BoGo Sneak Peak!

Happy Monday!

First off for those who want sneak peaks into BoGo discounts, products, and offers sign up at this link. I promise you won't want to miss anything! 

Just a refresher, at BoGo Bras for every bra that is purchased a bra is donated to a woman who is coming out of sex trafficking. This can be a little confusing so below is the FAQ page from our soon to be public website. Please comment below if you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you. In the mean time read up and prepare yourself for our product launch that is COMING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS! Remember, it's never too early to start your holiday shopping... 

Why BoGo?

Many developing countries have a ban on the sale of second hand clothing due to health concerns. BoGo Bras will be donating brand new bras for women coming out of sex trafficking to sell. A large inventory of new bras will allow women to start their own business of selling bras in many new countries where they otherwise wouldn’t have that opportunity.

How does selling bras help stop human trafficking?

When women are rescued from sex trafficking they rarely have a job waiting for them. Many women and girls were trafficked from a young age and did not receive an education and don’t have a skill set to offer to an employer. This lack of opportunity combined with fear, wondering if they will be able to provide for themselves, pushes the women back into doing what they know. Giving women the opportunity to start their own business selling bras encourages them to believe in themselves, be financially independent, and have hope for a better future.

Why do you call the women entrepreneurs?

The women selling bras are gaining basic business skills. They are responsible for managing their money to buy more inventory, managing their profits to provide for themselves and their families, and working on dealing with people. They ultimately run their own business.

How do the bras get to the women?

BoGo currently partners with Free The Girls, an organization  that collects new and gently used bras, to ship to the rescued women. Free the Girls works with aftercare organizations who distribute the bras and train the women on how to start their own businesses selling the bras.

Does every shipment of donated bras go to the same women?

When rescued women choose to participate in the Free The Girls program, only their first box of bras is a donation. The women must manage their money and save enough to buy another box of inventory if they would like to continue selling bras. By giving the women the opportunity to  empower themselves as entrepreneurs, they can gain confidence in their own skills and take full responsibility for their journey to freedom.

Have any more questions? Comment below! The bra is coming soon so get your wallet ready :)

Go Big or Go Home

Back to Brandon & the Big 3

In my last blog post I mentioned three things Brandon Stanton (the founder of Humans of New York) said that stood out to me. Hearing someone like Brandon talk about how happy they are doing what they love everyday inspires me. It teaches me not to settle for the easy option. Brandon Stanton spoke about his initial dream and how different it was than what HONY ended up being. Simply starting a journey is the hardest part and once you start, it will work out and develop into what you need to be. He also spoke about not waiting to receive affirmation from everyone around you. A direct quote from him was:

"Do you know how many people thought it was a good idea to pack up, move to New York, and take pictures of people? None."  

If you know what you want to do just go for it! Pursue your dreams without a safety net. Brandon Stanton is the example of what if looks like to go after what you want with all that you have. If you don't have a backup plan you are forced to give 110% to make your dream happen.

Drumroll please…

I’m sure you all have been on the edge of your seats wondering what Emily Wilhoit wants to do post-graduation. For those of you who know me, you know that ending human trafficking is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. During the past few months I have been working closely with the nonprofit, Free The Girls, both nationally and here at UGA. FTG works to provide jobs to women who have been rescued from sex trafficking by collecting donated bras and providing them to rescued women as inventory to sell in their communities. So what if we took this idea one step further, what if by buying a bra you could support these women; and thus comes the idea of:

BoGo Bras stands for, "buy one give one" bras, with every bra that is bought one will be donated towards inventory for rescued women to sell.

Put me in coach

The BoGo Bras website is in the final stages and will be launching soon. I have already gotten incredible feedback and support for the idea of BoGo Bras and would like to extend an invitation for anyone to jump on board! We are in the process of creating an ambassador program of sorts that will be call the, "BoGoGetters". You will help get the word out about BoGo Bras, get special offers, and be a part of the initial BoGo team as we work to get this idea off the ground. If you are passionate about helping women and want to make a difference, click this link and give me your email! If you would still like to follow the journey but not be a BoGoGetter we would love to have your information as well.

Vote for BoGo!

So friends, family, strangers who are nice enough to follow my journey, wish me luck as I pursue my dream! I have decided this is my post-grad plan, my answer to the dreaded question. Stay tuned for updates and if you're already interested, follow BoGo Bras on instagram @bogobras! Feel free to share with your network of friends if you want to help a girl out :)

Already have questions? I would love to answer them, leave them in the comments section below!

YOU GET A JOB! YOU GET A JOB! YOU GET A JOB!

Let’s Talk Vacation Days and PTO

As a senior in college,  I’ve already been asked the dreaded, "So you're graduating in May? What do you think you're going to do?", question at least 2-3 times a week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE dreaming of the future. Being the idealist I am, I usually think of the future as a world of opportunities just waiting for me to pick a dream and say, "I think I'll go and achieve that". However, lately it’s been getting more difficult to maintain this mindset. Many of my friends received job offers from their summer internships, others have a constant stream of interviews lined up, and the rest have plans to pursue a master's or law degree. Meanwhile, I’m cringing thinking about sitting in an office from 9-5 and living for weekends, vacation days, and PTO.

