July, 2014 | Wear The Cape Kids

Wear the Cape Kid - Mairead Studdiford and her teacher, Mr. Taylor. — Mairead Studdiford and her teacher, Mr. Taylor – photo provided by the Studdiford family

Young entrepreneur, hero, and Cape Kid of the Month, Mairead Studdiford, presents the true meaning of being “Better Than That”

Everyday heroes are hard to come by in this day and age. Childhood heroes are even more rare. However, “Cape Kids” are amongst us in the classroom, at sporting events, and even in our own neighborhoods. They are going the extra mile to make a difference and Wear the Cape/kidkind foundation believes that these wonderfully heroic kids deserve to be recognized. They become known as the Cape Kid of the Month. This month, we proudly honor Ms. Mairead Studdiford as our Cape Kid!

Mairead Studdiford is a bright and inspiring 13-year-old girl from Far Hills, New Jersey. Just three years ago, she founded Bay Head Boutique where the young entrepreneur began selling unique, designer jewelry to the people of the Bay Head, New Jersey community. However, her “go-getter “attitude and business-minded nature are just the foreshadowing qualities behind the true reason Mairead was selected as this month’s Cape Kid.

The founder of Wear the Cape, Leigh Ann Errico, met this young philanthropist while walking by her Bay Head Boutique stand during the summer of 2011, where they struck up a conversation and did business together. Leigh Ann was blown away by Mairead’s vision and ability to start a company and do some good for her community at such a young age.

This amazing, outgoing young lady has worked every summer for the past three years at her “pop-up” store to sell her unique, designer jewelry. She then selflessly donates her profit to various philanthropic foundations. “I consider myself an entrepreneur but I also have a strong sense of giving back to my community” says Mairead when asked to tell us about herself. In the first year of her store, she decided to give the proceeds of Bay Head Boutique to the Audubon Society. The Audubon Society subsequently built heron nests in Mairead’s name along the barrier islands of the Jersey Shore. Following the second successful year of the Boutique, Mairead donated her profits to Restore The Shore to help re-build the Jersey Shore due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This summer, she plans on donating her proceeds to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to help support its research to cure childhood cancers. Mairead plans on expanding her market to the internet and is currently working on a website for the Bay Head Boutique.

Though the Bay Head Boutique has been Mairead’s most current heroic act, she has been “flying in her Cape” since the third grade. This was when she became the founder of COATS FOR KIDZ at The Peck School in Morristown, where she attends school. COATS FOR KIDZ is a donation outlet for her classmates to drop off their winter coats after they have done their spring cleaning. Mairead then delivers the collected coats to the Morristown Shelter for people in need. COATS FOR KIDZ has now been running for 5 years and has been an overwhelming success. More than 300 coats have been collected and the event has become a tradition at The Peck School every spring for Mairead to host and lead.

We at Wear the Cape are super proud of our newest member of our Cape Kid society. Mairead has graciously agreed to join our team as a member of the Junior Committee for the kidkind foundation and serve as an advisor to the founder and help guide our ongoing agenda of goodness. You can be sure that Mairead will continue to do great things, to choose kind. We could not be more inspired by this fine young lady. Congratulations Mairead.

Recently I went back to West Morris Mendham High School after 26 years since I graduated. Life moves so fast, and I am always “busy being busy,” but I regret that it took me more than two decades to get myself back there. The school’s wonderful awards evening made it evident that I should have visited sooner.

The places where we grew up really are “home,” and they shaped who we are. The memories and flashbacks that went through my brain as I walked those halls again were almost too much to process – some good, some big disappointments, but they all helped define my character and who I am today.

It was really nice to see some of my old teachers and faculty who are STILL there. I was so sad to hear that so many of my former colleagues and fellow students had passed away over the past decade – some quite tragically. It was heartening to see scholarships in their honor, and to hear the speeches and tributes to these great people who left us too soon was moving to the core of my heart.

I attended to proudly give away the kidkind foundation’s first Wear the Cape Hero Scholarship to the graduating senior who embodies the values and mission of our kidkind foundation – the person who truly Wears his/her Cape in everyday life and does what is right, not just what is easy.

I am really thrilled that we selected a fine young gentleman named Frank Piacenti from Chester, NJ, who will be attending George Washington University in the fall. I met the Piacenti family, and they were beyond gracious. I cannot explain the chill in my body that I experienced awarding this $2,500 scholarship to a great guy. When I spoke to the faculty about Frank, or Frankie as he is affectionately known, people instantly said what a wonderful human being he is…and that was simply awesome to hear. That’s what we are all about – finding the good – and recognizing the people who are inclusive and tolerant and give of themselves.

Frank will be an ambassador for our brand, and I am really excited to have his counsel.

I want to thank all of our donors to date for helping us raise funds to go out into the world and recognize the good in people. We cannot do this without all of you.

Congratulations, once again, Frank Piacenti; the sky is the limit for what you can do out in this world. We are excited to be part of your current and future success.

Choose kind,
Leigh Ann

P.S. To read more about this scholarship and see what Frank had to say about being recognized, read the press release on our Media page.