If you’ve been a fan of our website, you know I love shopping at Discover Goodwill, especially for my clothes. Back in March, when we launched our site, my girlfriend Ashley gave me a Goodwill gift card and with that, I started our very first two Goodwill contests, where we had women enter and then we took the winners to Goodwill and found them a fabulous outfit.
From that we went on to have more contests but we didn’t do it on a regular basis because quite frankly, we were paying for it and I too, like a lot of you, am on a budget. But then I got an email from Keri Funkhouser, Communications Specialist at Discover Goodwill, offering us a gift card every month for the next year to continue our Goodwill contests. Well, I felt like I had struck gold and was full steam ahead with the contests! My brilliant husband then said, “Why not try and make it even more special for the winner?” So with the help of KKTV’s Moms Everyday and some very generous people, we came up with this “military” contest that was open to anyone active or retired in the military or who was married to someone in the military….we support our troops! Our winner Shannon will be featured on KKTV’s Moms Everyday tomorrow, Thursday, wearing her outfit we found we found at Goodwill and sharing her experience of a day of pampering. Today I want to share with you a little info on those who gave….
THE HAIR……
Ron Rather at Genesis Hair Salon, www.genesissalonco.com, was our first stop. He gave his time and talent to cater to Shannon’s hair…and she has a lot of hair! I think Shannon was a bit nervous when we first met since we were meeting for the first time and about to spend about 8 hours together. I thought I helped with the nerves a bit but five minutes after meeting Ron, I might as well have not been there! Ha! He just has this great was of being calming yet funny, engaging without being intrusive and he knows what he’s doing. Ron’s been a hairdresser for 17 years and has seen every type of hair and knows how to make you look your best.
Right after we first got to the salon, Shannon got a phone call saying a family member was very ill and in ICU (in another state). She was, understandably upset. Ron talked quietly with her for a few minutes, suggested we silently pray for the doctors and nurses to have wisdom and immediately (it seemed), Shannon felt a bit better and we were able to go on and enjoy the day. (She did get updates and kept in touch with family as we went about our day.) Shannon has very thick, curly, long hair and Ron pampered it with color, a trim, and fabulous style.
Of course all of these are before pictures (of Shannon)….have to wait till tomorrow to see the results! Shannon told me that Ron is one of those rare men who can listen and understand “woman speak”…. and that he knows how to work magic with his hands! Just fyi…he also knows how to cut and lay tile….I said his wife is one lucky woman….I’d be like, “honey, I need a trim and I’d like new tile in the kitchen”….he’s been married 24 years and has two great sons.
If you’re looking for a new hair dresser, you should give Ron a call! And THANKS RON for your time and helping us start off the day in a fabulous way!
*I, too, had to try Ron out and got a cut and color…hey, it’s all for research and I’ll be back!
THE CLOTHES……
Shannon and I hit the Goodwill on Kelly Johnson Blvd next. My friend and fellow “expert” Goodwill shopper Ashley met up with us to help find Shannon something wonderful to wear. www.discovermygoodwill.org Of course I’m not going to show you what we ended up buying….again, you have to wait till tomorrow. But I just want to say….long before Keri offered us the monthly gift cards to Discover Goodwill, I was a loyal fan. Yes, I do shop at other thrift stores but Goodwill’s my number one favorite and it’s not just for the great selection and excellent quality I can find there. It’s also because of the staff at their stores…always nice, welcoming, helpful and just downright friendly. And every single time I shop there, I feel like it’s a win/win situation. I get a great bargain and help others at the same time.
Did you know that Discover Goodwill gives 90 cents out of every dollar back to the community? That is a HUGE percentage! I know a lot of people who have been charitable in past years, giving to good causes but that can’t afford to now because of being on tighter budgets. Here’s an idea. Donate to Goodwill. You get a tax write off and you are contributing! And every time you shop there, you also contribute. Again…a win/win situation. THANKS KERI AND DISCOVER GOODWILL! To see just one more great thing Discover Goodwill has done for our community, check out this (one of my favorite articles I’ve written)….
THE MAKEUP MAKEOVER……
Teresa setting up for the makeup makeover.