Dreams vs. Reality

My international affairs major has allowed me to spend the last four years learning about topics that actually interest me and gave me a new perspective on the world and how it works. It did not, however, prepare me for a job outside D.C. or for a job where a master's degree isn't necessary. I feel the pressure to join the ranks of corporate America by  getting a “good” job and put all my dreams on hold. Some people may say this is me just coming to terms with the reality that we can't always do whatever we want and that is part of growing up. But I don't believe that.

Thank you HONY

A few weeks ago Brandon Stanton spoke at UGA about his experience starting his blog, Humans of New York. HONY has gained traction all around the world and has MILLIONS of followers and supporters. He has traveled to over 20 countries and given a voice to Syrian refugees, US prison inmates, pediatric patients in the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and of course, humans in New York City.

During his speech he said three things that I have not stopped thinking about:

1) You can't wait until something is perfect to start it.

2) Don't wait for everyone to tell you it's a good idea before doing it.

3) Chase your dreams without a safety net.

So what exactly is my grand plan? My vision starts with BoGo Bras. Stay tuned for more updates!

Who is "Emily" and why does she want my bras?

It all started one Sunday afternoon when I was casually searching on the google, "organizations providing jobs saving those in sex trafficking". Human trafficking is something that has plagued my heart ever since I found out about it my senior year of high school. All my friends were walking around with a big X on their hands with shirts to match it (thank you Passion & End It movement) and I remember being floored by the idea that women and GIRLS had their innocence ripped from them and their bodies sold against their will. Add 4 years and a few clicks later and I found myself on the web page for the organization, "Free The Girls".

Reciting my elevator speech about Free The Girls has become a little too natural for me lately. "Free The Girls is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women who have been rescued from slavery get a job to support their families while they get back on their feet. They have 3 locations in Mozambique, Uganda, and El Salvador. The women take the donated bras and sell them in their local communities, learning basic entrepreneurial skills and literary skills when available. If you don't have a bra, there is a donation page available where you can give a contribution that will help cover the cost of shipping!".  Sharing this resulted in many different reactions from people. The best is when you share this event with a friend who then tries to spread the word and will shout to their nearby friend, "hey! Have you met Emily? You should donate bras, she organized a drive next week!". And then the friend looks at me like I have 3 heads because she thinks I am trying to collect old bras for myself. Another fun question I've gotten is, "So, you donate bras..... and then the women wear them?". Lastly there is the inevitable misconception the name, "Free The Girls", brings. I am sorry friend that's a boy, that is not promoting a day women go bra-less.  

My favorite thing about Free The Girls is its unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these women without really going out of your way. Here in the great US of A women buy bras like they buy shoes. You pay a decent amount of money for a good pair, but also if you find a cute cheap pair you'll buy them in three colors. Human trafficking is an easy issue to overlook. Women are mostly seen as prostitutes and then judged for what they do and not how they got there. If someone told you since the age of 11 that your worth came in your body and you weren't good at anything else, or allowed to leave for that matter, and 6 years later you had the opportunity to run you might hesitate too. Where would you go? You probably feel embarrassed and ashamed. What would you do? You don't have an education or a general skill set. Who do you turn to? These questions lead women to go back to doing what they know and what they're good at. Without the opportunity to an alternative lifestyle, it's hard to break free from the destructive cycle of sex trafficking and prostitution. This is a global AND local problem that won't stop if people don't keep talking about it. 

Already people have donated over 200 bras and together we have raised $175! Human trafficking is a sobering topic but imagine the difference we could make if everyone donated a bra, wrote a single Facebook post, or made a one time $5 donation. These small acts come together to raise awareness and keeps the fight AGAINST human trafficking alive! I once read a quote that said, "Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire". Being an advocate for these women sets my soul on fire. Knowing that what we do today can positively affect someone across the world is incredible. These reasons are what pushed me to to get this bra drive together. Hearing no definitely sucks, but it only takes one yes to make it worthwhile. Since then, my 2 friends, Josh and Brittany, have joined the team and are helping me bring Free The Girls to UGA! 

If you made it to the end of this blog post HEY!! and thank you! I got so many questions about where this organization came from and how I got involved, I wanted to share my story with the people I have been harassing in person and on social media. Please consider donating to the fundraising page and sharing the Facebook event. Do your part in ending modern day slavery and helping Free The Girls! 

thx!

Emily Wilhoit 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/974662839238267/ 

Free The Girls: http://freethegirls.org/about/our-story/ 

Donations Page: https://donate.freethegirls.org/fundraise?fcid=623574



*** UPDATE! Over 1,200 bras were collected during this bra drive and over $300!!!