Hanes 3rd Annual Sock Drive – How You Can Help!

There are more families than we might realize that are living in shelters across the state and country who need a helping hand.   While we often picture homelessness as something affecting adults, there are staggering numbers of children counted among the homeless.  According to the National Center on Family Homlessness (the NCFH) 1 in 50 children, or 1.5 million children, go to sleep each night without a home of their own.  Out of the 50 states, California (where I live) has the 3rd highest population of homeless children, which is simply heartbreaking.

One of the most requested items in homeless shelters and homes across the united states are  fresh, clean socks.   While it might seem simple, it is a gift that has the ability to bring tears to the eyes of someone in need.  Just three weeks ago, a team from Hanes and the Salvation Army were in Los Angeles on Skid Row to hand out socks.  You can watch the short video below to get an idea of how much their efforts mean to those who were a part of this day.

 

This year Hanes is kicking off their 3rd annual Virtual Sock Drive on Facebook - new Hanes Fans can help Hanes to donate socks to The Salvation Army by “liking” Hanes and current fans can simply click “donate now” on the Sock tab.  This year alone Hanes will donate up to 250,000 pairs of socks to The Salvation Army with the help of the Hanes Facebook community.   You can see the Press Release that was released about the drive.

What does this mean for you?

We need your clicks!  It is so easy to donate a pair of socks to someone in need – you don’t even have to put down your iPad, phone, or computer.  All you have to do is click the graphic below to go through to Facebook and click to donate.  (Remember, if you aren’t already a fan of Hanes you will have to click “Like” first.)

So how did I get involved in this?  Well, for almost two years I have been a proud member of the Hanes Comfort Crew.  It is not a compensated role, I am a member because I believe in what the brand stands for.

Don’t worry, I’m not all talk.  Hanes has challenged me to create a local sock drive here in Southern California to encourage local donations.  I’ve partnered with my kids’ school, and we are working with the goal of raising at least 250 pairs of socks – which Hanes has graciously agreed to match!  My hope is, at the end of all of this, we will have 500 new pairs of socks to donate locally here to the Orange County Rescue Mission.  When we contacted the Rescue Mission to ask about working with them, they told us “We need new white socks desperately!”

So please, click if you can, and share a pair of socks and a smile this Holiday Season!

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Hanes Comfort Crew, so I do have a working relationship with Hanes.  However, this is not a compensated post in any way, shape, or form.  This is a great company who is working to give back to the community, and I hope you can help to support our efforts!

Hanes Helps To Find a Cure – And So Can You!

Did you know that over 80% of women diagnosed with Breast Cancer have none of the known risk factors?

So, while heredity and other links are occasionally found, over 80% of women who are diagnosed will have had no clue that they were even at risk.  Breast Cancer is a terrifying disease that ends the lives of women way too prematurely – women who are mothers, sisters, friends, and wives.  We need to work together to find a cure to keep Breast Cancer at bay – and you can help.

As one of the Comfort Crew Members I am working with Hanes to help raise money for the NBCF (National Breast Cancer Foundation) through the month of October.  If you click the image below, it will take you to a Facebook page where Hanes has launched a new initiative to Share the Comfort.  For each Comfort Package that you send, Hanes will donate $1 to the NBCF, up to $25,000.

While the Comfort Crew members are all very friendly, we are also all competing to send the most traffic to the app.  Whomever among us sends the most visitors through to the Share the Comfort tab will have $2000 donated in their name to their local chapter of the NBCF.  This means if we all work together, we can donate a total of $27,000 dollars to Breast Cancer Research this year alone.

Please, if you’ve ever been personally touched by breast cancer, click the image below and send a Comfort Package to your friends and family, and encourage them to do the same.  If you have never been personally touched by this awful disease, I implore you to still click and send – and let’s work together to rid our world of breast cancer.

 

Disclosure: I am a member of the Hanes Comfort Crew, however I am not paid in any way, shape or form for this post.  I am affiliated with Hanes because they are a great company, with great products, accomplishing great things, and I have been and always will be a fan of their tremendous efforts.  So, I suppose this is the anti-disclosure statement – but I wanted you to know how seriously I take this commitment and this post.  Please, click and share!