Teresa Schmitt, a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, was a previous winner of one of our Goodwill contests and that’s how I got the opportunity to meet her. She also won one of our back-to-school Goodwill contests, not for herself but for a friend who has two children and needed some help. (I promise these are all random drawings…she just got “lucky”!) Anyway, the day we were shopping with the kids, I mentioned our upcoming contest and how I’d love to offer the winner a makeup makeover, totally forgetting she was a consultant. She immediately offered her time, expertise and help. And just on a side note, to let you know what kind of generous person she is….not only did she enter her friend’s two children in our contest, she took time off and took them to Goodwill to meet me because her friend was studying and then (because only one of the kids won), she bought the sibling some clothes for school out of her own pocket because she knew the financial struggles her friend was going through!
Teresa became an Independent Beauty Consultant in 2006 and says she’ll be one for life. She became interested and hooked when she tried the TimeWise® line.
skin care line. She said she’s always had oily yet sensitive skin and the TimeWise® line of skin care worked better than any she had ever tried….she’s her own best customer she admits.
Teresa does work a full-time job in the corporate world that she says is both challenging and rewarding but her Mary Kay business allows her to connect with other women in a way that isn’t possible in a corporate environment. And even though she loves the products, what makes her happy is the opportunity to meet and work with so many amazing and wonderful women. Teresa told me, “I love the ability to enrich other women’s lives for a day, a season, or a lifetime. For me, there’s nothing more important than touching other people’s lives in a positive and caring way and my Mary Kay business is the perfect vehicle for me to do so.”
I met with Teresa for a makeup consultation about a week before we met with our contest winner, Shannon. I actually needed some new foundation and truthfully, wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing and wouldn’t make Shannon look like a clown! You never know and I just wanted Shannon to be in the best hands possible. Well, I bought the foundation and more because I had a glow on my face that my current makeup wasn’t giving me. And I felt confident in her being able to help make Shannon’s day special.
Teresa says she loves helping women find the best products for them to look and feel beautiful…which she did for me and Shannon! We’ll have pictures of Shannon’s makeup makeover before and after pictures on tomorrow’s post. *I did pay for my own makeup, I don’t “promote” products or services because someone gives me free things…just fyi.
Teresa has some amazing specials and promotions available exclusively to fans of 719Woman, so if you’re interested, contact her for details at http://www.marykay.com/teresa.schmitt
THE JEWELRY……
This was the icing on the cake! The day I was at the KKTV 11 News studio to talk about our website and contest, Barb Cobleigh, (Executive Assistant for KKTV), overheard me talking about it and generously offered a free piece of Lia Sophia jewelry for our winner! Just out of the kindness of her heart! I have lots of Lia Sophia jewelry myself and love it!
Barb’s been involved with Lia Sophia for about 5 1/2 years. She started selling it because she loves the jewelry and wanted to have another stream of income flowing in…. and what family doesn’t need/want that? Barb said, “If it’s $200 or $2,000 more a month, well, Lia Sophia can provide that.”
Barb’s married with two adult boys, two wonderful daughters in law and three beautiful grandchildren. She works full-time as an Executive Assistant on KKTV 11 News and enjoys selling Lia Sophia jewelry in her spare time….helping to empower other women.
I personally know that you can put on a great outfit and look good but then you put on “that piece of jewelry” and bam!….You went from great to fabulous! I loved it when Barb said, “We all need something shiny in our lives.”
Barb gifted Shannon with the earrings and necklace….beautiful! You can check out all the other beautiful Barb has to offer at www.liasophia.com/barbcobleigh
THANKS BARB!
AND FINALLY….
On top of everything Shannon won….she’s also getting a gift card at The Cliff House in Manitou Springs so that she and her husband can enjoy a Four-Diamond meal and some “us” time! www.thecliffhouse.com
And if you think YOU can’t afford to dine there check out my earlier post about how affordable it really is!
THANKS PAUL and THE CLIFF HOUSE!
AND of course we want to thank KKTV 11 News and KKTV’s Moms Everyday! Thank you Jen for having us on the show and helping us promote our site and help women on a budget! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and letting everyone see how fabulous Shannon looks! Thanks for this opportunity!
Just fyi…Jen (hostess of Moms Everyday) and I went shopping last month at Goodwill and found her some fabulous outfits too!
Again, I just want to thank everyone for their kindness and generosity in helping us with this contest and giving Shannon some quality “me” time with services and products you provided. And thanks to you Shannon for entering the contest and being such a good sport! We had a good day!