A Little More Background on the Bra Drive

Tiffany Pate, a local blogger living in Mt. Pleasant, recently learned about a new organization that is bringing tangible hope to women in Africa who have been rescued out of slavery.  This tangible hope is offered by way of gently worn bras.  Mrs. Pate’s sister introduced her to Free the Girls during a impassioned phone call. She asked for help collecting used bras to push her class to victory in a bra drive held by the Aveda Institute in Charlotte .  Mrs. Pate made a facebook plea to her “church friends.” A week and a half and sixty-eight bras later, her sister’s class won.

 Mrs. Pate could have stopped there, but something had ignited inside her.  She had to do more. Free the Girls is an organization that has discovered a way to help women rescued out of slavery start a business.  They collect used bras and distribute them to women who have been set free.  Once these ladies sell the bras, they use the money to feed their families, go to school and re-invest in more inventory. This model allows the new entrepreneur to run a self supporting business.  Please visit www.freethegirls.com to learn more.

Mrs. Pate is a stay at home mom of two boys, but instead of thinking she couldn’t do anything right now with children underfoot, she found away to make a difference.

“I realized that the little part of internet that I call mine could be used to make a difference,” Tiffany Pate explains.  “My blog can be more than just stories about my kids, it can inspire something bigger.  When people unite, you can change the world, even if it is just by a blog.”

Mrs. Pate harnessed this power and is in the middle of a nationwide bra drive.  She organized Mrs. Pate’s Blogger Bra Drive and used her blog, Mrs. Pate Writes to get the word out and the buzz going.  “I wanted to not only get the word out about Free The Girls, but get bloggers all over to interact with each other more, build community, and do something for a great cause. Two voices are louder than one.”

Abbie Unger, who blogs at The Envelope Keeper, was so inspired by Mrs. Pate’s heart for this cause, she knew she had to help.    “When Tiffany told me about all the good that could be done, I knew I wanted to use my blog to make a difference, too. And when I saw there was a prize for the most creative bra drive, I called my brother, Chad Sumner.  He owns Holy City Events an innovative event planning company that is always on the cutting edge of the Charleston social scene.  He is a great idea man and he had a great idea.”

Ladies Night Bra Drive at Midtown Bar & Grill was born.  July 25 Midtown’s weekly ladies night will look a little different.  They will still have drink specials and music, but between 4 and 7 pm there will be bras everywhere.  Abbie explains, “We will be giving away door prizes throughout the event and the first fifty ladies with bra donations will take home a thank you goodie bag.  Local businesses have been generous so far.  We really appreciate Midtown opening their doors to us.”

If you or your company would like to participate, please send an email to abbie.unger@gmail.com.

This is a great opportunity to clean out your drawers and have fun for a good cause.  If you have a blog join the fun at www.mrstmpate.com.