Support Your Favorite Nonprofit on #GivingTuesday
⌛ By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you are most likely yearning for that carb-filled plate with all of your favorite holiday staples. After Plate No. 1, you peruse the newspaper ads and your favorite online retailers to assess the most coveted Black Friday and Cyber Monday items, and you could even have plans to enjoy some local sales for Small Business Saturday. As you’re scarfing down turkey and discussing sales with your loved ones, add #GivingTuesday to the conversation.
This time of year, many organizations make their needs known, from donations of canned goods to funds to continue a plethora of programs within service areas across the world. It could get overwhelming to know which one to support. My advice to you? Follow your heart. See which causes fit your personality, values, skill set and life goals. Do you want to help the next generation succeed? You may want to donate an hour or two to mentor a youth. Do you want to thwart hunger in your region? Pick up some extra items on your next grocery run to give to a local food pantry.
The possibilities are endless. At the corporate level at Hourglass Media, we believe in empowering women, educating about mental health issues and preparing the next generation for a better tomorrow through interactions and education. While this doesn’t represent everything we support and stand for, it’s a snapshot into our corporate social responsibility.
This #GivingTuesday (Nov. 27), we encourage you to give to your favorite organization, whether you send a check, send funds online, donate needed items or volunteer an afternoon. Do what you can do and what you are lead to do. If you don’t have a particular organization in mind, consider donating to Dress for Success. Our local affiliate is Dress for Success® River Cities, but this worldwide organization has affiliates everywhere.
Dress for Success® River Cities’ mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and life. Dress for Success® River Cities is the only West Virginia affiliate of Dress for Success. The affiliate organization was founded in September of 2006 and began serving women in July 2007. It sees clients by referral only from a range of agencies and educational institutions. All of its services are offered to disadvantaged women at no charge to them whatsoever.
Dress for Success® River Cities is located in downtown Huntington, WV, and serves the Tri-State of Ashland, KY / Huntington, WV / Ironton, OH (the 13-county Tri-State includes Cabell, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam and Wayne counties in WV; Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup and Lawrence counties in KY; and Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties in OH).
The nonprofit organization provides suiting opportunities for its clients, which gives them confidence during job searching and when the client has landed a job. Interviews can be daunting, right? Dress for Success® River Cities also gives clients guidance for their upcoming job interviews and gives them access to a career center. Its signature event, Sips, Suds and Stillettos, and its affiliated Power Walk, give women and men the opportunity to learn more about Dress for Success® River Cities’ work and support local women.
During this period of ThanksGIVING, Dress for Success® River Cities is asking individuals and businesses to meet HER needs. While the organization receives several generous donated items and funds from donors, there are still some needs to be met. With winter just around the corner, clients need warm coats, as well as scarves, gloves and hats. Clients also need new makeup products to help boost their confidence for their job interviews and beyond. In addition to suits, Dress for Success® River Cities needs solid-color scrubs for those in medical careers and black pants for those in retail and food industries.
I recently spent a November afternoon volunteering in the office and boutique. While it was a slower day, I learned so much about the phenomenal work the organization does to empower local women. As the newest board member, it’s my honor and obligation to serve those women as well. I want to give them a hand up so they can become their truest selves. As I sorted through clothing donations, I thought about each woman that would soon occupy those clothes in their personal and professional lives. It could be her future power piece, just like anything red for me.
Help women find their power pieces and confidence so they can live their best lives. Consider donating to Dress for Success® River Cities today!
Copyright © MMXVIII Hourglass Media, LLC
Kaylin R. Staten, APR is an award-winning public relations practitioner and writer. She owns Hourglass Media, a consulting company based in Huntington, WV.
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