newsprint from Earth Bound Creations) reduce our environmental footprint. Our bows are recycled from the One Billion Stars project, a movement to end violence in communities.
recycled bows used
1590
artists with disabilities
0
social enterprise suppliers
0
Who is Freya?
Freya's story
For the last 21 years, Donna has been the primary carer for her daughter, Freya, who lives with a number of disabilities. Thinking of You Gift is a creative solution to provide employment and much more for Freya.
Before Freya was born, her parents knew her life would be full of challenges. From an early age she became familiar with a variety of health professionals assisting her with the very basics: walking, talking, eating. At age ten she was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis – a respiratory illness that means she must be admitted to hospital every three months for airway maintenance.
Freya’s communication and language have developed and improved far beyond expectations since she began working at the shop as business partner and retail assistant. The extraordinary outcomes don’t end there though, Freya catches the bus to work, counts the float before opening the store, meets and greets customers, and delights in delivering gifts to patients’ bedsides.
When Freya isn’t serving customers, she is screen-printing and sewing our personalised bunting range, making trips to the warehouse to pick up products, and busily pricing the stock as soon as she gets back. If you come to the kiosk in the morning, Freya will assist you with your purchase and also offers a bedside delivery service to children in the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
What started as a spark of an idea now sees Freya’s day filled with meaningful activity at work and play, giving her a healthier life driven with purpose.
Before Freya was born, her parents knew her life would be full of challenges. From an early age she became familiar with a variety of health professionals assisting her with the very basics: walking, talking, eating. At age ten she was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis – a respiratory illness that means she must be admitted to hospital every three months for airway maintenance.
Freya’s communication and language have developed and improved far beyond expectations since she began working at the shop as business partner and retail assistant. The extraordinary outcomes don’t end there though, Freya catches the bus to work, counts the float before opening the store, meets and greets customers, and delights in delivering gifts to patients’ bedsides.
When Freya isn’t serving customers, she is screen-printing and sewing our personalised bunting range, making trips to the warehouse to pick up products, and busily pricing the stock as soon as she gets back. If you come to the kiosk in the morning, Freya will assist you with your purchase and also offers a bedside delivery service to children in the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
What started as a spark of an idea now sees Freya’s day filled with meaningful activity at work and play, giving her a healthier life driven with purpose.
