Season for Caring: Lilly Pulitzer gives family shopping trip, donates to program at Shop and Share event Dec. 12

Dec. 09--"It's a really pretty color," said Diana Castro, using an American Sign Language interpreter, as she tried on a gold and cream striped sweater at Lilly Pulitzer at the Domain.

"It's gorgeous on her," said store manager Alexis Horracks.

"This one fits perfect," said Castro, 50, as she tried a sweater shirt dress in black with small cutouts on the shoulders.

"It looks good," Horracks said. "It's one of my favorites."

Diana Castro and her daughter Alyssa Castro, 24, were treated to a mother-daughter day Sunday with mimosas, fancy cookies and shopping at Lilly Pulitzer, lunch at Bakery Lorraine with social media influencer Rachel Holstin of Austin Foodstagram, and then pedicures at Caesar's Nails & Spa.

The Castros are part of the Statesman Season for Caring program, which each year highlights the needs of 12 featured families but helps hundreds of others through local nonprofits. The Castros were nominated by Any Baby Can.

Lilly Pulitzer opened the store early Sunday just for the Castros and let them each pick an item to take home. It was the third time they've treated someone to a private shopping event. In the end, Diana Castro chose a gray sweater with gold buttons on the shoulder, and Alyssa Castro chose pajama bottoms.

"This is me, comfortable," Alyssa Castro says of the pajamas, through an ASL interpreter.

Diana Castro says Alyssa's current pajamas have holes in them, but they've been putting off buying new ones.

There are a lot of things this family needs but has had to put off. Diana Castro works three jobs to help pay for her family's expenses, including mounting medical debt. Her husband, Marsello, who has had a stroke and has diabetes, had to move in with his family in Dallas because of his health. Their son Marc, 9, has leukemia, and the family owes more than $43,000 for his treatments.

In addition to treating the Castros to a private shopping event, Lilly Pulitzer will be hosting a Shop & Share event from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Ten percent of all sales on that day will be donated to Season for Caring, and the event will include sweets and drinks and a gift with purchase.

"We try to give back once a month," Horracks said. "It's one of the cornerstones for Lilly Pulitzer."

The store employees also have been collecting items on the Castro family's wish list.

Other things are starting to happen for the family. Donors are working on helping older son Noah, 20, with tuition, so he doesn't have to leave Gallaudet University, and they've secured a Southwest Airlines gift card, so he can come home at Christmas.

The family still needs a washer and dryer, iPads for communicating, car repairs, a computer, help with Marc's medical bills, rent and utility payments, gift cards, and home furnishings.

To find out more about the Castro family or provide something on its wish list, contact Any Baby Can at 512-454-3743, anybabycan.org.

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