Amanda's Blog: Amanda

Launching 100 Dollars, 100 Donors, 100 Days!

We are excited to launch our first LBD Society campaign today. We are raising money for the Kendall County Women's Shelter in Boerne, Texas where there currently is no shelter. I am asking for your help to make this campaign a success to set an example for other Societies to follow in their cities! Many small towns across the nation are without shelters.

When our website launches next month, women across the nation will be able to start a Society in their community and kick off their own campaign to build more shelters.

Our goal for the One Hundred Dollars, One Hundred Donors, One Hundred Days campaign is to raise $10,000 in 100 days to donate to the shelter, slated to break ground in September 2010.

We challenge 100 members, individuals, groups, or companies to match the original $100 given to me.

As the Founder, I was given a $100 bill and the challenge to make a difference in my community. I took that $100 and matched it with $100 of my own and now I'm challenging others to do the same.

Women living in Kendall County have to go 30 or more miles to a shelter. In most cases this means uprooting their children from school and/or leaving their jobs. Because of the distance, the likelihood of them leaving an abusive situation is very slim.

Get involved by printing, filling out and mailing this pledge card or donate online at the Kendall County Women's Shelter website. Make sure to mention LBD Society in the message field of the online form.

Join the challenge! Encourage your friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family to participate. Together we CAN make an impact on women’s lives touched by abuse!

Sincerely,
Amanda Graybill, Founder

Why the Little Black Dress is So Important to Me?

I've been asked why the little black dress is so important to me on numerous occasions. It's a whole lot more than being in style or looking sexy! When I received my first LBD, I was just 4 years old. That dress is still with me hanging in a prominent place in my closet as a reminder of how the vision for LBD Society started. My birthday is coming up in just over a week and that dress will be 51 years old! Wow, I can't believe I just told you my age! Oh well, with age comes freedom!

I had no idea why that dress was so important to me until my adult years when I was working through some things with a counselor. Given to me by a friend's mother, it became like a security blanket in many ways at a very tumultuous time in my life. My home life had changed when my father became disabled and lost his job, our home, and our social status. That is when the drinking started and my father's personality changed. I found myself hiding to stay out of the way and covered my ears so I didn't hear the outburst of anger toward my mother. The thing is, my father was a good man. He just reacted to a bad situation the wrong way which led him to become something he was not.

I believe that many men who are abusive, whether physically or verbally, are angry men. Seeking help early on can save a marriage or relationship and save the children who are the recipients of the abuse as well. An important lesson I have learned is this,"It is not my fault".

If you are reading this and you are in an abusive relationship, remember, it is not your fault! Seek help and encourage your spouse, partner, friend to seek help as well. Being healthy spiritually, emotionally, and physically allows you to LOVE, BELIEVE, AND DREAM again! Go out and wear your LBD and live out your DREAM! Amanda, Founder Little Black Dress Society Stay tuned in through Facebook and watch for upcoming website launching in July!