PROPOSAL
Emerald Coast Women is a nonprofit 501c3 opening a thrift store in Florida. Goods sold are donated and repurposed to benefit women transitioning into the workforce from shelters, homelessness, domestic violence, prison, etc. Our model will hire women, reskilling or upskilling them to help make a financial comeback by providing store management and practical work experience in areas like Bookkeeping, Accounting, IT, Sales, etc. Our target is low income, historically underserved women to empower them to achieve economic independence. The majority of women transitioning back into the workforce may obtain low paying jobs, but unable to make a living wage on the Emerald Coast are women of color. A grant of $75,000 will help provide site renovations, sustain Point of Sale equipment, monthly software to track/inventory sales, financial software, and build capacity by hiring one full time and one part-time underserved woman.
OUR BOARD/TEAM
Our team is composed of volunteers, many who work full-time. Our board consists of two lawyers, three IT/AI experts, university researcher, former president of three universities, CEOs of own businesses. This list grows annually.
STAFFING with Volunteers
This year we plan to utilize high school students who need service hours will serve as Sorters and Inventory Control for donated items; Data Entry to track; adult volunteers to handle administrative work.
In collaboration with Dress for Success Emerald Coast, professional attire is provided free to women reentering the workforce. Along with workshops, training and long-term mentoring support. Donated clothing items that are not selected by women clients after one year may be re-donated to another nonprofit or sold to benefit programs for women transitioning back to work. This recycling, repurposing process benefits everyone seeking economic independence and career success.
EMERALD COAST FLORIDA REGION
This area attracts snowbirds, seniors, retirees from the military, and families seeking warm climates, all bringing multiple clothing items, furniture, and housing items to smaller living spaces. Fortunately, repurposing donated items has created a new market niche, driving demand for increased number of thrift shops, temperature controlled storage properties, new and wider roads to handle increased traffic flow, as well as an increase in assisted living housing units.
This upscale hospitality community has very few minority business owners partaking in or benefiting from the seasonal economic boom.
Emerald Coast Women of Distinction (ECWOD) is minority-women led and run. Your investment in this nonprofit of $75,000 will jump-start ECWOD's venture over three years and provide the opportunity to help underserved women achieve economic independence. People need people; and donors expressed their desire to donate gently used items for a worthy cause.
My personal background in Education: BS, MBA, DBA, 14 years IBM middle management posts, Director- DEI university; University adjunct professor of business courses (Marketing, Management, HR Management, Gender Management. Marketing Research); Volunteer at several nonprofit organizations, IBM Loan Executive at Baltimore Urban League, and Founder/CEO of Emerald Coast Women of Distinction and Dress for Success EC.
Site location of store: 213 Hollywood Blvd NE. FT Walton Beach, FL 33550 Dr. Gail Shorter-Judson Founder and CEO (850) 586-0667
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