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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nShe and her husband discussed how they could help those children beyond medicine, and came to the conclusion that they needed an education. That way, they could grow up able to sustain themselves. They began by paying for one young person\u2019s schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe saw that that was working because they then graduated and became a teacher and started paying their own bills and helping their own families,\u201d Pine said. \u201cSo my husband was like, \u2018Why don\u2019t we do this on a bigger scale? What does that look like?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While she was working as a registered nurse and going on medical missions, Pine was also selling children\u2019s clothes on the side. Despite that, being a career store owner was never on her radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI never in a million years thought that I would have a boutique. I thought that I would be a nurse until I retired,\u201d Pine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That extra money was what the Pines used to send that first child through school. It was her\u00a0that pitched the idea of a boutique, selling those same clothes and having that same mission \u2014 just on a bigger scale. The biggest challenge was their plan to move to Kenya, which meant they would eventually have to manage the business from the other side of the world. Still, they persisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iddy & Oscar\u2019s was named after a pair of children that had inspired Pine during one of their trips to Kenya. It opened in early 2015 with the sole purpose of sending Kenyan street orphans to school. Ten percent of the store\u2019s profits go directly toward that mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, Pine\u2019s move to Kenya ended soon after it began. Her husband contracted malaria and typhoid fever and had to be air-evacuated back to the United States. He made a full recovery, but their plans had to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt only made sense to be present with the business so that\u00a0I could grow it so that we could send more kids to school,\u201d Pine said. \u201cNow we have educated over 30 kids across the country of Kenya through the store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason she has been able to do that, Pine said, is the people in Lebanon who also want to give back and give to something greater. Not everyone comes into the store knowing the mission behind the boutique, but many purchase items knowing that their money is doing something good for someone. It\u2019s also the reason Pine has had the drive to keep the store going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love fashion, but I don\u2019t love fashion that much,\u201d Pine said. \u201cIt has [lent] a greater purpose for the store. I don\u2019t think it would have lasted as long as it has \u2013 we\u2019re going into our 10th year now \u2013 so knowing that the store exists for these kids is what drives me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iddy & Oscar\u2019s is continuing to grow and branch out. They have expanded their work into Cambodia, and they\u2019re starting to look for scholarship opportunities at home in Lebanon as well. The biggest hope, Pine said, is that they can make a cycle change in young people\u2019s lives. After all, each person affected will go out and change more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe mission that we\u2019ve been given to love God and love people \u2014 it comes full circle,\u201d Pine said. \u201cThis is what life is about. It\u2019s about giving back. It\u2019s about loving others. It\u2019s about helping people succeed \u2026 this is why we do what we do.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE WOOD floor and brick walls of Iddy & Oscar\u2019s hold a wide variety of items, from clothing to jewelry to bags and decor, but that is only the surface of Joy Pine\u2019s give-back boutique. Underneath, Iddy & Oscar\u2019s is a story of compassion, joy, and love, with a mission to uplift children and change […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":22203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/3-3-1024x683.png\")
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