Caroline's Cart: Coming to a Store Near You!

1106 Days

or

3 Years, 10 days

That is how long it has been since I sent my very first email to the manager at Adrian Meijer about Caroline's Cart! I remember sitting down and delicately putting the words together to formulate the perfect email. Coming up with the subject line was the hardest part. From all of my formal education and on the job training I knew that the subject line is what prompted an individual to open the email. It had to be specific, it had to be concise, it had to be special. It was a long email introducing Tamera, the manager, to Caroline's Cart and to Sophie. It outlined in detail the specifics of the cart, what it would mean to have it and how so many people would benefit from it.

Then I shared my daughter with them. My beautiful Sophie. How she is amazing, and different, and how she is changing the world.

What I got in return was an email saying, "We will look in to it."

Are you kidding me, did they not know how much time and effort and thought went in to that email? I felt defeated.

The days and months that followed were filled with more emails, phone calls, FB posts on Meijer's wall, and people telling me to go buy the cart myself and stop trying to get someone else to get it for me. Little did they know we tried that! It's called INSURANCE LIABILITY!

You know what I got in return, Silence!

It didn't stop there. I kept talking to everyone I came in contact with about Caroline's Cart until it landed me a new name to reach out to. Ben Negron was the new name. He is an Adrian native and the current store manager in Ann Arbor. I called and spoke with him and he was elated. He made me believe we were going to make this happen together. We exchanged several emails and phone calls over the span of about a year. Then all of a sudden....Silence!

Thankfully a friend of mine who never stopped believing with me asked questions. Through one of her friends she was able to obtain the name of the VP of Retail Operations at Meijer. Janet Emerson! Once again I found myself sitting down to write the most perfect email. I shared it will all of you after I sent it. Her assistant responded right away telling me Janet would respond to be in October.

October came and Janet called.

Janet and I had a long, real, honest and raw conversation. I asked the questions I needed answered. She wasn't expecting some of them but it didn't phase her. I scheduled a follow up call with her for April, when the "cart committee" would meet again.

December rolled around and I send an email to Janet congratulating her on an award Meijer received. I wanted her to know I was paying attention.  She emailed me back and let me know that she was retiring and gave me the name of the person to contact. UGH! Defeat started to creep back in until I regained my composure.

I am so pleased to be able to sit here tonight and tell you that I received a call from Stephanie at Meijer and they have signed a contract with Technibuilt and Caroline's Cart as of March 14th. The very first store on the list....Adrian, MI!

I sobbed on the phone with Stephanie. Literally sobbed! I couldn't thank her enough. She apologized to me that it has taken 3 years to make this happen.

Every single NO I received was made right in that moment. It wasn't about my timing, it was about God's timing in our lives. It wasn't going to happen because I wanted it to, it happened because He wanted it to and I was His vessel! I am so thankful He put the desire in my heart to make me go after this because He knew He would succeed!

On top of that, Jonesville MI Walmart will also have a Caroline's Cart within a few weeks. I just received an email today telling me it was ordered. I have been in contact with the Adrian, MI Walmart as well and the manager there is Amatha Davison. She told me she would look in to ordering it. Everyone in Adrian, call her and ask! All they have to do is order it, It is already approved in their system!

My challenge to you is:

-Call every single Walmart manager in your area and ask for Caroline's Cart to be ordered. And keep asking,
-NEVER quit fighting for what you believe in. EVER. Don't take NO for an answer because it just takes one YES and that yes is right there waiting for you. It might not line up with God's timing, but it will happen!

Thank you all for fighting this fight with me. For standing in faith with me. For your prayers.

And all of this right before Sophie's 5th birthday.

Happy Birthday Sophie!