Nonprofit Family-to-Family and PrettyConnected.com Join LeSportsac at Giving Event to Celebrate First Anniversary of Share Your Beauty
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 26, 2015 -- LeSportsac, the iconic bag and accessories brand, last night hosted the first anniversary celebration of the “Share Your Beauty” giving initiative at its flagship store at 1065 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Guests filled LeSportsac bags with thousands of beauty products donated by top beauty industry brands. The “bags of beauty” were then brought to Covenant House, a NYC childcare agency housing homeless and disadvantaged youth, where they will be given to teens and young women living in their New York City shelters.
The Share Your Beauty program was co-founded in February 2014 by the national nonprofit poverty relief organization Family-to-Family and beauty blogger Lara Eurdolian of Pretty Connected.com. This ongoing initiative was created to collect unopened, surplus beauty products from members of the beauty industry, including brands, retailers and the media and share them with women in need. The initiative is designed to put a bit of “sparkle and dignity” back into the lives of women and teens in crisis.
Since the program's founding, the beauty industry has donated an estimated 32,000 products, including cosmetics, fragrances and hair products. LeSportsac donated its bags for two previous “Share Your Beauty” events with the “bags of beauty” distributed to women who are victims of domestic violence at Henry Street Settlement, and to teens in foster care at Good Shepherd Family Services, both in NYC. LeSportsac’s NYC headquarters in Times Square has also been operating as the official drop-off location for beauty industry product donations to the Share Your Beauty program since June.
National retailers and brands donating to the program have included Birchbox, Henri Bendel, Aveeno, bareMinerals, Buxom, Elizabeth Arden, Essence/Cosnova Inc., Knock Out Cosmetics, Lush, l’Occitane, Mario Badescu, Pureology, Redken, Tarte Cosmetics and, through POPSUGAR, Herbal Essence Shampoo.
“This program has obviously struck a nerve, and the beauty industry has really jumped on board, says Pam Koner of Family-to-Family. “For women struggling to rebuild their lives, we hope our “bags of beauty” will be seen as a gesture of support and caring in a world that might often feel harsh.”
“I'm humbled by what we've been able to achieve together in just one year," says blogger Lara Eurdolian of PrettyConnected. "For years I'd struggled with how to sustainably donate and give away my excess beauty products. Unlike clothing, which already has so many programs, there were no options for beauty products. This has been an amazing collaboration. I'm thrilled to be connected with Family-to-Family, and so thankful to LeSportsac for their help with logistics and getting the word out."
The next Share Your Beauty event will take place in early May, 2015 in preparation for Mother’s Day. Donations of products can be made for that event between March 1st and May 1st, 2015 at LeSportsac’s midtown offices.
About Share Your Beauty: Started by the non-profit poverty relief organization, Family-to-Family and the blogger, Lara Eurdolian in February 2014, Share Your Beauty aims to unite a coterie of beauty bloggers, editors, publications, and brands in creating ongoing beauty collection drives and events, delivering beauty and hygiene products to those in need. Share Your Beauty is a year round program and accepts donations of new, unopened cosmetics, hair and skincare products and samples by mail or drop off to our NYC and Westchester locations. To date the organization has collected over 32,000 items to benefit those in the NYC tri-state area.
About LeSportsac: LeSportsac is a quintessential American lifestyle brand of casual trendsetting nylon bags. Founded in 1974, the company maintains a strong presence around the globe, offering a fashion forward line of handbags, travel totes, messenger bags, backpacks and accessories. The lightweight fabric combined with high performance hardware characterizes its iconic, functional styles available in a wide variety of colors and prints. A leader in the accessories market, LeSportsac continues to offer fresh, innovative new styles that remain consistent in terms of quality and character while partnering with trendsetters around the world.
About Pretty Connected: Founded by Lara Eurdolian, Pretty Connected gives readers a candid peek into the world of fashion and beauty with her keen sense of style and humor. The website focuses on trend reports, product launches/reviews, gift guides, industry events, expert interviews and celebrity features. As a much sought after beauty insider, Lara has appeared in campaigns in Lucky Magazine, Elle Magazine, Cosmopolitan, as well as been featured in top publications including The New York Times, The Today Show, In Touch, Life & Style, Refinery29, StyleCaster and Beauty High. Lara also serves as Skype's Global Beauty Brand Ambassador. http://www.prettyconnected.com
About Family-to-Family:
Family-to-Family, Inc. is a national, grassroots nonprofit 501(c)3 hunger and poverty relief organization dedicated to providing food and other basic life essentials to American families struggling with the challenges of poverty. By connecting donors one-to-one with specific families in need, Family-to-Family brings a large and seemingly intractable problem – poverty – into personal focus, making proactive, attainable results possible…one family at a time.
http://www.family-to-family.org
About Covenant House:
Covenant House New York is the nation’s largest non-profit, privately funded childcare agency that works with homeless and disadvantaged youth throughout New York City. Every year, they provide food, clothing, shelter, and support services to youth who come to our Crisis Center, Rights of Passage Program, and Community Resource Centers. Last year, more than 6,300 kids came through our doors and received help.
Media Contact:
Family-to-Family: Pam Koner:pkoner(at)family-to-family(dot)org
Pam Koner, Family-to-Family, http://www.family-to-family.org, 914-478-0756, [email protected]
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