“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
You may have heard the above proverb. I first heard it from a teacher I had many years ago. During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, I learned to “go alone” really well, but before long, I realized the importance of the latter half of the above saying.
Around the middle of last year, there was a moment when I looked at the growing crises in human trafficking, domestic violence, homelessness - and found myself feeling unable to find the silver lining. It seemed like no matter what we do, these crises would just continue to persist or worsen.
It was then that I learned about the works of other women who inspired me and gave me hope. I was very fortunate to be able to connect with them, learn about what they do, and explore collaboration opportunities - which eventually turned into our charitable partnerships.
In this new year, I am blessed to be able to start the journey as partners of these amazing women and organizations. By sharing the stories of our partnerships, I hope you will fall in love with their work as I did, and become a part of our journey together.
The Bra Recyclers
I came across the Bra Recyclers during my research on bra recycling options. While there are various options for bra recycling, I was instantly drawn to the Bra Recyclers because of their commitment to donating bras to women and girls in need, including those who are escaping domestic violence or human trafficking. Since their founding in 2008, the Bra Recyclers has donated 4 million bras to over 100 non-profits around the world.
In the late summer of last year, I had the pleasure to connect with Elaine Birks-Mitchell, the CEO of the Bra Recyclers, and we began the work on our partnership. It is my honor to be a part of the Bra Recyclers Ambassador Program: a program through which you can recycle gently used bras and receive a discount for your next order.
Discover more about the Bra Recyclers and how to recycle your bras through our Ambassador program.
Women Giving Back
At Maison Noelle, our pieces are intended to be self-gifts for women. But how much more fulfilling it could be, if with each gift you give yourself, you can also give a gift to others?
I fell in love with the work of Women Giving Back, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to support women and children in crisis by providing quality clothing at no cost. Their clients are qualified by their case managers, and are most typically living in shelters or part of a transitional program in and around the Greater Washington DC area.
After connecting with Lisa McGrail, a Volunteer Engagement Specialist at Women Giving Back, we established a donation program that allows Maison Noelle shoppers to reuse the packaging to ship gently used women and children’s items to Women Giving Back at no additional cost. Simply send us a message when you are ready to ship, and we will e-mail a pre-paid shipping label.
Learn more about Women Giving Back and their Donation Guidelines.
re:loom
In the realm of textile recycling, re:loom clearly sets itself apart from others through its social initiatives.
re:loom is a program of Initiative for Affordable Housing, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in Georgia. re:loom employs and empowers homeless and low-income individuals through weaving projects made with recycled materials. In addition to job training, stable salary and health coverage, re:loom provides valuable opportunities for their weavers to develop leadership skills, as well as a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
I had the pleasure of connecting with Lisa Wise, the Executive Director of re:loom, who passionately shared collaboration stories between re:loom and various design industries. We are currently working on weaving projects made with our fabric remnants.
Stay tuned for an update on our collaboration, and in the meantime, learn about re:loom and their work here.
Thank you for starting the year with us, and I hope we will continue to be a part of each other’s journey.
xx
Monika