After you enjoy your turkey dinner with loved ones on Thanksgiving, then shop til you drop on “Black Friday”, and support your independent retailers on “Small Business Saturday’, then find bargains online on “Cyber Monday,” you will then be ready for “Giving Tuesday.”
Giving Tuesday is the day to pledge your commitment to the greater good in your community.
Why pledge for Yes She Can?
As readers of this blog, you know about how Yes She Can Inc. was founded in November 2013. You know how my daughter was my inspiration, but that the 80% unemployment rate for adults with autism was my motivation.
Here is our story from The Local Live by Philippa Wharton and Rebecca Berman
Here is a short history:
- I recruited trainees and interns beginning last fall and started holding workshops in my home to begin preparing merchandise for our store, Girl AGain
- We opened our boutique – only 125 square feet- inside Sweet Heaven Spa in Hartsdale, NY in February
- We hosted our first customer event, with Laurie Calkhoven, an author for American Girl in March
- We brought on Sheri Baron, a psychologist and expert in autism, to help develop our training approach
- We renamed our autism walk team and helped kids make doll t-shirts at the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain in June
- We hosted “Doll hair do’s and don’ts” workshops for happy customers
- We were featured on Today.com, WCBS radio Stories from Main Street, and local press including Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner’s radio program and Chris Spinner’s radio show on WVOX.
- We took our training on the road to Another Step, a day habilitation program without walls, to teach skills to three young women (who now come to our new location)
- We moved Girl AGain to White Plains at the end of October. With 750 square feet we have more space for our trainees and interns to work together. (About our move)
- We hosted the Girl Scouts troop 2465 where we made doll t-shirts and learned about our mission. (They then ran a collection drive as their Thanksgiving community service project!)
- Featured in The Journal News on Thanksgiving Day.
There is so much more to do. There is great demand for our program and we would like to serve many more young women in our community, and beyond.
So on Giving Tuesdy please consider making a commitment to helping young women with autism get to work.
Make a donation to Yes She Can. Your contribution will enable us to expand our program. This will allow our graduates to move on to other jobs where they can successfully use the skills they have acquired.
And share with your social network by using the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Inspire others.
Thank you!
Yes She Can Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Your donation is tax exempt to the full extent of the law. (We also welcome donations of AG dolls and all their accessories)
Why I Give
“I worry about my Asperger teen’s future employment prospects. Yes She Can addresses this issue with a training approach designed around the unique needs of people with autism. At Girl AGain they cleverly combine young women’s passion for American Girl with up-to-date technology training and retail development. I know my donation will help them serve more women.”
— Colleen B., Windermere, FL
Why I Work
“I have learned so much at Girl AGain. I have been learning how to process payments, which was very hard for me in the beginning, but now I am able to do it. Marjorie has taught me how to talk to the customers. Best of all, American Girl is something that I love, so learning retail skills in a store that you’re passionate about makes the work a whole lot easier. Thank you Yes She Can for this wonderful opportunity.”
— Cristina C., Stamford, CT
Why I Shop
“We took a road trip to see this special gem, Girl AGain. We loved the shop and the manager and her intern were so pleasant and knowledgeable! We cannot wait to go back. Thank you for a wonderful experience and we loved our goodies we purchased!”
— Evelyn L. Warwick, NY
It’s time that someone with a dream and passion for a WOMEN, a segment of the neurodiverse community, has brought to life a training model that makes sense on so many levels. The idea of training women who may have had difficulty finding jobs because of inexperience and the challenges associated with interviewing, communicating their needs and a variety of other skills required for employment, is an important link in the pre-employment chain. The education for employers, the public and the larger community is that these women have incredible talents and skills that are not always obvious in the beginning. The want to work. When they are employed, they work hard, they surprise employers and co-workers with their skills, kindness and pride in being blended into the employment community. Stop by Yes She Can and see women learning a variety of important business and employment skills. Engage them in conversation. Having worked in the neurodiverse community for years, the gifts I have taken from each individual I work with have been life changing!