Lola's Closet - a path to renewal
Lola was my loving grandmother, my inspiration. She was a strong woman full of faith and always quoted bible verses to everyone she spoke to. She never met a stranger. Lola was our rock our go-to person in times of trouble; our spiritual guide, our philosopher. She will forever be in my heart. I didn't get to know my grandfather. Unfortunately, he was killed in an auto accident before I was born, leaving Lola to raise their children alone. All her life she cooked, cleaned, sewed, picked cotton and farmed. Eventually she had to move to the city for employment. Having no other experience she found work as a cook for employees of a large utility company. Later on she became a seamstress for a large department store.
The 1950's was a tough time for a single mother, but she never gave up. She always had extra to feed those in need and always sewed extra for those needing clothes. She taught us all to do the same.
Among the many things I learned growing up that stayed with me the most was her advise to "work with your hands - if you always know how to work with your hands you will never go hungry", she said. Next to faith, that seemed to be at the core of everything. If you have no other skills, be creative with your hands. As a child when we hit hard times we would quilt and sew and sell our items to tourists - and always made sure we shared our profits with others in need.
As an adult trying to find the balance between corporate work and raising my own family left little time for anything else. Corporate layoffs eventually took me back to my roots. As a data processor, an instructor, an outreach leader, a PTA fundraiser, a business owner with a BS degree, an Activity Director, I have the knowledge and background and skills to offer which we hope to pass on to others as we meet them.
Together with my husband's background in 19 plus years in banking technology and operations, 11 years of financial advise and having owned other businesses, combined we have the abilities to sustain and grow this lifelong dream.
WHAT WE DO
Our Mission
Our mission is to raise funds to support other growing nonprofits.
By doing what we know best (i.e., collecting donations, sales, upcycling, repurposing and teaching), we are fulfilling our social responsibility to balance profit-making activities with activities that benefit society. Through our donors and volunteers we will be able to support existing organizations and missions with their causes. It works this way - they work directly with individuals, we help fund their cause. These causes include cancer victims, veterans in transition, senior citizens and more.
After our bills are paid our profits will all be given back into the community.
Lola's Closet is run solely by our volunteers. Please consider joining us by volunteering. Can you spare a few hours each week?