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From left to right: The Fashion Foundation
Board VP Stephanie Cantelmo with CEO Amanda Munz. |
Welcome back everyone to another special Fashion Foundation interview!
As we wrap up this awesome series of conversations with the wonderful
volunteers and committee members of The Foundation, we look ahead to the fall
season that promises new opportunities for partnering schools and plenty of
donation events (more updates to follow, so stay tuned).
Before we get into the good stuff for this week’s post, I'd
like to give a special reminder that tomorrow—that’s right, TOMORROW, Saturday, September 26th's "Fall Into
Fashion Fundraiser" at the TAJ Lounge in NYC is finally here!
If you haven't purchased a ticket yet then don’t sweat it,
there’s still time! You can buy tickets by visiting our main website
(www.thefashionfoundation.org) or click the link here.
If you'd like to find out more information about the event then help yourself
by clicking the link here.
Now, without further ado, I am proud to feature one of the
most important members of The Fashion Foundation, and a person who is a tremendous asset
to the organization. I owe her many thanks as it is she who is responsible for
introducing me to The Foundation while also granting me the opportunity to
write and edit for this wonderful non-profit.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a dear friend of mine,
Board Vice President, Ms. Stephanie Cantelmo.
Stephanie is a graduate of Queen’s College with her
Bachelor’s Degree in graphic design; she also holds a Master’s Degree in
communication arts through NYIT. She holds the prestigious title of Board Vice
President for The Fashion Foundation, and she works side-by-side with our
founder, Amanda, on a daily basis to make sure the organization runs smoothly.
From organizing events, attending school donations, writing
press releases, designing logos and working directly with the host committee to
oversee operations, Stephanie does it all and then some. The interview below
will give everyone proper insight to what it’s like to be a key player for a successful
startup. Enjoy!
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Can you please provide a brief description of yourself?
(Hobbies, college(s) attended: major, minor, year graduated; what you’d like to
do for your career).
I’m in love with seeing and experiencing new things. My
biggest passion/hobby is traveling. Whether it’s an hour drive away or an eight
hour flight, I find joy in going places I’ve never been before and immersing
myself in that area's way of life.
I attended Queens College for graphic design and then went
back to school at NYIT to get my masters degree in communication arts. I
currently work in graphic design, but I gained interest in public relations and
event planning, so by getting my masters, I’m hoping that will help guide me
towards a career in event planning.
What is your daytime job and what is your position/title
at The Fashion Foundation?
I currently work as a graphic designer during the day and
invest a large amount of my free time in working with The Foundation. For The
Fashion Foundation, I am the Board Vice President. Basically, I help out with
anything and everything that I can to make The Foundation run smoothly.
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| Stephanie organizing supplies during a school donation. |
Can you tell our readers a little bit about how The
Foundation got started, what sparked the idea behind its formation?
Amanda had this idea while she was interning for some of the
top designers in New York City. She saw many samples being thrown away so she
had the “ah-ha” moment of let's do something with all this waste in the
industry. She figured if we can collect these samples and other unwanted
clothing, it could be sold in order to benefit students in need.
So a couple of years ago while I was in college for graphic
design, Amanda reached out to me asking me if I would be able to help her by
creating a logo for a foundation she wanted to start. After hearing the concept,
I was immediately drawn to the idea and wanted to be a part of it.
We got together and hashed out the look and feel she wanted
The Fashion Foundation to have and hours later the logo that is still used
today was created. Ever since the initial logo was created, we have been
working together to bring her vision to life.
I don’t think most people realize how difficult it is to
work for a start-up organization. What does a typical workday look like, on
average, as The Fashion Foundation’s Vice-President?
After finishing eight hours at my day job, I work on
Foundation stuff as needed. Since it is in start-up mode, every day is
different for me. One day I can be designing invitations for an event, the next
day I can be attending a school donation taking pictures and handing out school
supplies. This is one of the things I love about being a part of it. I get to be
involved in so many aspects that there’s never a dull day.
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Gearing up for the very successful
Bloomingdale's event! |
What has surprised you most about being a part of The
Foundation? Have you learned things about yourself that you don’t think you
could have elsewhere?
