Raising money in today’s economic climate requires the perfect combination of determination and creativity. One of IronMatt’s co-founders, Amy Shigo, likes the idea of raising money without asking for money.  “In light of the financial pinch felt by everyone, I wanted to find an easy way, regardless of income, for people to contribute to IronMatt and feel energized and engaged in the work we do,” Shigo said.

How do you go about doing that? The answer came in the form of Barbara Ann Kenyon, owner of Barbara Ann’s Consignment Boutique in Ramsey, New Jersey.

“Early in 2007, Amy came to my store and asked if I would consider opening up an account on behalf of IronMatt,” said Kenyon. “She told me the story of Matt and his family and I told her, ‘Yeah, we can do that!’  As a mother of two, I wanted to save Matthew, and when he passed away, I was committed to doing everything I could to prevent another family from experiencing that pain,” Barbara said when we spoke on the phone recently.  IronMatt became Client Number 298 for Barbara Ann (now serving nearly 1,200 clients) and generated nearly $8,000 for the foundation

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