I believe in living a purpose-driven life and have found that one of the most rewarding ways to do so is by giving back.
Donating my time and leadership skills to supporting local and national nonprofits allows me to feel fulfilled in more ways than one. Through the years, I’ve learned how easy it can be to make a difference and I want to share what I’ve discovered with you.
Where can you make an impact?
It’s important to identify what resources are available to you so that you can discover where you can make the biggest impact.
Having such a large female demographic at our Grand Salons provides an incredible opportunity to reach women in the community. We choose to be strong advocates for causes that empower women and support healthy lifestyles for all, because we truly believe that a healthy life is a happy life. Komen Columbus, The American Heart Association and Pelotonia are just a few that we love.
Being in the beauty industry, we identified local organizations that can benefit from resources that we have available. Seasonally, we donate a variety of hair care and skin care products to Dress for Success. We also identified that our guests are able to meet the needs of Fairy Goodmothers, a local organization that collects dresses to ensure that all students can attend prom. We proudly serve as a drop off location for dresses throughout the year.
Our barbershop, Royal Rhino Club Barbershop & Lounge, donates a portion of all proceeds to Care for Wild, the largest rhino orphanage and sanctuary in the world. Indirectly, every cut that takes place at the shop helps reduce the decline of the rhino population. We also support Stonewall Columbus and encourage team members from all of our locations to participate in the Columbus Pride Parade.
Recently, we found a new niche market that we’re working to inspire in our LIT Life + Yoga community. We’re able to offer weekly donation-based yoga classes with all funds benefiting the LIT Love Life + Yoga Fund at The Columbus Foundation.
It’s all about finding ways to make your business work for you, your team members and your community.
Make it social
When your company supports its team members in helping out a charity and giving back to the community, you should encourage them to share what they’re doing. We use the hashtag #penzonecares to let our community know about local organizations and to promote the philanthropic culture of our business.
Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and let your community see that you’re there to help them. An added bonus, people want to make a difference, so seeing that your company supports a worthy cause may be enough to encourage someone to join your team. Here’s to giving back and making a difference.
Debra Penzone is the president and CEO of The Charles Penzone Salons. Debra’s expertise as a business leader, hair professional and her avid philanthropy have earned her the respect of the salon industry and the nonprofit community.
