CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS!

As part of our 5th Anniversary celebration, each Monday there will be an ongoing journey from August 18, 2009 to Today. You'll learn more about the history of the past 5 years. As we've made a journey to many states around the country as we 'visited' shelters, you'll make the journey with us starting right now. 

 THE HISTORY OF THE PINK SLIPPER PROJECT

 Week 1 – Monday, August 4:

 During the entire month of August, the Pink Slipper Project will be celebrating its 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY with a little bit of history each week, new challenges, and weekly giveaways. 

Joyce Lucas, Founder

 The Pink Slipper Project was founded on August 18, 2009, by Joyce Lucas of Virginia. She was inspired by Terry Grahl of Enchanted Makeovers, who was using her generous spirit and talents as an interior designer to perform makeovers at domestic abuse/homeless shelters for women and children. With the help of volunteers from all across the country, these shelters were madeover to feel more like “home” with many handmade personal touches. If you are not familiar with Enchanted Makeovers, we hope that you will check out the website to see pictures of some of her “transformations”.

At the time of forming the PSP, Joyce had her own online web businesses. She was both a Web designer, creating website designs for women’s online businesses, and running an online shopping site where women could list their shops (in a very “pink” environment) and have their businesses marketed to the public with special sales, etc. 

 At the start of PSP, many of Joyce’s clients joined in on this new venture. On August 24, 2009, Joyce published her pattern for the “Signature Sewn Pink Slipper” and she was off and running! If you look in the Photos section, you will see many pictures of slippers made using her pattern.

 Within one week of starting PSP, there had been a request from Newhouse Shelter in Missouri and 125 pairs of wonderful handmade slippers came pouring into Joyce’s office to be unpacked, photographed, individually bagged and tagged, and shipped off to the shelter! What a wonderful beginning! As Joyce had a challenge for Newhouse on August 24, 2009, we will again have a challenge for them on August 24, 2014. 

 Within one month on Facebook, the Pink Slipper Project had 500 friends.

 In August, 2010, the Pink Slipper Project was featured in The Weekly Newsletter published by the Lion Brand Yarn Company. This was quite a compliment for the then-year-old PSP. The e-newsletter was sent out in the late afternoon. Joyce and I (Rachel) were at our computers waiting for visitors to arrive….and arrive they did by the thousands. There was a steady stream of visitors from late afternoon and on into the evening as the e-newsletter was received across several time zones and around the world. Joyce and I greeted every person who liked the PSP for hours. By 1 a.m., things had slowed down and I went to bed; Joyce later told me that she was up until 3 a.m.

 By August 14, 2010, the PSP had 1,800 friends, a gain of about 250 from the publicity received through the Lion Brand newsletter. We were just one year old and had already received national attention by a major yarn company!

 There will be more of our history coming in the next few weeks. We hope that you will enjoy hearing about our beginnings and where we are now. We have more new challenges coming up this month, including a few “specials”, and a GIVEAWAY each week ….. so we hope that you will stay tuned and join in on all of the activities we have planned!