Emily Spivack, Brown ‘02, shares the story of her non-profit startup, Shop Well with You, and the inspiration behind it.
When I was a Junior at Brown University - which was not so long ago - I started a not-for-profit organization called Shop Well with You (SWY), a one-on-one personal clothes shopping program for any woman diagnosed with any form of cancer. SWY matches personal shoppers with clients in identifying clothing appropriate to their needs at one of the many SWY-affiliated stores. Based on the premise that one’s self-image impacts upon the recuperative process, SWY uses clothing as a means towards individual empowerment and healing. How was I inspired to launch Shop Well with You? Here’s the story:

taking time off, planting a seed

SWY was founded after I observed the positive impact clothing had on my mother’s well-being as she survived four bouts of cancer. From the changes that occurred to my mother’s body, clothing became obstacles she had to struggle into rather than wear. When she took time to choose an outfit that was both comfortable and stylish, my mother felt better about herself which, in turn, improved her overall wellness - thus the inspiration for SWY.

Fast forward from growing up in small-town, Wilmington, Delaware to college. I was attending Brown University and the time felt like it was flying by, but I was lacking focus. I knew that if I had direction, I could really get the most out of a place like Brown. Therefore, I decided to take a year off from school and explore my options.

I still knew I was interested in fashion so I decided to develop that interest. After I was awarded an internship scholarship from the May Company, I spent Summer 1998 in New York City as an intern at a funky fashion designer, Betsey Johnson. While I learned a great deal from that experience, I realized that I wanted to leave work each day feeling like I was making an impact in my community.

incredible experience

As my year-long sabbatical from Brown continued, I discovered Dress for Success, a non-profit that helps women re-enter the workforce by providing them with interview appropriate clothing. Because the organization was new, I not only worked with the clients directly, but I also organized their first national conference as the Affiliate Relations Coordinator, assisting other Dress for Success programs around the country.

It was an incredible experience - I learned a lot about non-profits and about myself. Working at Dress for Success shaped my perspective as I returned to Brown in the fall of 1999 to begin my junior year. Upon returning to Brown, I discovered the Entrepreneurship Program which helps students shape ideas into business plans. For a while, I had been considering SWY’s concept but I didn’t have an outlet. Now here it was before me.

Although I was an art/semiotics concentrator at Brown, I took one of the only business classes offered, just to explore my options. One day, an inspiring guest speaker visited the class to discuss entrepreneurship. He has a business incubator that helped launch small businesses. After class, I asked him if he ever worked with non-profits. His reaction - Would there be any money in it for him or his company? (Just remember that anecdote…)

breaking new ground

I continued working with Brown’s extra curricular EP program, which taught me how to turn my ideas into a feasible business plan. This was the utimate goal, since there was a business plan competition at the end of the semester. To make a long story short, I received one of three awards that year as the first-ever not-for-profit and the only female. In addition, remember the money-focused man who ran the incubator and spoke to one of my classes? Well, he was one of the judges for the competition. I guess I made him understand the importance of SWY because he, along with his company, offered to take SWY on as its pro bono client offering office space and the services of the incubator including marketing, strategic planning and financial advising.

From that point on, everything began to fall into place. I spent the summer between my Junior and Senior year working on SWY in New York City. Upon graduating from Brown in 2001, I have been working full-time on the program.

SWY has had a great first year reaching out to the community, educating nurses and social workers about the program, and developing other program-related initiatives. We led a training session for our volunteer personal shoppers in the Fall, began working with clients in the winter, led a fashion show for National Cancer Survivor’s Day this spring, participated in a wellness and spa day at a New York City support center, and we have two events planned in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have learned a great deal from all of these experiences.

lessons learned

One thing that my mother taught me as she has struggled through four bouts of cancer is to take advantage of every day. On the other hand, my father always says, “Remember, Emily… it is a marathon, not a sprint…”, at times referring to SWY development and at times referring to life in general. Instead of feeling conflicted by this advice, it has taught me balance. I can work hard and I know when it is time to rest. Understanding how to pace myself and how to enjoy the adventures and opportunities surrounding me will contribute to my personal development which, in turn, will contribute to the growth of SWY.

As a result, SWY is providing a direct and immediate service that helps women feel better. SWY is a not-for-profit business with a heart and a soul, inspired by my amazing mom and motivated by the thousands of women diagnosed with and surviving cancer each year.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with Shop Well with You, contact Emily here. Also, you may visit SWY on the web: http://www.shopwellwithyou.org

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 1st, 2006 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Brown, stories from the field. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.