Giving Grace: Patient with Scoliosis Showcases Talents

As the hot summer months melted into cooler fall days, Grace busily worked to create rainbow loom bracelets and watercolor paintings.

The 8-year-old had soaked in every bit of knowledge that an entrepreneurship camp she attended had provided, and soon an upcoming fall fair in her Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood would be the perfect place to show off her newly-gained business savvy.

“I said to her, ‘You are such a great artist,” Erica, Grace's mom, said. “‘I really think people might want to buy some of your art.’”

While making plenty of inventory for her pop-up shop, Grace readied herself to speak to her future customers about the philanthropic cause that would benefit from the sale of her collection of creative wares – Shriners Children’s Greenville.

“Grace can be shy, so beyond raising money for the hospital, this was a wonderful opportunity for her to practice engaging with adults,” Erica said. “She rehearsed what she would say to her customers about what the hospital does – and about her story.” Her story began seven years ago when she was diagnosed with a rare bone disorder that causes curvature of her spine.