Behold... the Generosity of Others

Look at the items that we collected and donated to Place of Hope in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  We could not have done this without the help of local people in our area.  They generously brought donations to a neighborhood Christmas party.  We set up a small table, and as the people entered the party, they left their donations in the basket.
 

Take a look at all of the items we gathered and sorted.

You can read more about Place of Hope on their website, but here is a little snippet of their purpose: 

Place of Hope is a unique faith-based, state-licensed child welfare organization providing family-style foster care (emergency and long-term); family outreach and intervention; maternity care; safety for domestic minor sexually trafficked victims; transitional housing and support services; adoption and foster care recruitment and support; hope and healing opportunities for children and families who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect throughout our region..

Our First Delivery!

We received a very generous donation of make-up and Betsey Johnson cosmetic bags from a blogger.  Thank you, Trish!

The Betsey Johnson cosmetic bags were perfect for our first official delivery.  We put together two lovely bags full of make-up, shampoo, conditioner, and nail polish for a seventh-grade girl who is about to enter foster care.  Such a sad story...

I know that all of the stories I encounter are going to be sad.  However, my heart is full when I think of the generosity of others and your willingness to take this journey with me as we strive to give girls and women the ability to find inner strength.  I really feel like feeling beautiful on the outside can help them feel better on the inside.

Generosity...

We held our first donation collection on Saturday.  Our kind neighbor asked all of her friends to contribute items during our annual holiday party. 

I am so proud to announce that we collected over $500 in products.

Once I am finished with my finals (ugh!) I am going to sort through everything and make up gift bags to donate to a local home that houses girls ages 8 to 17.  I plan on dropping off the gift bags on Christmas Eve.

I will be sure to post pics!

Thank you again for all of your support.

We Got It!!!

Thank you so much, IRS, for awarding Cosmetics for a Cause with the official 501(c)3 non-profit designation.  Now we can proceed soliciting, collecting, and distributing donations of make-up, nail polish, shampoo, perfume, ...the list goes on and on!

If you would like to make a donation, please contact us at erica@cosmeticsforacause.org, or mail your tax-deductible donation to:

Cosmetics for a Cause
c/o Erica Harreveld
6230 West Indiantown Road
Suite #7-353
Jupiter, Fl  33458

Our Needs for November

Hi Friends!

We are currently accepting donations of:

• cosmetic bags
• cotton balls
• cotton swabs
• nail files
• nail clippers
• nail polish
• nail polish remover
• shampoo
• conditioner

We plan on assembling manicure kits to donate to teenage girls in foster care in Palm Beach Gardens during the month of December.

To arrange to make a donation, please email info@cosmeticsforacause.org or call 561-693-9180 between the hours of 5pm to 9pm eastern time.

Thank you for your help!

We will gather at the beginning of December to assemble the bags.  If you would like to volunteer, please leave a comment or contact us.

Let's Begin!

The IRS received our application for non-profit status.  Now we just have to wait...and then wait some more.  They are currently working on applications that they received in February 2012.  Yikes!

We won't let their backlog stop us.  We are going to move forward and begin our solicitation for donations.  We plan on informing all of our potential donors that our application is on file with the IRS, awaiting a 501 (c) (3) determination.  If they would like to contribute cosmetics in the meantime, that would be wonderful!  We will notify them as soon as we receive the official declaration from the IRS, at which time their donations will become tax-deductible.  (Once the non-profit status becomes official, it also becomes retroactive to the date that the application was submitted.  That's good news!)

Our social media blitz and marketing campaign can now commence!  Ready, set, GO!

We are One Step Closer

Phew!  After hours and hours of paperwork, we have finally finished all of the necessary forms, attachments, and exhibits for our 501 (c) (3) designation.  Now we have to mail everything to the IRS and wait.  And wait.  And wait a little more.

It will be worth the wait, though.  We will keep you posted!  As soon as we receive our official nonprofit designation, we will let you know!  In the meantime, we are busy, busy, busy behind the scenes preparing for our official launch.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!