This Week's Program: The Mary Kay Foundation
Michelle Maki, from the Mary Kay Foundation, has lived in the Duluth area for 30 years, and is originally from Pengilly MN. She began her talk with the mission of the 53 year old Mary Kay Foundation: to enrich women's lives.
Mary Kay herself became passionate about women's cancer when her husband died of cancer one week before she launched her business. In 1989, Mary Kay asked her employees and sales teams for support for cancer, then added domestic violence to the foundation's mission. Now there are 151 shelters in Dallas TX alone, where the company has its headquarters. Michelle gave these details about the two concerns of the Mary Kay Foundation:
1. Domestic Violence - One in 4 women has experienced domestic violence. The most vulnerable time of life for women is when they go to college and have no support. Mary Kay Foundation developed a card, which Michelle passed around the tables. It's called the Don't Look Away program and gives warning signs of an abusive relationship plus contact information for help. The Mary Kay Foundation donates to shelters across the country and in 2015 donated $3 million. Duluth has 2 shelters that received these grants.
2. Cancer Research - In 2015 the Mary Kay Foundation
gave $1.3 million to doctors and scientists from medical schools for research grants. Right now from April 1 to May 12 the Mary Kay Foundation is having a marathon fundraiser where a portion of their sales go to the foundation. Michelle is helping by offering facials to support this marathon. Look at the Mary Kay Foundation website and see other ways you can help. Michelle hands out information at the Barnum County Fair. With almost 2 million Mary Kay representatives in the US, word is getting out about their foundation. Now the foundation is global with Mary Kay products available worldwide. What an admirable cause that many of us did not know about!
gave $1.3 million to doctors and scientists from medical schools for research grants. Right now from April 1 to May 12 the Mary Kay Foundation is having a marathon fundraiser where a portion of their sales go to the foundation. Michelle is helping by offering facials to support this marathon. Look at the Mary Kay Foundation website and see other ways you can help. Michelle hands out information at the Barnum County Fair. With almost 2 million Mary Kay representatives in the US, word is getting out about their foundation. Now the foundation is global with Mary Kay products available worldwide. What an admirable cause that many of us did not know about!
Excerpts taken from the Cloquet Rotary log, edited by Rachael Martin