Dogeared Founder Marcia Maizel-Clarke cleaned out her closet for a cause donating a covetable collection of designer duds to Fashion Project. This amazing retailer uses fashion as a force for good making giving back glamorous. Marcia’s swoon-worthy selection includes styles from Vince, Rebecca Taylor, Diane Von Furstenberg and, of course, Dogeared… and all profits go to One Voice, a Los Angeles nonprofit she is so passionate about and been working with for over 20 years.
Dogeared was founded on the principle of putting positive, peaceful and loving energy into the world. From the beginning, we have handcrafted our jewelry locally, employed sustainable business practices & partnered with non-profits.
Today, Dogeared is proud to join the community of nearly 900 Certified B Corporations in over 29 countries to launch the first international #BtheChange campaign in an ongoing, global effort to celebrate and reward people using business as a force for good. B Corporations use the power of business to affect change in the global community’s social and environmental problems.
The #BtheChange movement is an effort by the entire B Corp community who have met the most rigorous standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability as businesses. Dogeared has been certified for over 3 years with a commitment to the world that we’re a company that cares.
Dogeared will continue to serve as a leader and help influence other companies to use their business as a force for good. A special thank you to our customers for supporting a better way to do business. By taking a deeper look into the products you buy and the companies you work with, you already play a key role in the #BtheChange movement. Without you making conscious and informed decisions, none of this would be possible. Thank you.
To celebrate the launch of the first ever #BTheChange Day, Dogeared created a Limited Edition Online Exclusive Be The Change necklace, encouraging you and others you to make a statement & make a difference to be the change you wish to see in the world.
$5 from each purchase will support B-Lab, the non-profit dedicated to growing this global movement.
‘Tis the season to give back! Every year, Dogeared co-founders Marcia & Merlin head up one of the giveaway centers for the One Voice Holiday Program in Los Angeles – a non profit organization helping families living at poverty level within our community. Many of the staff and family and friends of Dogeared join hundreds of volunteers to participate in this amazing event that provides Christmas food baskets, toys and books to 2,500 families.
In the spirit of the holidays, each child receives gifts given personally by Santa and every family takes home a basket overflowing with all the makings of a wonderful holiday meal: a turkey, rolls, carrots, squash, potatoes, yams, onions, rice, beans, bags of apples and oranges, candy, a fresh apple pie and canned goods. Each year, Dogeared helps package much of the food in our amazing tote bags to deliver the holiday packages with love!
To learn more about how you can donate or volunteer with One Voice, click here!
As part of Dogeared’s social responsibility, we are always looking to involve our staff in our giving efforts. This year, we had a wonderful opportunity with the Maryvale Orphanage to create gifts for the kids to open at their holiday party!
Our staff was really excited to be involved in each step of the process, so we followed the different departments as we all worked together to create something really special for the Maryvale kids.
Step 1: Pull Castings
Step 2: Create Product
Step 3: Check for accuracy
Step 4: Pull cards for product
Step 5: Card product
Step 6: Package with love!
Established in 1856 by the Daughters of Charity as the first orphanage in Los Angeles, Maryvale has operated continuously for more than 157 years. As the first child-welfare organization in Los Angeles, Maryvale has a long history of caring for orphaned, abused or neglected children. Over the years, Maryvale has evolved from an orphanage to an agency providing care for foster youth. To learn more, visit http://www.maryvale.org/
It’s #GivingTuesday! Dogeared is proud to partner with Step Up, a nonprofit propelling girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential. For every purchase made today on dogeared.com, $5 goes directly to them!
Here is some history from GivingTuesday.org:
#GivingTuesday™ (#GT) is a movement to create a national day of giving to kick off the giving season added to the calendar on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The second annual GivingTuesday is on December 3, 2013. In the same way that retail stores take part in Black Friday, we want the giving community to come together for #GivingTuesday. We ask that partners create and commit to a project for/on #GivingTuesday and then help spread the word to their networks.
