July 2023

Inside WGB

Updates & Current Events

Back to School

Our Back to School preparations are well under way! We will continue to accept donations of new backpacks, socks, and underwear through the end of the month-- sending items is easy through our Amazon wish list at the end of this email! We are seeking larger size backpacks in particular for our high schoolers.

7x24 Exchange's DC Chapter sponsored school supplies and volunteered to prepare backpacks to distribute to kids next month.

Kids from the Potomac School summer camp program came by to volunteer too! Here they are writing motivational notes to put in our backpacks-- a little personal touch to get the schoolyear started off right!

Kids clothes needed!

A new school year means a new wardrobe too! Our highest demand kids clothes sizes are 5T through teen. Essentials like shoes, new socks, and new underwear are needed as well.

Consider donating gently used clothing during our scheduled drop-off times.

Don't have kids' clothes to donate? Email [email protected] to host a donation drive!

Diaper Pantry

Infants need up to 12 diapers a day-- that can really add up quickly! We aim to help alleviate this burden by inviting expectant and current mothers to pick up supplies from our Diaper Pantry once a month.

Help us keep our pantry stocked!

We are especially in need of size 4 and 6 diapers. Here are ways you can help:

Purchase boxes and drop them off at our facility during scheduled times
Purchase off our Amazon wish list below
Host a donation drive-- contact [email protected]

Handbag Trade-In at Brighton & Ketterman's

Brighton Collectibles at Fair Oaks Mall and Ketterman's Jewelers in Leesburg are collecting gently used handbags to donate to our boutique through their Handbag Trade-In event. In exchange, donors will receive $25-$50 towards a brand new handbag! Visit their store July 28th - August 13th to participate.

In the Press

Following the unfortunate closing of INMED Partnerships for Children, fellow nonprofit organizations of the Loudoun Human Services Network (co-chaired by our Executive Director, Nicole Morris) banded together to help families transition to new support systems. WGB hosted a resource fair for families to get connected with various aid programs and services. We were honored to be part of this collective effort by an amazing coalition of nonprofits making sure those in need remained covered. Read more about the event in the Loudoun Now article!

By the way, that's our amazing Referral & Client Services Coordinator Alex pictured in one of our signature green aprons!

One of our Executive Board members, Lauren Vanni Kinard, was in the press recently as well! Previously featured in Washington Business Journal's 40 under 40 back in 2021, Lauren is now noted in their People on the Move list. Congrats!

Looking Ahead

TopGolf

Save the date! Our annual TopGolf at One Loudoun event will be held on Wednesday, October 11th. Reserve a bay spot to practice your swing, or just come socialize, network, and enjoy some food and drinks with us. Be sure to bring the whole team for a great time!

Our online silent auction will also be back, offering lots of fun items and experiences to bid on. 100% of the proceeds go directly to WGB.

Purchase tickets

Donate an auction item

Event flyer

A special thank you to our presenting sponsor Ms. Fixit for helping to make this event possible!

Need more convincing?

Check out some photos from last year!

Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Grace, a rising senior at Colorado College majoring in Environmental Studies. She is very interested in environmental justice and studying the relationship between humans and the natural environment. She is also minoring in Studio Art as she loves printmaking, technical drawing, painting, and fiber arts.

Grace's main interest is sustainability in fashion-- in her free time, she loves to upcycle thrifted clothing and fabrics and make them into new and unique pieces! Next year she hopes to attend graduate school for fashion design/sustainable fashion. Ultimately she'd like to live in DC and be a sustainability specialist/designer for a start-up or small business boutique.

While building her art/design/fashion portfolio for graduate school, Grace is interning with WGB while on break this summer to research the secondhand clothing industry. We are excited to partner with her to see how we can utilize items we don't use in our boutique and improve our own sustainability efforts. Stay tuned for more!