As some of you know, the Elizabeth Coalition To House The Homeless honored me, because of all the donations we made together over the last few years.
It was unexpected, and I am humbled. Sometimes we do what feels right without thinking that we might be recognized for it. Never in my wildest thoughts did I imagine being an honoree.
How I chose the Coalition
I first found out about the Coalition when my kids’ school organized a shoe drive to benefit the Coalition.
Years later, when I was rethinking the mission of my business in 2019, I wanted it to have a charitable component. It was important for me to give back to the community.
I remember sending an email to Linda Flores-Tober, the executive director, asking if the Coalition could be the beneficiary of my Giving Tuesday campaign, and she said yes. She shared a quote from one of the families the Coalition serves: “Miss Linda, when you are homeless, people act like you are invisible. They don’t look at you, they don’t acknowledge your presence. It makes you feel like you don’t exist”.
Those words stayed with me, and I wanted to make sure that we don’t forget our homeless, and although a scented soap is not a home, it can give them a small moment of happiness knowing that they are acknowledged.
We admire the miracles the Coalition makes to help members of our community most in need. Homelessness can happen to anybody. Life is long and full of unforeseen turns, and it is fundamental that we have networks in place to help those in need.
My favorite moment was meeting Linda for the first time when I brought the first donation to the Coalition. Getting to know this powerhouse that can make the impossible a reality was special. She helps people navigate the most convoluted bureaucracy to get a roof over their heads.
If that’s not a superpower, I don’t know what is.
I didn’t have an agenda when I got involved with the Coalition. I wanted to spread the word.
And once again I was able to learn from the bees.
The Waggle
What do we do when we find that too_good_to_be_true deal? We tell our friends. Bees do the same. But they dance since they can’t talk and stinging is a kamikaze sacrifice.
But not just any dance. They dance the waggle.
The waggle tells them where to go, in what direction, how far, and how abundant it is. It’s like figure 8 which tells them in which direction to go using the sun as they go out of the hive. The intensity of the waggle – how fast they shake – represents the abundance and the length of the middle section of the dance is the distance. Isn’t that neat?
That’s what bees do to recruit help foraging.
Join Me In Helping Homeless Families
I have a tiny platform of clients, and you are part of it. I want you to know what the Coalition does, and how we could all get involved. I want to help, and the Coalition makes it easy.
I just danced my waggle.
The Coalition taught me something I didn’t know. It taught me that I had a voice and that I could ask you to join me in supporting their cause. It was the easiest sales pitch because I wasn’t asking for myself.
And before you go, let me remind you that our Buy One Give One Campaign is active on Giving Tuesday week. No code is necessary; all purchases including soaps or lip balm qualify (except for the soap club subscriptions).
It makes no difference to you. You buy your soap, and you get your soap. You buy your lip balm, and you get your lip balm, but behind the scenes, we match every purchase and donate them to the Coalition. And if you buy a gift set, we also match the lip balm and soap in the gift set.
We give them one just like the one you bought. We don't give them a cheaper version or the discards.
No. No. No.
We give them the best we can offer, because they, the homeless in our community, deserve our best.
Shop here on Giving Tuesday! Spread the word. Dance your waggle.
