Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
Though much of the world has moved on from Hurricane Sandy, the area impacted by the storm has not, and the good news is that there are members of our extended small business community (entrepreneurs, members of the press, readers and more) who haven't forgotten the area and continue to give back.
We've been chronicling the triumphs and tragedies that came with Sandy and while doing that we've been moved by stories of great generosity, feel-good stories, and this Sandy Story is another...
I believe that in business and in life, success comes when you do what you love and focus your energy on what you do best. I think the story of how blogger and lifestyle writer Aly Walansky (and her trusty sidekick Allison Galland) raised over $2,200.00 for Hurricane Sandy victims in ONE DAY is a perfect illustration of this. On top of that, theirs is living proof that you don't need to move mountains to make a difference. In fact, sometimes it only takes moving mountains of make-up....
When the amount of devastation Sandy brought with her became apparent, Aly made efforts to donate blood, donate food, donate time volunteering - you name it - but she still wanted to do more. As she told us, "The Saturday after Sandy, I'm looking around my apartment and thinking 'I have all this EXCESS (editors get a lot of stuff) and yet there seems to be nothing I can do to make a difference' and then it hit me: I could use the excess TO make a difference."
Right away Aly began sharing her plan for a "beauty product stoop sale" on Twitter and her personal Facebook. As I mentioned, bloggers and editors get a lot of product and Aly's plan was that none of said product would have a price tag. People could take as much as they wanted, give as much as they could, and if they had any of their own needs or were displaced, they were free to take anything they wanted, no donation necessary. All the proceeds would go to the Red Cross.
The Sandy Relief Beauty Stoop Sale soon took on a life of its own! [Editor's note - I watched it unfold on Facebook and I can attest it was EXCITING to see people getting pumped to help Aly give back.]
In a matter of one afternoon, they were able to raise hundreds of dollars and then their donations were matched, meaning the grand total for one day's worth of giving reached $2,250.00! Doesn't that just give you the chills?
In truth, Aly's work to help bring relief to Sandy victims is a lesson in just going for it when something needs to be done and not looking to far from your own home base (virtual or real life) for inspiration.
Aly and Allison - we salute you!
Want to learn more about them? Follow them on Twitter HERE & HERE! Read Aly's own story of her stoop sale HERE.
