Building Hope One Doll At A Time
Copyright ©2006 Sure Woman.com/D.G. Prince

Tracy Clevenger

A chance meeting with eight-year-old Phides Chibuye, whose time was cut short by illness, is the driving force and inspiration behind One Doll, LLC., where you can purchase a rag doll kit, decorate it, and then you have the option of sending it back to the website. There your personalized creation will be donated to benefit children in Africa and other developing countries.

"It is my hope that families will work on a doll together and then donate it to a charity close to their own hearts. For those who want to make a doll for a needy child and don't know where to donate they have the option to return it to us..." says Tracy Clevenger who founded the business.

Phides With The Doll Tracy Decorated

That is the concept behind One Doll LLC., a small internet based company offering 6 different 18 inch rag doll kits.

A 45-year-old flight attendant for the past 18 years, Clevenger has a passion for traveling, especially to poor undeveloped countries where she visits orphanges. Of a recent trip to Vietnam, she says, "I took an Polaroid instamatic camera and visited the kids at a children's home in Hoi An. How fun to take pictures of the kids and then leave them with a photo of themselves. That day I felt like the most important person in the world!"

It was her passion for traveling and climbing mountians that first took her to Africa when she visted Tanzania in 1999." I was climbing a lot of mountains back then, and I went to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro and to go on a photo safari. Once there, I felt a pure and unmistakable connection to the people, especially the children...I knew after that trip that I would return to Africa and when I did It would be charitable."

"It's a year later but the Lord has pointed out the little girl that should receive your last doll."

And she did in 2004 when her husband had friends in Zambia that were doing ministry work for Christian World Outreach (CWO). She thought it was the right opportunity to introduce her husband and step-children to the country and "let them see first hand what had been tugging at my heart for 5 years."

Husband and step children in tow, they packed their bags to the limit to take to the children in orphanges. The gifts included rag dolls that she made and friends decorated.

"The most important thing to me was that the girls would have dolls that were cuddly and squishy that they could sleep with and cuddle. When we got to Africa and delivered the dolls....oh my...those girls LOVED those dolls."

young girl with doll

While in Zambia, at the Garment of Praise Children's home, she met Phides, who received the one doll that Clevenger had decorated herself. Although she only met the young girl once, she touched something deeply with Clevenger, who was heartbroken when she heard Phides had died just two months after they'd met. Clevenger remembered when she met the young girl that she was wearing a green sweatshirt with a green daisy with pink center. In memory of Phides, she created the Skwishi doll in the likeness of her young friend and the business was started.

"The dolls name is Phides Smith but she has the nickname "Skwishi". Her story being that she was adopted at 2 days old and moved to America, she has a journal telling about her life and adventures, riding a bike, skiing, going to school and making ragdolls to take to Africa," says Clevenger. "At the end of her book are blank pages so the little girl getting her can continue the story with her."

Proceeds from the sale will go to fund a farm in Ndola, Zambia."As the business grows I plan to create a foundation called the "Phides Foundation." A percentage of everything the business brings in will be donated to the foundation and then grants and donations made to small grass roots charities working closely with children all over the world," says Clevenger.

girl who received the last doll

In the early stages of the business, Clevenger was looking for a sign she was headed in the right direction - something that all seemded to make sense and let her know that this was her purpose. "After hearing that she passed away I looked everywhere for green daisy's hoping for a sign from her. I was praying and wondering if starting this business was really what I was supposed to be doing."

That sign or "boom" as Clevenger calls it came in the form of a letter: "It's a year later but the Lord has pointed out the little girl that should receive your last doll. I've always kept that doll in the back of my mind and waited to know the right girl to be blessed by it - and we've found her. Her name is Tuluembe." In the picture the girl clutched the Skwishi doll with the green daisy dress.

The website One Doll.com offers kits of six different dolls ($30.00), including clothing and accessories. Working out of her home, along with a seamstress, Clevenger has donated 22 of the kits to Banafimbusa (Elders) women in Zambia. The colorfully decorated dolls are up for auction or purchase for $250.00. So far she's sold 6 of them during a silent auction. The money goes to purchase a new building for local women's groups to be able to continue teaching about Aids. Clevenger also hopes to have fully decorated dolls available for purchase as the business expands.

"I have a plan to have dolls created in other countries, then have limited edition copies made and sell them with books. I'd love to have dolls from all over the world eventually...Using flight attendant volunteers I'll distribute dolls around the world to orphanages and schools," she says.

Clevenger's lofty vision is to be able to hand over a check for a million dollars to the Phides Foundation, and for a lady who's used to climbing mountains, she welcomes the challenge. In the meantime, she's building hope and making a differnce one doll at a time. In the middle of a divorce, the heart felt mission has also had an effect on Clevenger's spirit. "My hope is that others will feel the same way when they're making a doll to give away. It's the best anti-depressant I know of..."

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