Hanes’ Hilarious New Ads For Women

Hanes has long been known for it’s iconic ads, but for the past 3 years there haven’t been any ads geared at women.  However, all that is changing as Hanes has launched it’s new ads for Hanes ComfortFlex Fit Bras that shape to fit and Hanes No Ride Up Panties that know their place and stay in place (and it’s true – they totally work.  Sorry for the TMI!).

When I saw the ads I cracked up laughing – they are hilarious.  My 4 year old daughter wanted to watch the “marshmallow one” over and over again.  Be on the lookout for these during national morning, daytime, and primetime programming! Check them both out below for a giggle!

While the ads are great for a giggle, they are also spot on about Hanes’ continued commitment to comfort – and it’s true – everything from Hanes that I own and that my family owns is the ultimate in comfort! Have you checked out Hanes recently?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Hanes Comfort Crew, but I was in no way compensated for this post. I spent 3 days learning about the tremendous things that Hanes is accomplishing over a year ago and I am just a true believer in this awesome brand.

Hanes Wants You to Clean Out Your Drawers!

Have you checked your drawers lately?

Take a second and go open a few of your sock and underwear drawers. Then, come back and tell me what you see. I’ll wait.

I’m serious. Go. Go!

Welcome back. Let me guess what you found. Socks with holes, underwear that you can’t find the matching bra for, and maybe even a few pairs that are so old that your approximate guess is that they are well past the 3 year mark.

Maybe, just maybe, you’re like 50 percent of Americans who, according to a national survey commissioned by Hanes, admit to having more than just socks and undies in those very specifically designated drawers.  I have a few greeting cards in mine that I stashed there for safe keeping. I never took them out.

According to that same survey, you will only ever wear 70% of what is hiding in those drawers.  Do you know what you could do with 30% more space?

To help to inspire you, Hanes has enlisted the help of Bethenny Frankel of “Bethenny Ever After” and Michael Moloney of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“Staying organized helps me save time and keeps me sane,” said Frankel. “I need to be able to quickly get what I need from my drawers and know that, without a doubt, it’s going to fit correctly and look good.  While it’s nice to keep old items for sentimental reasons, it’s important to set aside time to purge, donate and replenish. You’ll feel great afterward!”

As you can see, if you are hoarding clothes in there, you’re not alone.  Studies show that for men, hoarding is directly related to nostalgia (which immediately makes me think of my fiance, Morgan, who has every geeky/web startup/tech t-shirt known to man for the last TEN YEARS piled up in neat stacks on top of his dresser) and for women it has become simply a habit, perhaps related to the concern that if we somehow miss laundry day, then we will be forced to go commando!

Hanes has partnered with Goodwill Industries and its Donate Movement to educate all of us drawer hoarders about the importance of donating gently worn clothing.

“As an interior designer, I try to help people live in a clutter-free zone and show them that being organized does not need to be agonizing,” said Moloney. “Many people tell me they avoid cleaning out their drawers because they don’t know what to do with the items they don’t need any more. Making a donation to an organization like Goodwill® allows you to turn gently used items into opportunities for people in need of job training or support services.“

Donating your clothing to a reputable organization such as Goodwill ensures that your gently worn clothing will stay out of landfills, and the sale of that clothing will go towards helping millions of Americans find good jobs each year.  Basically, you can not only feel good about having clean drawers, but you can feel good about where all of your items have ended up!

Help participate in this wonderful initiative and give your Spring Cleaning a jumpstart by visiting the Clean Tab on www.Facebook.com/Hanes for more information and tips about Cleaning Out Your Drawers!

Disclosure:  I am a proud member of the Hanes Comfort Crew, however I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I did however, go to Disney World with Hanes well over a year ago.  It boils down to this – I just love supporting great initiatives, and Hanes consistently produces wonderful opportunities for folks to give back.

Getting Comfortable with Hanes In New York City

During all the craziness that is BlogHer, Hanes took the time to throw a little party for the Comfort Crew and our friends, which I truly appreciated.  Anytime I can take a break from a hectic conference schedule to have a Comfortini and a foot and hand massage sounds good to me – because anytime I’m hanging out with my friends at Hanes I know it’s all about comfort.  Heck, I even took a break from my heels-only wardrobe and wore flip flops with my summer dress – they don’t call us the Comfort Crew for nothin’!

