Grandma’s dress became a blueprint
Founder Story
Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman
She Sewed So I Could Rise. Now We Rise Together.
CareMakers Collective™ began with a turquoise dress.
Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman’s Ama — her Taiwanese grandmother — was a widowed home-based seamstress who raised three children alone with little formal education and one sewing machine. The last dress she made for Ming-Ming traveled in her suitcase from Taiwan to Saudi Arabia, and finally to America.
It carried a message:
Skills are power. If I can make it, so can you.
For over twenty years and with a Doctorate in Pharmacy, Ming-Ming served as a clinical pharmacist whose impact reached far beyond medication management. Her career began with Kaiser Permanente Portland’s nationally recognized Medication Disease Management Program, an innovative model of patient-centered care. She received the American Health System Pharmacy award for her role in this innovative program on population disease management. In her later role as an anticoagulation pharmacist, she became a trusted advocate and guide for her patients, fostering enduring relationships built on trust, dignity, and compassion. Her legacy is one of exceptional care, meaningful connection, and a steadfast commitment to improving the lives of others.
Yet her grandmother’s lesson about dignity through skills stayed with her.
As Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Artisan Initiative, she turned that lesson into impact—securing more than $6 million in funding, diverting over 50 tons of textile waste from landfills, producing 150,000+ upcycled products, and creating training and income opportunities for refugee and immigrant women.
But Ming-Ming also saw a gap.
Sewing alone could not always provide stable income. Orders fluctuated. Yet many of the artisans were already mothers and caregivers—people with deep traditions of caring for others.
That insight sparked a new idea.
What if women could build livelihoods through both sewing and caregiving?
Through CareMakers Collective™, Ming-Ming designed a dual pathway:
A nonprofit that prepares refugee and immigrant women for meaningful employment by offering hands-on training in sewing and adult care, along with professional certifications, mentorship, and a strong support network.
The result is a powerful flywheel.
Women can begin sewing from home while caring for their children.
As their language and confidence grow, they may step into adult care roles — or continue doing both.
Flexibility for women.
Solutions for communities.
Sustainability for the organization.
The turquoise dress still hangs in Ming-Ming’s closet.
A reminder that when women are given tools, skills, and opportunity, they don’t just survive—they rise, and they help others rise with them.