Give More February Service Project

{You can read more about Project 2011 and why I started it here, and how it impacts my giving here}

My Year of Giving list is still coming together, but I've been able to add a couple of charities and organizations.  As you can see I still have a couple of months open, and that's okay.  As is with our life, this is a work in progress. 

I wanted to tell you a little bit more about the organization focused in my February service project, Dress for Success, an organization that outfits disadvantaged women with work appropriate attire so that they may reenter the workforce with confidence and self esteem and help gain economic dependence.  I first heard of Dress for Success through my old job, where I was organizing a small fashion show luncheon for charitable women in Orange County.  While luncheons like these always benefited a good cause, they felt a bit contradictory to me.  Spend a few thousand dollars feeding women and encouraging them to shop, as opposed to just donating straight to the charity.  Of course it was to drive business, but it never quite felt personal or sincere.

So when I was putting together my list of giving for the year, Dress for Success instantly came to mind.  What this great organization does for me is give new perspective to the old cliche "I've got nothing to wear."

This weekend is their annual Send One Suit drive, where you can gather up gently worn suits that have been hanging around in your closet and donate them.  Drop off is easy, at any Dress Barn location across the country.  I'm sure there's one near you, because they've got hundreds of locations.  I don't expect to have quite the same success as I did with the One Warm Coat drive, but I have a few suits of my own, and if I can just gather a few more it will impact at least several women in our local area.

So won't you join me?  Oh I know you have a couple of suits from your work days back in that closet of yours!  Nice suits that have barely been worn that you're thinking just might see the light of day one year :)  Go dig around in there.  Now's your chance to give them a new life.

**This just added!  I contacted Dress for Success and confirmed that you can donate any clothes that would be considered "interview appropriate" attire.  So blouses, skirts, slacks, even a nice cardigan set would be greatly appreciated and help.

One last thing...I gave it some thought and I realized that fear of failure and embarrassment (that no one would post a link) held me back from posting a linky last month as I originally wanted to do.  And that is just wrong!  This project is not about me and how I look.  It's about stepping outside of myself, pushing myself to change even when it's outside of my comfort zone, being a better example for my children, and helping my community.  So next Thursday March 3rd I'm posting a linky party dammit!  I want to hear your success stories of creative ways of saving money, or how you gave a little of yourself, or how you were able to stay within your monthly budget, or even if you blew your budget, ideas of how to get back on track.  Let's inspire each other and encourage each other!  Start thinking of a post, because next Thursday, it's gonna be a party, and it's gonna be good!  Even if it is just me ;)