The Giving Keys was founded in 2008. Founder
Caitlin Crosby has detailed the origins of The Giving Keys in
The Huffington Post and at a
TEDx event (TEDxBend). Crosby took to wearing an old hotel key as jewelry and one day asked a locksmith to engrave the word LOVE on the key. As friends and fans took interest in her key, she decided to make her own line of key necklaces with inspiring words on them to sell at her concerts. Shortly after launching the jewelry line, Crosby attended a movie screening by
Invisible Children in
Hollywood. Touched by the experience, she struck up conversation with a homeless couple (named Rob and Cera) outside the movie theater after the film. Crosby offered to take the couple out for a meal and complimented Cera on her necklace. Cera mentioned that she designed it herself, and in a moment of impulse, Crosby invited the couple to be her business partners and help her produce her high-demand jewelry. Over the few years, the company has grown rapidly; as of August 2014 TGK has employed 19 people transitioning out of
homelessness. The Giving Keys has been featured on
The Today Show, and in
Elle,
People,
E! News,
Last Call with Carson Daly,
MTV,
Relevant magazine, and
The Huffington Post. == Non-Profit Partnerships ==