BYU–Hawaii business professor Helena Hannonen knows that proper professional attire is just as important as a good résumé and strong experience for students attempting to land their first job out of college. She also knows that sometimes it’s hard for cash-strapped students to purchase appropriate clothes.
With the help of the Silicon Valley Management Society women organization, Hannonen was able to obtain 850 pounds of professional clothing for BYU–Hawaii business students. A boutique with the donated clothes opened in the Aloha Center on 29 September. The donations outfitted around 150 students with at least two complete outfits and a pair of shoes.
“The students were so happy; the joy was indescribable,” says Hannonen, also a member of the Management Society Steering Committee.
Marcie Hill and Marilyn Harmer of Silicon Valley women helped obtain business clothing by enlisting Bay Area Relief Societies to help gather the clothes. “There was such an outpouring of support from women all over the Bay Area. It was amazing,” Hill says.
After about six months of collecting, the clothes were sorted, and a shipment was sent to Hawaii in thirty-two boxes. The shipping was estimated to cost $1,400. To pay for it Hill obtained a generous grant of $600 from the Alexander and Baldwin Foundation based in Honolulu. To finance the rest of the shipping costs, a yard sale of the leftover clothing helped raise around $200. BYU–Hawaii students and faculty also sent $363 to help with costs. The rest of the money was raised through two workshops organized by Silicon Valley Chapter President Chet Harmer.
Management Society members and individuals from the community donated boxes, tape, and vehicles to move the crates to mail. A local LDS bookstore provided a storage area for the leftover clothes until the yard sale was held.
Organizations and individuals also worked together in Hawaii to make the event a success. The Students in Free Enterprise organization advertised two weeks before the event and helped set up and run the business boutique. The theatre department offered clothing racks and volunteers organized the clothing by size. Betty Bacon, who teaches sewing at BYU–Hawaii, altered clothing for students along with other volunteers.
As a thank-you, students in Hawaii sent pictures and a video of them modeling their different outfits. Kathleen Tice, of women, says, “I did not know how important it was for us to do the clothing drive until I saw pictures of the young women trying on the clothing.”
