The clothes are coming and going at Tootsies. It all started on Thursday, July 18, when it was the site of the Mary Kay Foundation’s Suits for Shelter program kick-off. Naturally, pink was the color of the evening. Why even the men folks spiffed up their ensembles with MK-fav colored ties (Morgan Meyer, Ryan Rogers and Jose Reyes) and handkerchiefs (Crayton Webb).
The purpose was easy to guess. It was to start the collection of “experienced” clothes and accessories for women to provide to shelters. The drive runs through Monday, August 5.
Oops, that could have been a problem. Seems that the Tootsies folks also arranged to have a very similar clothing drive for the Austin Street Shelter to run from August 1 through August 31. Yipes! Would there be a showdown at the store’s front door on Preston Road for which organization got the goods during that August 1-5 overlap period?
Oh, please!
Everyone was assured that anyone bringing clothes during that period would be asked which group they were providing the goods for.
And regardless of which group benefited from the contribution, the donor will receive a $25 gift card to be used at Tootsies, which will be very good since the store’s having its mega sale going on.
But back to the party.
Just as event producer Jan Strimple arrived on the scene, model Keana Meyer joined her, while husband Morgan reported on his future plans. Yes, he was running for the Texas House seat currently occupied by Dan Branch because “it’s a chance to serve Texas. . . With my family and background, it’s the perfect spot to continue Dan Branch’s legacy.”
Just when the ground level was getting tighter than a size too small Spanx, it was time to go upstairs for the fashion show of shelter staffers wearing outfits with various touches of pink.
But before the show got underway, Mary Kay’s ever-charming and eloquent Director of Corporate Communications Crayton Webb and Mary Kay grandson Ryan Rogers thanked all on behalf of Mary Kay corporate and the foundation. They also reported that this was going to be a big year for the cosmetics company, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Starting the following Sunday an estimated 50,000 women would be in Dallas for the annual Mary Kay gathering of the troops. As part of the Mary Kay Foundation’s mission, one of its programs is to assist women’s shelters. Last year they doubled the number of suits they collected and have raised more than $50,000 in all. Ryan finished the presentation by asking all to join him in toasting the program.
As the festivities were continuing with a full house watching the fashion show, a truck pulled up in the back of Tootsies with 150 items to add to the Suits for Shelters program.
Since 2000 the Mary Kay Foundation has provided $31M to shelters dealing with abuse against women and continued Mary Kay Ash’s original mission “to allow women to advance by helping others to succeed.” And to think — it all got started by a widow who invested her $5,000 savings in a dream. Thanks to her dream, women are escaping lives of nightmares.