Founder of Vi Bella Jewelry to speak during Northwestern chapel service

Julie Hulstein, founder and president of Vi Bella Jewelry, will speak during a Northwestern College chapel service on Friday, Sept. 16, at 10:05 a.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Hulstein founded Vi Bella Jewelry in Sioux Center as a way to provide employment and access to the basic necessities of life to poverty-stricken and at-risk women in Haiti, Mexico and the United States.

Designers in Vi Bella's home office come up with designs based on current fashion and accessory trends. Then kits of recycled and repurposed products are sent to the artisans, who create jewelry for fair wages. The Christian organization operates two centers in Haiti; one near the small village of Pesqueria, Mexico; and one located in Sioux Center, which employs women from a nearby transitional housing unit. Vi Bella has also partnered with organizations that provide employment in India and Ecuador. 

In addition to steady and reliable income to the over 30 artisans employed by the organization, Vi Bella also provides school sponsorships for all of the employees' children in Haiti, in addition to after-school programs for children in Mexico. The company also gives back to the communities it serves by financially supporting schools, partnering with orphanages for school sponsorships, and collaborating with others to improve local living conditions.

After graduating with a fine arts degree from Dordt College, Hulstein earned a Master of Music degree from the University of South Dakota. Prior to founding Vi Bella Jewelry, she was a middle school and high school band director for 27 years and performed in area symphony orchestras and chamber groups. She has served on the Northwestern College Board of Trustees.