Lots of donations! Incoming and outgoing

WOW! I just picked up 32 boxes of donations from the PO Box ... in 2 full carts at the post office.
Next week we're sending donations to Portland, OR (an organization that works with teens) and Lombard, IL (an organization that provides interviewing and office attire to women).

Yesterday a box went out to Atlanta, GA to a women's shelter.

Thanks for all the donations! Keep 'em coming. You all are part of moving something that hadn't moved before!

Oz

Be careful what you wish for ...

...because it might come true.


The past 2 weeks have been phenomenal. As a result of the articles by reporter Dawn Reiss, the story on AOL's home page last weekend, and a podcast by KeepingScoreinChicago, emails, donations and requests have poured in.

Support1000 will soon be sending donations to Smyrna, GA and Lombard, IL.

And let me add a reminder: if you've contacted Support1000 and haven't heard anything, you WILL get a response.

Also: if you are in the Chicago area and would like to help, please be in touch.

501c3 Update

Big news this week: the Illinois Articles of Incorporation were submitted.
A first step toward acquiring non-profit status.

Attorney Patrick Richards of Richards Patent Law has offerred pro bono assistance in Support1000 being formed as an official non-profit organization.

Patrick is a good friend and an inspiration. His compassion and "just get it done" spirit are powerful and I'm glad to have him as a friend and as a Board member for Support1000.

Busy week!

As a result of the article written by Dawn Reiss, the week has been BUSY! The story has been picked up by lots of media outlets and the repsonse has been fantastic. People have expressed interest in donating, helping, and requesting donations for themselves or their organizations.

The AOL version of the story can be found at this hyperlink .

Today I'm preparing for a "sorting party" that'll happen tomorrow. A team of volunteers is coming over to inventory, sort and pack. We'll be preparing donations that will go out with Monday's mail.

Also today, for those of you have have emailed ... I'm going to park myself this afternoon and start replying. I'm promising to respond to everyone within 72 hours of having received your email.

So, please be in touch!

Thank you all for your support and interest in Support1000. I hope this inspires more people to take their wild and exciting ideas, bring them into the world and enjoy the experience of having made a difference.

Support1000 in the News

Two wonderful articles in the past week WOW!

http://trueslant.com/dawnreiss/2009/10/05/chicagos-1000-bra-man/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-bras-city-zone-02oct02,0,3810524.story

The application fee has been raised!

Support1000 has be quiet lately. Things have been moving but moving quietly as we focus on the 501c3 application for non-profit status.

This past week was full of miracles that included the realization of the entire application fee of $750. I share this with the purpose of inspiring people who have a dream or goal and want to bring it to life.

Last Monday, I sat here with $207 and having made the promise to be fully funded by the end of the week. It has taken a month to get the $207. Yet, after having made the promise, I got into action. That included asking friends for donations, and depositing a can full of coins into the bank.

It wasn't that easy. I sat here scared to death before I got started. I dreamed up everything that could go wrong, I imagined people being mean to me, I imagined failing. But then there was the overall commitment that was getting buried in all the worries. Non-profit status and the women who need bras! They're waiting on me.

That's where I re-focused. The goal re-emerged. Suddenly, I was in action and dreaming up ideas to get from here to there. Saturday morning--6 days later--the full $750 had been collected.

This isn't about me, though. It's my story. This is about inspiring people and making a difference; having a commitment, creating a future and living into that future. We all can do that!

Support1000 Update

Many of you know that Support1000 is no longer the 1-time project that it started out as. We are seeking permanence through non-profit status.

Over the past few weeks I, and several other helpful individuals, have worked on the bylaws, mission statement, the time line, etc. Lots of work! But it's worth it--no question about that. It's worth it when I think about the hundreds of women who've been supported by Support1000, and think about the unmet need that's much bigger than I knew when Support1000 started.

To date:
1308 bras have been donated in 4 states and a village in Mali.
28 unique entities have recieved donations of bras, including:
- 2 residential facilities for recovering addicts
- homeless shelters
- 2 schools
- several churches
- several social workers

If you work with low-income women, please be in touch and we can arrange a donation of bras.
If you would like to donate, please be in touch: support1000bras @ g mail. co m

501c3 status for Support1000

WOW! Suport1000 hase been in existence since November 2008. I figured that, by now, I would have collected and donated 1000 bras, and would have moved on. Instead, I sit here this weekend with the IRS application for 501c3 status ... planning to keep Support1000 alive forever. How did this happen?

The need for a nice, well-fitting bra has turned out to be enormous. The volunteers and donors who've supported Support1000 have thereby supported hundreds of women in shelters, high school girls, women entering the workforce, and many others who otherwise couldn't afford a decent bra.

For many of the organizations we have donated to, this was the first time any form of underwear has been available. I thought:

"people move through and move on. There's turnover. New people will be in need of help? What happens if Support1000 doesn't exist?"


I'm committed to Support1000 being available to the organizations we donate to as they experience the turnover of the women they serve.

So, this weekend is about starting the process so that Support1000 has 501c3 status as a non-profit business, and is no longer a one-time project.

