
Finding a direct path to impoverished artisans around the world took more than a year. By the summer of 2003, the first major shipment of Blessing Baskets arrived and the The Blessing Basket Project® vision was made a reality. After more than a decade of success in connecting basket artisans around the world to the global marketplace, additional artisans of a wide new array of handmade goods began connecting and seeing the benefits of our program. In 2018, the underlining formula responsible for our incredible success was discovered and The Blessing Basket Project was officially renamed to Ten by Three®, catapulting the sustainable formula that started it all into the spotlight and helping broaden the organization’s brand beyond baskets.
Theresa continues to pay it forward every day by empowering the artisans of Ten by Three while giving them the opportunity to make a better life for themselves via the organization’s progressive technology and thought leadership.
Founding Story
In 2002, when facing opposition in her personal life, Theresa was inspired by the incredible support provided by her friends and family. They sent her notes, cards, and pictures for encouragement which she kept in her own Blessing Basket that she would turn to for daily reinforcement.
To motivate other women, Theresa began speaking at conferences and organizations, using her Blessing Basket as a prop. Soon after, women started to request their own Blessing Basket. Enthused by this interest, Theresa sought a way to curate a deeper connection with the maker of the baskets and the recipients, while simultaneously blessing both the makers and the recipients. Further, she wanted to ensure that the makers of the baskets would be compensated properly, without having to cede the majority of the profits to a middleman.

Theresa Carrington, Founder & CEO of Ten by Three pictured embracing a former village chief in Ghana, Africa (Left)
Theresa Carrington shares her inspiring story of Ten by Three and how it is changing the lives of people in poverty across the world.
Theresa is someone who considers herself an ordinary person. She refused to be defined by the difficult circumstances of her life and chose instead, on an ordinary day, to embark on this extra-ordinary journey known today as Ten by Three.
Credibility
The results achieved by Ten by Three have been the subject of several studies by some of the nation’s top universities. The organization leads in the use of innovative technologies, including its patent-pending Artisan&You technology.
Theresa has been honored as one of St. Louis’s Most Influential Women; Humanitarian of the Year by Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville; and YWCA Non Profit Leader for her opinion leading perspective and unique approach to poverty reduction – to name a few.
Prior to founding The Blessing Basket Project, Theresa was a journalist who achieved numerous honors, including 9 Emmy awards, over the course of her 20+ year career. Theresa now applies her journalism skills in sharing the stories of determination, inspiration and joy of Ten by Three artisans from around the world – all while reminding us how one person can truly change the world.