SiriKind

When SiriKind founder Iris was six years old, she had a best friend named Ulrike. Ulrike was called Uli and Uli felt that Iris should have a nickname too. Not much can be done to shorten Iris, and so Uli started calling Iris Siri, which is Iris backwards. "Siri" still reminds Iris of her childhood in Germany, and "Kind" is the German word for child (as in "kindergarden"). Thus our name: SiriKind. Iris believes that people, and especially children should be surrounded by objects of high quality and lasting value. She believes that natural materials are not only healthy but also have an inherent beauty that is instinctively obvious to most people. Unfortunately, we now live in a society that is flooded with "cheap" disposable materials and objects, not worth to be cared for, not worth to be repaired or mended when damaged, but easily discarded and replaced. SiriKind is not designed to become a commercial enterprise. SiriKind feels strongly about her goals and about "connecting good with good" in unique ways. She has taken her time and done her research before deciding that she wants to support the Room to Grow program of Room to Read with the proceeds of SiriKind. Iris feels strongly about girls' education, especially in developing countries around the world. She likes the approach Room to Read takes in its several programs and likes its highly accountable business model. As she gains more experience with SiriKind, she is planning to shift her profit to more organizations like Room to Read, with the goal to ultimately retain only her cost and a minimal overhead. Most of the patterns are designed for 18" or 16" dolls.