New York’s 92nd Street Y was the catalyst and incubator for #GivingTuesday, bringing the expertise of 139 years of community-management to the project and providing #GivingTuesday a home. The United Nations Foundation joined as partners, bringing their strategic and communications clout to the project. An amazing team of influencers then offered their ideas, contacts and wisdom to help shape and improve the concept. A powerful list of corporations and non-profits agreed to be founding partners, helping spread the word and committing to their own #GivingTuesday initiatives. Since then, countless organizations, friends and leaders have all added their support and talents to make #GivingTuesday a reality.
Dogeared teamed up with The American Red Cross “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program. Today, our staff sent lots of love and gratitude to active service members around the world. This year, American Red Cross is doing something really cool by expanding their program to social media users, creating a easy way to participate:
“This year, we’re expanding the ways you can participate in this terrific program. If you’re an Instagram, Vine, or general Twitter user, you can tag photos or video messages with the #HolidayMail hashtag and we will be able to display these on our blog so service members across the country and around the world will be able to see your cheery holiday message!”
We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with the awesome cause-marketplace, Sevenly! For every Dogeared piece purchased through Sevenly, they’ll donate $7 to their weekly charity partner. We’re very excited to partner TOGETHER in being the change that we both wish to see in this world.
About Sevenly: In January of 2011, two young Entrepreneurs Dale Partridge and Aaron Chavez got together with the mission of leading a generation toward generosity. With a belief that people mattered, they began a journey to change the world. On June 13th 2011, Sevenly was born. By creating weekly cause campaigns where customers could purchase products that gave $7 to a weekly charity, Sevenly successfully unlocked not only a way to crowd-fund for causes, but to drive massive social awareness as well. With over 2.8 million dollars raised and counting, the purchase with Sevenly makes a difference!
Shop Dogeared + Give Back: www.sevenly.org/Dogeared
Dogeared was proud to be the corporate sponsor of Step Up Women’s Network College Connections Conference here in LA on Saturday. The event was hosted at Mt. St. Mary’s College in Brentwood. Over 60 Step Up high school teens were paired with mentors from various professional industries to spend the day learning everything about the college admissions process, take a tour of campus and gain valuable career insights from professionals.
Karen was the keynote speaker opening the day’s events and earned lots of love for Dogeared! She did such an amazing job! The girls each took home a karma necklace in their gift bag – symbolizing Dogeared’s continued support for them on their journey towards personal growth.
“Once you choose hope, anything is possible”
They did it!!! And Dogeared was honored to follow along Pink Links’ journey as they successfully completed 40 miles for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC last weekend! Congratulations to such an inspiring and joyful group of women who raised over $71,000, making Pink Links the 4th largest fundraising team. Truly an incredible accomplishment! The ladies were bonded by strength in numbers. Their motivation for this year’s walk was fellow Pink Link and recently diagnosed friend, Hillary Kaplan in addition to other special women in their lives.
Hillary Kaplan, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2013, served as an incredible inspiration for her Pink Links friends & teammates. She wears one of the 70 custom Dogeared necklaces (above) sent to the team to wear & share with fellow walkers along the way. Hillary surprised the team by leaving 6 personal notes for them to open as they reached milestones throughout their journey. Photo: With lots of love and support, Hillary sent off Pink Links to NYC.
Early morning sunrise on day 1 of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
Pink Links shared custom Dogeared necklaces with other supporters, survivors, family members & friends along the way.
From left to right: 1. Fellow walker who lost her mom and grandmother to breast cancer receives a necklace from a Pink Link who had a prophylactic mastectomy and is also a sister of a survivor 2. Multi-year walker going in for surgery soon with Pink Links team leader, Amy Rollins 3. Renee Sherman on the left is a 5-year survivor 4. Gerri Rothfleisch, whose mom is undergoing treatment now, provides a Dogeared necklace to another survivor along the journey.
Day 2 brought lots of excitement as Pink Links neared the finish line!
