Cheers to 3 Years!

Cheers to 3 Years!

Over the past 3 years, MADI Apparel and Donations has: 

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered, donated, and supported MADI's mission. In return, we are celebrating with special events and a one-time sale with some items up to 40% off! 
  • TONIGHT - Sept. 7th from 6-8 pm, We are saying thank you to Kansas City with a happy hour! All of the fun takes place at MADI Apparel at 1659 Summit Street, Kansas City, Missouri. We'll be serving up apps + drinks (to those who are 21 and over) to visitors and up to 40% off on select items for shoppers.

  • THIS WEEKEND - Sept. 7th-10th, Shop our store online and save on select items. Up to 40% off! Shop here: https://madiapparel.com/collections/sale
 
As usual, your purchase helps in the following ways: 
  • For every intimate purchased, we donate a pair of underwear
  • Your purchase helps employ women in Kansas City
  • Your purchase is made of viscose from bamboo and/or long-lasting laces; Eco-friendly fabrics that lower your end waste and can be washed, dried and worn for years!

Thank you for helping us Make a Difference over the last three years!

 

 

A Beautiful Ending

Survivor stories never fail to make us smile, get teary eyed or stop and think about the women in our lives, and this one is no different.

Melissa was attacked in 2012 by her ex-boyfriend from high school, who she was broken up with. She was stabbed 32 times - 19 to the head, neck and face and 13 to her arms and hands from trying to fight back. The damage didn't stop there - she "flat-lined 4 times in the ER, received 12 units of blood, suffered a stroke in [her] cerebellum, had a fractured skull and nose, [lost] two teeth, right facial paralysis, stabbed larynx, and was severely beaten."

Despite all the horrible things that came of that attack, one amazing thing came from it as well. One of the firefighter EMT's that responded to Melissa's attack was named Cameron.  It wasn't until some time later that they met for the first time when Melissa was giving her first speech on her attack. After hearing her speak, he invited Melissa and her mother to dinner at the firehouse, and the rest is history.

photo cred:  Howheasked.com

http://howheasked.com/domestic-violence-survivor-gets-engaged-to-the-man-who-saved-her-life/

Cameron later pulled off an amazing proposal, to hear all about it and watch the video, click here to see it on How He Asked!

#purplehairwecare

"Hayley's Story" - the words of our founder:

"A few years back, a close family member of mine confided in me about a toxic, manipulative, abusive relationship with a boyfriend from her past who threatened to kill her and her loved ones.  This all happened in her young life, years before I was born and years before she met her now-husband of 30 years.  
This conversation opened my eyes to the possibility that even the strongest of humans can find themselves sucked into abuse from a manipulative partner.  Even the people you've always looked up to, the ones who seem so strong and confident, the ones who lead perfectly happy lives.  When things turned really scary and my loved one was ready, she had supportive friends and family members step up and help her escape this life-threatening partnership.  Not all victims are so lucky.
Around the same time, I heard a shocking statistic - that UNDERWEAR IS THE MOST NEEDED, UNDER-DONATED ITEM OF CLOTHING IN THE US.  I did a little research with friends and started calling homeless shelters to follow up with this statistic.  Turns out, it's true.  Here's the part that feels like MADI was a true calling for my life.  The homeless shelters suggested that we reach out to domestic violence shelters, as they are always looking for new underwear donations.  The pieces matched up.  We could help in such a simple way.  Underwear is on the urgent needs list at almost every domestic violence and homeless shelter.  Not only would underwear donations make a woman feel clean, but they would help bring back confidence.  

 

To help raise awareness everywhere she goes, Hayley dyed her hair purple for the month of October to show survivors that MADI cares by creating the Purple Hair Campaign using hashtag #purplehairwecare! Here are a few pictures of her fun new do:

We found some other people on Instagram sporting purple for the cause as well! Here's how they're showing their support:

Post pictures of dye, feathers, sparkle or anything purple in your hair and use the hashtag #purplehairwecare and tag @madi_apparel to receive a 10% coupon to www.MADIapparel.com! 

