Partying with a purpose is my new thing. It’s the MOST FUN, and look at what gets created!! This year’s 1st Annual Girls Giving was a huge success, for multiple reasons (a few of which are below):
.
**We got to PARTNER WITH FULFILLING DESTINY (@periodwithdignity), a local non-profit committed to supporting and empowering homeless women through the distribution of free feminine products every month, with the hope to decrease their monthly worries on these important needed products that they cannot afford to buy. More importantly, Fulfilling Destiny hopes to empower and help increase homeless women’s self-esteem one woman at the time.
**A small, but mighty, group of people came together and RAISED $370 IN CASH AND ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS – while having a PARTY, enjoying food, wine, pie, and hot cocoa <3 It doesn’t have to be one or the other
**I LOVE HOSTING PEOPLE in my home, and this is so completely NOT something ”old Susan” would have said – because I wouldn’t have wanted to let people into my life. I had isolated myself and was not taking any action to better my life, let alone the lives of others. Hosting this party last night really gave me a new appreciation for how far I’ve come, and a deeper conviction that even if you’re terribly isolated, depressed, and frustrated with life, there is a way out!
**It gave me the CHANCE TO SPEND TIME WITH LADIES I don’t always get to hang out with, and it was a fun opportunity to bring my multiple worlds together and loop in friendships from various circles.
**Reminded me to BE THANKFUL FOR THE SIMPLEST THINGS. Ladies, when you take a moment to think through “that time of the month” can you even imagine NOT having access to these basic necessities?! I know personally I’m annoyed by that particular experience each month, and not one time did I also have the added stress of no home, and no supplies to manage that.
.
If you have an idea, run with it. This was planned maybe 2 weeks out, and I kept it super low key to make it accessible. There are a million different ways to give back, so find something dear to your heart, bring together some friends (new and old) and have people contribute to the cause if they want to. Help people help you by keeping it simple (i.e. something they can pick up while they’re already out on normal errands)! I provided a few light snacks, tea, and some wine, and invited people to bring potluck style anything if they wanted.
..
You guys, I used post-it notes to label stuff (and create the sign on my door, and setup the photobooth…which was literally post-its on a blank wall with tampons/pads as props) – we need not over-complicate things and pretend that we “don’t have time” or we’re “not creative enough” or “my house isn’t setup to host” or whatever other excuses we have. Just go for it!
.
No, it’s not all going to line up perfectly.
No, not everyone is going to be able to attend.
No, it may not look like what you thought.
No, you don’t need to be the best hostess in the world.
No, it’s not up to you to single-handedly change the world with one event.
.
That said, whatever you DO do, know that it IS making a difference. You ARE impacting the world. You ARE inspiring people. YOU are capable of more than you know. It all starts with actually STARTING. So, very simply…start. You can.
.
Sincere THANK YOU to each person who contributed to this cause <3 What a fun, blessed, repeatable event!! You can see more photos from the evening here.
.
If you’d like to contribute to this, it’s not too late! You can send money to me via venmo (susan-brennan-9) or PayPal (brennas3@gmail.com) and note that it’s for Fulfilling Destiny, or you can give directly to Fulfilling Destiny.
Girls Giving 2019