Again, thanks to all of the volunteers, people who've donated, those we've donated to, and the countless people who've had inspiring comments.

7MAY update: 14 bras out the door, many more planned

Update on the challenge to get 200 bras out the door by Saturday:
14 bras went to Milwaukee, WI yesterday.

Several conversations are taking place. Let's start more conversations! With your help, we can support the women who need good bras.

Be in touch!

Donation challenge

Today brings an invitation to all of the friends and supporters of Support1000:

Help get 200 bras donated by this Saturday, 9MAY09

If you know of an organization that helps women or girls, and you would like to make a difference by donating bras, Support1000 will back you by providing the bras so that you can make the donation.

• No amount is too small. Support1000 has donated as few as 4, and as many as 200 bras.
• The donations should go to entities where the bras will be given and not sold.

Please! Be in touch; let us know how many bras you need and let's work out the details:

support1000bras @ gmail . com

Again: 200 bras out the door by 9MAY09!!!!

Gobal Activism Expo

Saturday I went to the Gobal Activism Expo at Northeastern University. It was inspiring to be around people who started with an idea and believed in it enough to take action and make a difference for others. For many of the participants, their organization is a lifestyle ... something much more than an occupation. This spoke to me as I sketch out the future for Support1000.

So, I begin to think about how I might best continue to support those women who otherwise wouldn't have decent, well-fitting bras? The women in the shelters, schools, and churches; the women served by foundations that provide clothing and other necessities.

What the future looks like, I don't know. But I'm committed to keeping Support1000 in permanent existence.

214 bras went out the door today

WOW! It started @ 8:30 this morning. Now it's 8:30pm and I'm finally sitting down.

Ms. Gomez was the first visitor; a very pleasant social worker (thank you for the work that you do, and thank you for taking the time to pick up the donation).

After that, I went to pick up my friend Anna and we packed boxes and inventoried for several hours ... motivated by the fact that unknown people are waiting for these bras.

This afternoon bras went to a Chicago church; a Native American High School; a Native American University; and a womens shelter in Boulder, CO.

Thank you Anna for your help and ideas.

Finally: a lot of people have emailed requests. We'll be getting you soon.

111 bras went out today

This is a lot of work, and I never thought there would be so much need, interest and support. But this is exciting. I really do appreciate the work that people do to support those who need help; and I cherish this opportunity to be in support of those who are in the trenches.

Why me?

I figured it might be appropriate to say something about "why me?" Why would a man take up such a cause? There are the quips; the breaks in the conversation as if a punchline is coming; the raised eyebrow of suspicion; and simple disbelief. So, "why me?"

As I described in a previous post, Support1000 started in a conversation with a friend, a lady who's a school teacher, and I got around to making this a large project. The number 1000 is a number that came to me. There's no magic to it. It scared the hell out of me but I committed myself to 1000.

A lot of people were enthused about the idea; however, my friend Renee was so excited that there's a question about whether I asked her to help or if she invited herself to help. (LOL) Whichever way it happened, I'm so glad to have Renee involved. She's had good ideas, helped keep the project moving, and has shared the frustration when things haven't gone so well.

So. My role. I am just the source of the project. When we donated the 80 bras to the school on the South Side, I was the warehouse guy who bundled up the bras, put them in a bag and turned them over to Renee who then turned them over to the guidance counselor.

For me, this is far far far beyond bras. Early in this, I got excited about helping others make a difference. Their excitement about making a difference is so fulfilling, for me. This excitement was present in the people who donated bras; I could hear it in their voices when they promised to mail bras from near and far. That excitement was in a wonderful hand-written note in a Christmas card we received from someone who also mailed 3 bras as a donation.

I'm just a conduit, linking up various people who want to help, and the recipients of the help. One thing about being a conduit: I have to remember to not get in my own way. I have to remember not to get in Support1000's way!


A friend was giving me ideas about where and how to donate. In her voice, I heard 24-karat belief in Support1000. That inspired my invitation to her: "How about if YOU develop and execute your ideas and Support1000 will promise 100 bras that YOU will then donate?" She tought about it, accepted the challenge, and is now in charge of her own piece of Support1000.

When the time arrives, I'll be the warehouse guy again: pack 'em up and send 'em out.

Right now, Support1000 is looking for people who see a need and want to do something about it. Counselors, teachers, social workers, shelter staff, etc. If you have ideas or suggestions. Please, step up. Be in touch. Let's work together and make things happen.

That's my role. That's the answer to the question: "Why YOU, Oz?"

Update 16JAN09

WOW!

Today I'm packing a box of 100 bras to give to a counselor. She's has targeted 20 girls who are in need of bras. Support1000 will deliver the box this weekend and the counselor will handle the disribution.

Last Friday
Last Friday, UPS showed up with 23 boxes of bras that were a much appreciated donation from International Intimates. Overwhelming! There were more than 2600 bras in their donation.

Those of you who donated a few bras, 1 bra, 10 bras, whatever ... you all are so appreciated. You helped kicked off a mission that sounds quirky initially but you became supportive of the idea of Support1000, made donations, expressed appreciation and got involved with making a difference for other people. Thank you!

Here's the Support1000 "headquarters":