I’ve learned that it doesn’t take millions of dollars to
make a difference. I’ve been able to see first hand how just $3,000 can change
a whole school. Sure, a million dollars is great, don’t get me wrong, but with all
these small donations we have been able to make so far, we have changed the
lives of thousands of students and that’s a great start. We are only two years
in, so I’m very excited to see where we will be in two more years and how many
more students we can help.
In your opinion, what separates The Foundation from any
other non-profit organization that is involved in similar work?
What I love about The Fashion Foundation is that Amanda will
go to the school and meet with the principal and go over specifically what
their students’ need. The Foundation does not just cut a check and move on to
the next school. We get to personalize each donation that we do by ordering the
specifics.
On top of that, we then get to go into the school and talk
with the students and give out the supplies ourselves as well. I’ve volunteered
for many organizations in the past, but I never had the opportunity to help on
such a personal level like I do when I’m handing out school supplies to a
student.
Can you name a moment during your involvement with The
Foundation that was really special to you as a person? Whether it was your
experience of being there for its creation, participating in an event,
witnessing a donation, etc.
Honestly, there are so many moments that have been special
that it’s hard to pick just one. A moment that really touched my heart was
during a school donation. Amanda and I walked into the main office of a school
we were donating to and a little girl overheard the reason why we were there
and walked over to us and said, “what you’re doing for us is really nice,
you’re really good people.” It was the sweetest thing I think we both ever heard
and a moment we will never forget. That moment proved to us that we need to
keep pushing and growing The Foundation so that we can positively impact more
students.
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| Amanda and Stephanie before the start of The Foundation. |
You are great friends with the founder, Amanda Munz, even
long before The Foundation began. How has the positive chemistry between you
and Amanda contributed to The Foundation’s current success?
Amanda and I have been friends since sixth grade and ever
since then we’ve always been able to laugh and have a good time together.
Having had a solid friendship before the start of The Foundation has definitely
helped us in the way we work together.
We know we can count on each other to handle whatever is thrown at us
and have a good time doing it.
Why should
supporters attend the “Fall into Fashion Fundraiser” this weekend on September
26th @ 7pm?
There are so many reasons to come hang out with The Fashion
Foundation this weekend. Not only will we be raising money for students, you’ll
have a great time doing it. There’s going to be great music, wonderful people,
amazing raffle prizes, delicious food and of course an open bar.
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| Here's to these two awesome ladies! |
Lastly, can you give our readers a reason why
participating and/or donating to The Foundation is worth their while?
Having been to all the school donations, I can vouch that
The Fashion Foundation is a wonderful nonprofit to support. I’ve seen the
smiles on children's faces when they received a box of pencils, and I’ve spoken to
many students who have thanked The Foundation from the bottom of their hearts.
Many people might overlook school supplies, but the truth is, there are way too many students who show up to school without a pencil and
notebook. One student said to me, “Thank you! Now I don’t have to use my lunch
money.” School supplies should never be a worry for a child, so this is why we
need to continue what we are doing.
I’d like to thank Stephanie and all of the generous
volunteers and host committee members who have offered their time to do these
interviews for The Fashion Foundation’s blog page. As a writer and huge
supporter of everything The Foundation does, I can tell you that it is the people who
support this organization, whether through donated time, money, clothing etc., that are the reason that The Foundation will continue to grow and achieve the very
mission it sets forth: to continue to provide school supplies to the students who need it the most.
As always, don’t forget to follow The Fashion Foundation on
Twitter, like us on Facebook, and of course, don't forget to donate to our
website at www.thefashionfoundation.org. Till next time!
Joseph A. Jungermann is a freelance copy editor and blogger
for The Fashion Foundation. He also authors his own personal blog, titled: “A Tuesday Afternoon.” He is the founder of the copy editing company: Elemental Edit, which provides content editing services for students, professionals, and
small businesses. Joe obtained his Bachelors of Arts in English at Stony Brook
University through their honor’s college in December of 2013. As a passionate
reader, writer, and aspiring entrepreneur, he also enjoys playing guitar,
reading poetry, and spending time with family and friends.
