Woodbury business 'Because I Can' features charitable causes

WOODBURY, Minn. (KMSP) - Shelley Felicilda has always dreamed of owning a small business and she’s made it come true a couple of times with a mission that gives her purpose.

She sells t-shirts, athletic pants and sweatshirts with the logo “Because I Can”.  It’s a sweet message of support, kind of like Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign.

Each month she features a different person who has overcome the odds, is battling disease or who has fought the good fight. She donates a portion of the sales that month to a charitable cause the featured person chooses.

“So our mission is that we strive to drive an attitude in life,” said Felicilda.

Felicilda, herself, has had an interesting journey that brought her to “Because I Can”. A life-long Vikings fan, she initially started out by selling clothing geared toward female Vikings fans. For years, she and her sisters enjoyed tailgates outside the Metrodome and felt women needed more choices in their fan wardrobe.

The tag line “Because I Can” was part of the business from the start.  They hosted luncheons with wives of the Vikings’ players, businesswomen in the community and she always had a charitable cause that benefited from the events and sales. But the economy took a turn and Shelley could no longer support the small company. So she went back to work full-time, still hoping to launch her small company again one day. Then, her sister Kristi got sick and eventually passed away from cancer.  

“And then I sat back and said 'How do you give up on a company when your name is Because I Can?'” said Felicilda. 

With a can-do spirit, she re-launched with good causes as the center piece. Felicilda still works nearly full-time at a local nursing home so that she can support her dream and keep that small business afloat. 

If you have a fundraiser and you want to give donors an opportunity to also receive something for their donation, you may want to consider teaming up with Shelley for a month. Learn more on her webpage.