The end of 2021 is in sight and that means that we have entered a busy season for our Purchase with Purpose programs. From holidays and markets to big sales and celebrations, the staff and volunteers of the Boutique and Creations of Courage are looking forward to finishing the year strong.

In September both the Boutique and Creations of Courage reached new sales milestones. The Boutique received its highest single sale on record and, overall, had a fantastic start to the fall season. After joining the Purchase with Purpose family this past summer, Creations of Courage relaunched at the Williamsport Grower’s Market in late September with an all-new collection featuring recycled denim handbags, ornaments, kitchen items, and more. The relaunch was a massive success, earning over $1,000 in just five hours! Creations of Courage items are available all year round in The Boutique, but will also be returning to the Grower’s Market once more this year on Saturday, October 23rd from 7am-1pm.

October is an important time for the YWCA in general as it marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). As always, 100% of profits from Purchase with Purpose sales help fund Wise Options, our shelter for individuals escaping domestic violence in Lycoming County. Thanks to our customers and donors, our Purchase with Purpose programs were able to raise nearly $70,000 for our YWCA shelters over the last fiscal year and we hope to do the same this year. Creations of Courage is hard at work creating exclusive DVAM keychains and wallets, while The Boutique will be running a sale on all purple clothing just in time for Purple Thursday on October 21st. Purple Thursday is a day to raise awareness of Domestic Violence by wearing purple and sharing information regarding healthy relationships.

The Christmas season officially kicks off in early November as we begin preparations for Victorian Christmas. Traditionally the biggest sales day of the year for the Boutique, Victorian Christmas is also an amazing opportunity to meet new donors and customers. Staff and volunteers were heartbroken to miss out on the fun and excitement last year, but are looking forward to coming back stronger than ever. Creations of Courage will be joining the Boutique with their own table full of gift-worthy creations at this year’s event on Saturday November 20th & Sunday November 21st. Victorian Christmas will also mark the official opening of the YWCA’s annual Angel Tree. With this program, customers and donors are able to adopt a YWCA shelter client for the holidays and help provide them with an extra bit of holiday magic.

Unlike most other retail locations, things actually slow down a bit for our Purchase with Purpose teams in December. The relative calm in an otherwise busy holiday season affords us the chance to look back on the successes of the year, celebrate with one another, and look ahead to the future. With our annual Volunteer Holiday Party, volunteers from every YWCA program will get the chance to meet and mingle and share stories and successes from all of 2021. Both The Boutique and Creations of Courage will then be closed from December 23rd to January 5th so that our volunteers may spend the holidays with family and friends.

And finally, as January rolls around again, staff and volunteers will return and hit the ground running, entering the new year refreshed and ready and full of energy to immediately begin preparing for The Boutique’s Winter to Spring season changeover in February and the return of our Cinderella’s Closet event in March.

The end of the year is certainly a busy time but also a time full of so much joy! Please follow The Boutique on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/ywcaboutique to stay up to date with all of these exciting events!

Thank You!
Kahlie DeHotman
Boutique Manager