May
Industry with Heart: Arbonne
This is a great article about the great charity work that Arbonne does.
by Rebecca Larson
Women’s shoes flatter the feet, provide comfort and height, and protect from heat and cold. Fit is everything. Now, they also offer protection against abusive partners. “Shoe cards” illustrate just one of the many creations the staff of the Sojourner Center, a haven for abused women and children, provides to keep women safe. These cards give abused women resources and information—information so secret that it must be carried in their shoe to prevent discovery. Shoe cards allow abused women ready access to necessary resources without fearing discovery, and possibly reprisal, from their partners. And Arbonne International is proud to help.
A woman who walks her talk, Arbonne President Rita Davenport inspires and motivates others to transform their lives through their actions. Years ago, Davenport felt a tug at her heart when she saw one particular article in her local newspaper. “I had read a story in our local newspaper about a mother who was turned away from Sojourner Center because they didn’t have enough space,” she says. “And when she returned home, her abusive husband stabbed her to death in front of their children. And he stuffed her in a closet to bleed out. It was gut-wrenching because if they had space for her at the shelter it would’ve saved her life. And I truly had an overwhelming calling to see if I could contribute.”
Rita felt that call so strongly that she began raising funds on her own, while still an Arbonne Independent consultant. She visited the Center, which at the time was headquartered in a doublewide trailer. Clearly, they needed help, and Rita answered that need. She set a specific amount, $150,000, and threw herself into raising the funds. “I thought I could just call some friends and they could pull together,” Davenport says. “And I realized that it wasn’t that easy. So I put together some luncheons, had some motivational speakers come in, put on some training programs and we raised $150,000.” more…
