Cece McElwee

Cardie Mary Ann Martello gets the credit for bringing Cece into the fold! The proud grandmother emailed us in 2016 to share the photo that now appears on Passages card 93850. Mary Ann wrote, “I just love your cards and saw the ‘card potential’ in the baby chick photo taken by my granddaughter, Cece.” We loved the photo and, turns out, its photographer was then only 11-years-old! Cece is an amazing story of love and survival that you can read more about here.

After we published the card, Mary Ann received samples and said. “What a way to end 2016 and begin 2017! Your package arrived and literally brought tears to my eyes! Thank you again for taking a chance on Cece’s picture, giving her that boost, and letting her see the possibilities — a great life lesson, and one I am sure she will carry forward with her. Very gratefully yours, Mary Ann Martello PS: I am predicting a top-seller!”

When we reached out to Cece for a photo and quote to publish in Big Book 2017, she wrote, “I’m sending this photo of me with Ben; he’s my horse and best friend who inspired me to start shooting. I don’t have a real camera, so I use my iPhone to take photos :) No one has ever taught me, and I haven’t ever taken any classes. It’s just something I started doing … I found a talent that I had that I never knew I had.”

Forward to October 2020. Mary Ann e-mailed, “Hi! Hope you are safe and healthy. I just received this picture from Cece pointing to her Peeps card at a shop in Fort Collins. She’s a sophomore now and really doing well in this crazy time. It was a jolt when I first saw this picture, as — with me home in Ohio and Cece in Colorado — I’ve not seen her in person with a mask on. What strange times we are bearing witness to. Take care! I enjoy reading your newsletters, and am looking forward to seeing smiles again.” ❤️

“Seeing my card in the store was such a cool feeling,” says Cece, “as it’s something I am very proud of.” As of this writing, in Oct ‘20, wearing a mask in public places is a state mandate in Colorado. “I would wear a mask anyway to protect myself and others,” she says. “Of course I don’t like wearing it when out with my friends but, if putting on the thing helps us get safely through these times, I will do it.”