35th Anniversary, Events, Local Love
A Look Back at Changes in the Community
On November 8th, 2019 Changes Salon & Day Spa collaborated with local communities to host a philanthropic event called “BeYoutiful” to celebrate their 35th Anniversary while giving back to the community it cares so deeply about.
The team at Changes decided to host a fundraiser supporting STAND! For Families Free of Violence for this special event. Changes chose to donate to STAND! not only because they wanted to help women and mothers in need, but because the hair and personal care industries bridge such a vital relationship between those struggling and a helping hand.
STAND! for Families Free of Violence is committed to promoting safe, strong families and their approach to eliminating family violence is well-rounded and community-wide. In addition to providing a complete spectrum of prevention, intervention and treatment programs they also enlist the efforts of local residents, partners, and institutions, all of whom are striving with STAND! to stop domestic violence and child abuse.
In an effort to reach individuals impacted by domestic violence as early as possible, STAND! delivers victim advocacy, shelter, wrap-around services, children’s therapy as well as therapeutic programs to abused children and those affected by domestic violence. STAND! Also trains law enforcement personnel, human service professionals, educators, and health providers to support their efforts and efficiency.
Months in advance Changes developed a partnership program “STAND! with Changes” to engage the local community in their efforts to support STAND! for an evening of celebration and fundraising. The team was able to bring together 24 sponsors and had over 25 in-kind donations from local businesses ranging from a New Year’s Eve at the Ritz Carlton to a baby boot camp and everything in between for a silent raffle for STAND!
Changes was able to secure donations from local restaurants and vendors offering guests an evening of complimentary tapas, drinks, even a DJ and photo booth. Many of the staff at Changes also volunteered their Professional Services to offer VIP attendees mini services during the event.
To promote the event and cause, Changes worked with a local marketing company to create videos engaging local small business sponsors. They also placed ads in local magazines and did a mailing to the community inviting them to attend and raise awareness about STAND!
Through the efforts of the team and the local community, Changes was able to donate $15,738 to STAND! Additionally, donations were made by a few generous attendees which included pedicures for all the women in the shelter.
The Operations Director at STAND! shares how the “BeYoutiful” Changes Fundraiser impacted their community:
“The funds raised at the Changes event are really important to an organization like STAND! for a few reasons. First, it’s an incredible show of support directly from our community and in many cases, from people who live and work in the same community that we serve.
The funds are also important to STAND! because they are going directly to program support, in this case, directly impacting the programs and services at our 24/7 emergency shelter and the onsite supportive services we wrap around survivors and their children. These funds are what we call “unrestricted” which are like gold for nonprofits, and allow us to directly steer them where the highest need is in that moment.
Most of our program funding is grant-related which restricts how we can use the dollars either by location, program, or purpose. For example, recently the Department of Justice and other federal programs changed their rules and we were no longer able to use grant dollars to purchase or supplement food for clients in shelter. This was a really huge change and left a big budget hole that was partially closed by unrestricted funds like the ones raised at the Changes event. We also use unrestricted dollars to supplement our children’s program at the shelter and other key wrap-around services.”
We asked STAND! what partnerships like the one they have with Changes helps their nonprofit organization;
“Our partnership with Changes is really important to STAND! for a number of reasons.
First, Bonnie Waters and her whole team have been wonderful partners and allies in the community to spread awareness and information about domestic violence services available in the community. We know that the relationship between a client and their stylist, esthetician, massage therapist, nail artist- whomever they are trusting with their body for services and care, that relationship is very special and often built over many years.
Research has shown that if someone is in an unhealthy, abusive or violent relationship, they will often talk about it first with someone they trust, not a crisis line or a DV caseworker. The staff and Changes has a unique opportunity to build trust and help offer resources or a phone number if they see the signs that someone might be in an unhealthy relationship.
STAND! also really appreciates partnering with local, female-owned and led businesses. Bonnie has not only personally supported STAND!, but she has also been an important link to our local business community. The events hosted by Changes also gives us an opportunity to connect with other business that might not ever cross our paths if it were not for the partnership with Changes. STAND! also really appreciates the opportunities to have Changes staff directly impact the shelter clients through haircuts and other personal care services when the opportunities have arisen.”
Through the years philanthropy has always been important to Changes, and their “BeYoutiful” event was one of the most impactful events that they hosted in the past decade.
click here to learn more about stand!
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