 

October 16, 2015 — Anna Tedder

First Annual Fundraiser: #TheGreatDonate

Ladies and Gentleman, on Saturday October 24, 2015 from 7pm-11pm at MADI headquarters (1659 Summit, KCMO) we will be hosting our first annual fundraiser, The Great Donate! This fundraiser is to help spread the word about our new 501c3 non-profit status of MADI Apparel's subsidiary, MADI Donations, INC. We'll also be doing some undie donating live at the event to our local partnered organizations!

Live and in person, we will be donating 50 pairs of underwear to all eight of our Kansas City partnered organizations! You heard it, that's 400 total pairs! And we could not be more excited!

Hope House, one of our Kansas City partnered organizations we will be donating to for the second time at The Great Donate fundraiser.

The event will be lots of fun, featuring live music, cocktails with KC Rieger Whiskey, Gin and Vodka, appetizers donated by Westside Local and Fevere Bread, an outdoor fall smore's bar and a silent auction!  Tickets are $25 with a $10 gift card to MADI Apparel included in the price of your ticket!  Fair Value of Benefits Received: $17.  $8 of ticket price may be claimed as a tax-deductible charitable contribution!  To purchase a ticket, click here

We will also be accepting charitable donations at the fundraiser (which are tax deductible)!  The donations will directly help survivors of domestic violence, survivors of rape, those affected by natural disaster, etc by funding additional production of underwear to be donated, out-of-state and abroad donation drop-off trips, and marketing/video PSAs to help raise awareness. This is a great way to be able to help women in need without buying underwear for yourself. 

Keep in mind, underwear is the most needed and most under-donated item of clothing as it lands on the "most urgent needs list" at most womens shelters across the country. Help us change that and Make a Difference in the lives of women across the street and around the world!

To buy your ticket head to Eventbrite:#TheGreatDonate

For more information about the fundraiser head to www.MADIdonations.com

A few pictures from other events at our headquarters and storefront location:

 

 

October 12, 2015 — Anna Tedder

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

If you didn't already know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and since here at MADI our mission is to donate a pair of underwear to women in need for every pair purchased, this month is very important to us. We want to bring as much awareness to domestic violence as possible and with that we want to make sure you all know how big of an issue domestic violence is and what you can do to help.

Here are just a few of the devastating statistics of domestic violence:

  • Around 24 people every minute in the United States are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by their intimate partner.
  • More than 1 in 3 women experience some form of domestic violence from their partner during their life.
  • Domestic Violence is the third leading cause of homelessness.
  • Every 2 out of 3 female murders are committed by their intimate partner.
  • More than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.

    What can you do to help?

    • If you suspect someone close to you has been or is being abused, kindly ask if you can help them find safety and shelter.
    • Wear purple in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
    • Donate to domestic violence shelters (especially underwear!). Most of them provide a needs list on their website.

    • Buy a pair of MADI underwear because by doing that, you will be donating a pair to a woman in need.

    Help us bring awareness to domestic violence and one day put an end to it!

    To purchase tickets to our non-profit fundraiser, helping us raise additional funds for underwear donations and traveling to donation drop-offs, click here.

     

    October 02, 2015 — Anna Tedder

    Why Domestic Violence Victims Don't Leave- Survivor Story

    Often times when people learn about domestic violence and domestic violence survivors, they ask the question "Why didn't you just leave?"

    There are several reasons a woman may not leave an abusive relationship, including, but not limited to:
    • They fear their abuser may become more violent if they attempt to escape.
    • They worry if they do escape, their abuser may find them and stalk them.
    • They fear being a single parent.
    • They worry about having little to no money.
    Each woman that experiences domestic violence has her own reason why she didn't leave, Leslie Morgan Steiner shares her story of why she didn't leave and what finally led her to, here at TED.com. She is a strong and empowering survivor who documented her story in her book Crazy Love and has shared her story several other times with many audiences. Her story will bring you to tears and make you look at the women in your life a little more closely. Take the time to check out this amazing survivor's story and maybe learn a little more about domestic violence than you knew before!