The winner of the final prize in FashionClub.com's 12 Days of Giving contest is......
Hannah Ramirez from CAVA High School in Escondido, California.
Here is her winning essay:
In my present days of fame and fortune as a fashion designer, giving a couple hundred thousand dollars to a deserving charity is something that I can do without even blinking an eye. But there was a time in my career when every penny was counted and cherished. It was in my earlier days, many years ago, when I owned my own boutique, called The Venus. I had spent weeks and weeks overseeing that every article of clothing in my spring collection was perfect, and thousands of hours seeing that every detail was executed beautifully, down to the very last vintage button. The big day had finally come, and the doors to the shop were flung open to dozens of excited fashion goddesses, itching to get their hands on the charms and delight that awaited them in the Olympus of couture. Like a tornado, everything was swept up from the shelves and wracks in an instant. The entirety of the shop, from the colorful hand knitted barrettes, to the black lace overlaid wedding dress that danced out the door with a blushing bride, had disappeared. When the crowds were gone away with their treasures, and things started to slow down in the cool of the day, I began adding up my profits to see if I made this year’s quota. As I hopefully added numbers in the corner of the shop on my pink calculator, I was ecstatic to see that I not only made the quota, but I had made $100 extra for spending cash. After the excitement died down, I flopped on the couch and dreamed of the things that I could accomplish with such a comfortable amount. As I looked around, I saw that The Venus was in dire need of some beautification. The roof was cracking and the paint was chipping; not much of a Venus as far as I was concerned. With the idea of renovating resolute in my mind, I finally settled my mind down to take a rest. As my eyes lazily wondered about the shop, they suddenly stopped at the sight of a little girl of no more than nine years of age looking through the window. Thinking back, I remembered several other times I had seen her, but being so busy those past few months, I never really took notice of her. My curiosity aroused, I coaxed her into the boutique, and sat her in the chair opposite to me. When we were finally set to talk, I observed that her cloths were wrinkled, with stains that would never be removable. Her pants were coming out at the seams, and the colors of her off colored green shirt were faded and blotchy. After a concerned talk with her, I found out that her name was Kate, and she and her mom where one of many homeless families that lived in the surrounding neighborhoods. She told me that she came around to my shop almost every day to look at all the “pretty” things that were in my windows. As I listened to her story, I suddenly came to the realization of how many people, sometimes entire families, I had seen living in the streets. As I was pondering on this thought, an abrupt idea sprung into my head, and I pulled down one of the forest green coats with faux fur lining that I made for my children’s spring collection. As I handed it to her, like magic her eyes shone as bright as stars as she stroked the softness of the coat. When gave a hasty thanks and hurried to show her mother, I had a feeling of peace and joy in knowing that I had brought some happiness to another human being; maybe I even made life a little easier for them to live. From that second on, I wanted to help more people; I wanted to spread the joy among the joyless of the world. Instantly, I went to my computer to find a foundation that helped homeless people in my city. I found the Gifts for the Homeless foundation, which spends every dollar they receive to purchase clothing for the shelters that they serve. After debating on what was more important, I decided immediately that the boutique could be renovated anytime, and that helping those who were in need was a more noble cause. As the years passed, and as I grew more famous as a designer, I have never forgotten what that little girl taught me; that to give is to receive, and make a person happy, even for the smallest amount of time, is the greatest gift of all.
Congratulations to all of our fabulous winners and thank you to everyone who participated. We loved reading your entries.
Happy Holidays!
Love,
FashionClub.com
