At Parker, we believe in the power of community and the importance of giving back. Recently, our team had the privilege of volunteering with Project Lemonade, an organization dedicated to inspiring self-esteem and empowering youth in foster care. Since 2012, Project Lemonade has been a beacon of hope for these young individuals, offering essential services, a flagship store, internships, and funding opportunities that help them thrive and pursue their dreams.
Our recent efforts focused on two key areas: raising awareness and donations through social media and volunteering in person. Jacky Nguyen, our Executive Assistant, and Ally Billings, our Senior Talent Coordinator, both volunteered at Project Lemonade’s store where we experienced the impact of our contributions!
Ally shared, “This experience really opened my eyes to the challenges that many of our local foster children face. It made me feel so happy that I got to play a small part in brightening some of the children’s Back to School season.”
Jacky echoed this sentiment: “The experience of volunteering at their clothing store was incredibly rewarding. The store carried items purchased by Project Lemonade through donations and funding, but it also had items donated by various businesses (I got to see where the donated socks from Bombas go)! I was assigned to shop for two kids who couldn’t make it in, and it was so rewarding to find the items they were asking for.”
As the Founder and CEO of Parker, Lindsay Nead has long been deeply moved by the challenges faced by foster youth. “Since becoming a mama, fostering has been deeply on my heart. When I heard about Project Lemonade, I’ll never forget reading this statement on their site: Foster youth deserve support. Due to childhood trauma, poverty and instability, youth in foster care are among the most under-resourced in our nation. From kindergarten to college, Project Lemonade provides the resources, opportunities and connections youth in foster care need to succeed in school and life. When I thought of who we know and the industry our business operates in, I immediately knew the value we could bring to the organization and impact we could have with these kids.”
Gail, Project Lemonade’s Community Engagement Manager, shared that hats and beanies are critical for Project Lemonade to carry in store as transition from summer to autumn. From a functional standpoint hats protect from the sun and keep heads warm. From a style standpoint hats are a key item to brand a person and helps give confidence.
We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a worthy cause and look forward to continuing our support for Project Lemonade’s impactful work. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated allowing us to donate over 80 hats to youth in foster care!