In the words of Pink Links:
“Each and every one of you made a difference! You made a difference by raising funds-which will directly impact breast cancer research, funding, meals for patients with breast cancer, hospitals, etc. You have made a difference by giving a necklace to someone who needed hope, inspiration- or someone who inspired you. You made a difference by showing Hillary your love, support & dedication at a time when she needs it most.”
“Together…We were a movement! We certainly made an impact with our presence on this journey. While we may not have been the first ones in…we did it together- and we were truly there for each other every step of the way- beautiful!!!”
“What a blessing to feel the love and intense emotion of the love and friendship that surged throughout this team.”
“What a rush!!! What a special weekend! What wonderful women!”
“I have to say that among my favorites was passing out the Dogeared necklaces. I loved that we all had many chances to put a smile on people’s faces.”
The Pink Links ladies were greeted with LOTS of smiles from their families at the finish line as they were reminded why they do what they do – it’s all for love! Thank you to Pink Links for sharing your stories with us, you’ve truly touched our lives. xo
Meet Pink Links – a group of 20 incredible women on a mission to raise awareness about breast cancer and the importance of self-exams. This weekend, Pink Links are undertaking the 40 Mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC to support their good friend Hillary Kaplan, and other special women in their lives. Their mission is centered around the importance of self-examinations and early diagnosis. The ladies from Pink Links gain strength in numbers and positive energy – together, they have raised over $57,000 with hope to find a cure!
Dogeared was touched and inspired by the Pink Links story and decided to send 70 custom necklaces with HOPE for Pink Links to wear and share on their journey this weekend. Follow us, as we follow the Pink Links, over the next few days on their awe-inspiring mission! Wishing the best of luck to the Pink Links team:
Amy Rollins, Jonna Berman, Heather Bloch, Allison Cohen, Helene Coustan, Nicole Frankel, Pamela Friedman, Leanne Glassman, Lauren Gottlieb, Laurie Grossman, Beth Jarecki, Lauren Laconti, Lisa Meiselman, Lauren Roth, Gerri Rothfleisch, Pamela Sachs, Renee Sherman, Miriam Silver Verga, Jennifer Wallis and meet their friend and inspiration, Hillary Kaplan.
My Journey – Hillary Kaplan
I found a tiny lump in my breast in June 2013, it was something I never felt before and was different than the normal lumps we all feel in our breasts. I check myself every once in a while, usually in the shower as it is the easiest place to do it. I went for a mammography for peace of mind and my doctor had some concern that I should get a biopsy. It turned out that I was diagnosed with breast cancer, early stage 1A. After a large amount of thinking, debating, and soul-searching, I decided to opt for aggressive treatment and get a bilateral mastectomy, which was performed on August 14, 2013 at Memorial Sloan Kettering. During the surgery, my doctor found one lymph node positive which bumped me up to stage 2A. I have now gone through my first of 8 rounds of Chemotherapy, every other week, which is scheduled to continue into January. During this entire process, I have tried my best to approach every decision step by step, dealing with the question or issue that was being presented to me at that time and based on the solid advice of my doctors. As importantly, I realized quickly that I wasn’t fighting cancer alone – I was provided the most amazing and humbling outpouring of community support, from our neighbors, our wonderful group of Westfield lady friends (Pink Links), and our family including my husband and 3 children (ages 9-14). I continue to feel fortunate for my support network every day. The best medicine (in addition to the Chemo!) is knowing you have people who care about you, whether it is bringing over a pair of PJ’s after I left the hospital, or a bracelet, or flowers, or cooking a meal for my family, or sending a card, or a note, or a text … all those tokens of love and care really keep the fire going within me. For me it has never been, “why me?”, I know why – in part, I believe that my experience might be able to help other women, to get to know your body, check yourself, go to yearly exams and be in control of your health. I have faced cancer head-on like I face life — with a positive attitude, honesty, dignity with some style sprinkled on top. When I do close this chapter of my life, I will be that much stronger for it and thank all the angels who have touched my life and helped me thru this journey.
photo credit: Joanie Schwarz Photography