Dignity U Wear: New Clothes. New Life.

I first heard of Dignity U Wear through my friend Bill Sorenson, a board member who is passionate about helping others. Dignity U Wear Foundation’s goal is to “positively impact the lives of children and their families in need by providing brand new clothing.” By doing that, they help people in need overcome the barrier of clothing so that they can focus on improving other aspects of their lives.

DUW takes a multifaceted approach to helping people in need. For example, they serve school children through their Learning with Dignity initiative. Specifically, they provide children with school uniforms, outerwear, and underwear, enabling them to focus on their education, rather than worrying about their appearance or the fit of their clothing. Through their Women and Girls in Crisis initiative, DUW also serves women who are victims of domestic violence, rape, or homelessness, providing them with brand-new clothing when they experience extreme life changes. Finally, DUW also serves our veterans through their Suits for Soldiers initiative, offering members of the military brand-new Brooks Brothers suits and accessories once they are ready to enter the civilian workforce.

Although DUW focuses on procuring products from various retailers and manufacturers to serve children and their families, they do not receive many underwear donations, even though this is one of their most frequently requested items. Therefore, DUW holds an annual Undie Campaign, encouraging members of the Jacksonville community to fundraise or host a clothing drive. This campaign helps DUW stock their warehouse so that they can serve the community throughout the year.

When I heard about DUW’s fundraising event “Ale for Undies,” I jumped at the chance to help raise money by donating a Stella & Dot necklace for the raffle. I always love being able to use my business to help others, but I want to do even more for Dignity U Wear because I’m passionate about their mission, they are headquartered right here in Jacksonville, I was really touched by the story about how they helped a local family so quickly, and it doesn’t hurt that their national spokesman is Mark Wahlberg (hello, hottie!).

The Undie Campaign runs only through May 20th, so there isn’t a lot of time, but JMB wants to help! We have set up a fundraising page where you can donate to this wonderful organization. Just $5 will provide underwear for an entire week for someone who is struggling. We can be a part of helping people with stories like this: A friend of mine told me about an email that was sent out to MOMS Club about a local family in need of clothing for their 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome who had recently been diagnosed with lymphocytic leukemia. As part of her treatment, she has to take a steroid that will make her belly swell, so she will need larger clothing to wear. She will also have a treasure box full of trinkets as rewards for taking her medicine.

My friend contacted DUW about the little girl, and within 24 hours Dignity filled the order for NEW clothing, including 7 sets of flowy tops with stretchy leggings (the kind that are very popular with the pre-K and kindergarten crowd!), a bathrobe, pajamas, hats, underwear, and even some warm clothing and a coat for this coming winter. Dignity also included a lot of fun trinkets, jewelry, and scarves for the little girl’s treasure box. If her condition changes and she needs clothing in a different size, Dignity said they will be happy to provide new clothing for her.

If you would like to participate in JMB’s fundraising efforts for the Undie Campaign, please visit our page here. To learn more about Dignity U Wear, visit their website or Facebook page.