Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Sweat Evans.
Hi Marissa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Don’t Stare was founded in 2018 by Terence and Marissa Evans while sitting down in a public restaurant eating dinner with our family. Staring has been something that we’ve always encountered during our family outings. However, one particular day while feeding our son, Jaylen, who has cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, and other medical conditions we looked up and it felt as if everyone was staring directly at us. All the eyes made us very uncomfortable so we decided to leave. After arriving home my husband and I had a conversation about what happened and by the end of our discussion came up with the idea of creating a brand for Jaylen that said: “Don’t Stare”. So, here we are today!!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been amazing. We focus on educating others about staring as well as raising awareness about staring.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The purpose of Don’t Stare is to educate others as well as raise awareness about staring. Don’t Stare is for everyone, whether it be someone with a disability, transgenders, homosexuals, those fighting an illness that has caused their appearance to change, convicts, those battling addiction, or those that have overcome addiction, amputees and etc. It’s for everyone that has ever experienced being stared at for any reason. It’s to let people know that it’s okay to ask appropriate questions or just to say hi.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I have a passion for what I do and I love what I do. I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dontstaremovement.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/jaylencpjourney/about/
