Colorado Business Gets Special Thanks For Helping Parkland
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - It is perhaps the sweetest mail Melanie Avjean has ever received.
"'I am so thankful to have this pillowcase. Thank you. Sincerely, Jacob'," Melanie read from a stack of letters in her lap. "'It helps me sleep better and I love the thoughts on the back. Love, Carmen.'"
Just a couple days ago, Melanie received a large yellow envelope filled with dozens of letters from elementary students in Parkland, Florida.
"They drew pictures of themselves in their beds," she told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann with a smile.
The colorful notes show how Melanie's small business, Flipside Pillow, is making a big difference. Her specialty pillowcases – designed with bright fabric and positive words on one side, and a blank canvas to write messages on the other – are helping students cope with the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. Last month, Melanie sent 300 pillowcases with heartfelt messages from Colorado to Parkland.
"'I love it because it reminds me of Stoneman Douglas and all of my family and it makes me happy. Love, Jackson,'" Melanie read from another letter.
Among the students in the class that sent the letters to Melanie is the daughter of Aaron Feis, the football coach who lost his life protecting students during the shooting on Valentine's Day. His daughter's teacher also sent a note of gratitude.
"'Thank you for helping my classroom and our MSD community to heal. It's amazing how something as simple as a pillowcase can help with that process'," Melanie read.
The thank you letters may have been sent to Melanie, but she wants to share them with the community that came together to sign the pillowcases and help.
"I don't know how to contact all those people and say, 'Hey, look what happened. Look at all these letters we got. These kids are really grateful,'" Melanie said. "Hopefully now they'll see this and they'll know that what they did really mattered."
For more information on Flipside Pillow, visit www.flipsidepillow.com.
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team as the morning reporter in 2012. After serving as weekend morning anchor, Kelly is now Covering Colorado First for CBS4 News at 10. Connect with Kelly on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @KellyCBS4.
