RI/DE:
The Rising Tide is the philanthropic side of Civile Apparel. I was raised by parents who did everything they could, for everyone they could, every time they could. It is part of our core values here at Civile that we work hard to use our company as a platform for good by getting involved in community events and organizations, capitalizing on charitable opportunities, and donating to fundraisers large and small.
Here is the story and the WHY of The Rising Tide.
It was 43 years ago when my father Paul opened the doors of a small manufacturing business in Burbank, CA. A college drop out, dad saw a need in the semiconductor industry and took the chance on running his own business. Some of my earliest memories were time spent in the office where my mom did the books. The smell of cut metal from the machine shop still lingers delicately in the corners of my conscience.
His plan was a simple and humble one. If the business was a success, he would use his profits to feed his young family and, when we were no longer in need, he would sell off the equipment and close the doors.
Twenty eight years later, my father sold that business to an Austrian company, and retired comfortably. But over those 28 years, I watched as he employed everyone in our family, most of our extended family, all of his brothers, many of their wives, and children, and siblings. He built success stories from high school graduates, and sent many of his employees children to college. He donated millions to charity, and truly enriched the lives of everyone he touched. I watched, in awe and admiration, as he built his metaphorical boat, loaded us all inside, and led us to a brighter future.
So, as you can imagine, when my father succumbed to his battle with cancer on August 28 of 2020, that vessel came crashing onto a desolate and unfriendly shore. For months, I laid on that shore, angry and consumed by the loss of the greatest man I had ever known. Staring frustratingly at the fragments of wreckage littering the space around me, I wanted desperately to create a legacy in the way that he had, but felt so ill-equipped to do so and so paralyzed by a devastation I could not escape.
It was then I started to realize that the pieces of wood now scattered around me, were the parts with which I could build my own boat and maybe, just maybe, keep some of his legacy alive.
At Civile Apparel, we are proud to be a female founded, female run company. We look to where we are going by honoring where we came from and today we acknowledge the remarkable power of a healthy relationship between a father and his daughter.
Of all of my goals with #civileapparel, the biggest of these is to #buildtheboat. A boat which will carry people to a better place. A boat that will rise with the tide. A boat that will house families, teach them to sail, and bring us all to a better and brighter destination.
So, this ones for you dad. I’m ready to #buildtheboat