In Her Own Words – “Pathway Homes has brought me stability, companionship, and friendship, and it has brought me kindred spirits. I haven’t had to worry about where my next meal was going to be or how I am going to get out of the rain.” by Robin Hecht
I have been with Pathways for 5 years. I grew up in New York, and about 50 years ago, my sister and I were in SoHo at an arts and crafts show, and I saw this little table that stood out. It had very sparkly, shiny earrings and pins, and I said to my sister, “I’ve never seen anything like this. Have you?” And she said, “No. Let’s ask him how he makes them,” thinking he would never tell us. Sure enough, he told us, and we went home that night and got the things we needed. My sister went home, and I was experimenting, and the next day I had a full set of button covers. She wore hers to school (she is a teacher), and the teachers loved them and said, “Tell your sister to come in. We want to buy a bunch of them.” So, I did, and that was the beginning of my business.
At this time, I was already married and had a baby at home, and we were just out and about looking for things. We were always looking for things to do because I was at home with the baby, and this was a great way to make a little money, but it ended up being a wonderful way to make a lot of money because no one had seen it before. I figured out a way you could take these button covers and add an adapter and wear them as earrings and as pins. I had five different ways that you could wear them, and I would give them away. I was very big on the giveaway!
After COVID hit, I didn’t have a place to go. My other sister was looking for a place for me, and she found one, and that’s how I found them. Pathway Homes has brought me stability, companionship, and friendship, and it has brought me kindred spirits. I haven’t had to worry about where my next meal was going to be or how I am going to get out of the rain.
Without Pathway Homes, life would be scary. I mean because I have “X” amount of dollars to live on, I could live alone, but I don’t think I would want to live alone. I am better off living with people. I can tend to be antisocial sometimes, and that is not a good thing for anybody.
Recognition of my art in the Summer of the Arts exhibition has meant a lot to me. I had some bracelets in the show 2 years ago, and they all sold. And I was surprised, although I don’t know why I was surprised because anything that I ever made sold. It is good for my ego, and it encourages me to move forward in that direction.
Summer of the Arts is important to me because, while it is important to see value in your own work, there is nothing like having other people see value in your work too. And that is what Summer of the Arts is to me – other people recognizing that I have talent and me feeling good about that talent.