I was so glad that my guests Shannon from Traveling Mamas, Stefanie from Mommy Musings, and Debba from Girlfriendology could join me at this fun event!  Michael Moloney of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was on hand to teach us how to reorganize our sock and underwear drawers (seriously, when is the last time that you did that?  It’s time!) and also to show us just how quickly it could be done.  Celebrity stylist Jenn Falik went back-to-basics and showed us how to create some super-stylish outfits using the awesome new Hanes bras (bandeau?  one shoulder?  both straps?  one bra does it all!) and by layering items like the tanks and tees – great ideas for fall! 

It was so great to relax, hang out with my fellow Comfort Crew members, and sip a Comfortini.  I loved learning about all of the new Hanes products in person (I swear that the ComfortFlex Fit Bandini bra is my new BFF – sorry dad for the TMI) and loved feeling like I’m a continued part of Hanes’ social media efforts.  I have learned so much about the brand over the last 7 months, and I am incredibly proud of everything that the brand stands for (green initiatives, support of Susan G. Komen, committment to it’s customers) both online and off.  If you take a minute to watch the video below, you’ll hear me say that I believe Social Media is really important because it’s how people nowadays communicate and relate – and that Hanes is doing an amazing job.  I mean that 100% – Hanes is a standout in this space.

Thanks so much to Hanes and everyone who played a part in hosting such a wonderful, relaxing event in NYC!  Check out Shannon’s post about the Hanes event on Traveling Mamas – including 10 travel tips for packing for comfort!

Hanes Goes Pink For A Cause! {A Giveaway}

If little AG and I are playing a game, coloring, or doing anything where “colors” are required, she is always sure to give me the color pink.  It’s because pink is my favorite color – even my 3 year old knows that.  (Cue the Aerosmith song here.)  I have pink luggage, more pink shirts and dresses than the law allows, pink shoes, every shade of pink nail polish known to man – I was even given the nickname “Pinky” in college because my classmates said I always had on something pink, somewhere.  (It was true!)

For me, pink is always in fashion.  For most people, it hits it’s fashionable peak in October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  While I think it’s great that everyone rallies to show their support during the month of October, I also think it’s important that we remember that breast cancer is something that affects women all 365 days of the year.

Including today.

Everyone has a story – some heart wrenching, some victorious, some that are still hanging precariously in the balance – about how breast cancer has personally touched their lives.  It’s for that reason that I want to start the conversation early.  Yes, I know it’s July and not October, but it’s always the right time to support a great cause.

You already know about my involvement with Hanes as a member of the Comfort Crew, but did you also know that Hanes is a major supporter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®?  Hanes is donating a total of $500,000 – split 50/50 between the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure^® Series and  Passionately Pink for the Cure^®.  Of course, in their signature “comfortable” style – 1.5 million people who participate in the race this year will be outfitted in a Hanes 100% cotton Tagless^® T-Shirt.

Hanes also has their very own “Pink” collection – which is available now on Hanes.com.  I’m a huge fan of their comfy pink ankle socks (I love padding around my house in them – great to keep my feet warm on cold wooden floors!) – and sorry if this is TMI – but a HUGE fan of their No Ride Up cotton bikinis.  They withstand the test of trains, planes, and automobiles without a problem – but even more-so – they withstand the test of running, jumping, and tumbling after a 3 year old!

Win It! Hanes has graciously given me a $100 gift card to give away to one very lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader!  It could be you!  To enter to win – head over and like the Hanes Facebook Page.  Once you’ve done that, head back over here and leave a comment with what Hanes Pink product you would most love to have, or why Komen is a cause that is near and dear to your heart.  To recap – you must become a fan of Hanes on Facebook AND leave a comment to be entered to win.  Bonus entries if you tweet about this contest (include @ErikaLehmann so I get a heads up).

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are emailed directly — please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CDT on July 31st, 2010.

There’s Something About Hanes

“I meant to.”

My family says this is my lifelong motto.  To be blunt (and slightly morbid), they say that on my tombstone, it will be written “I meant to.”

Because I did.  Truly I did.  I’m a good intentioned soul.  I meant to.

Which brings me to this:  Back in February I was given the most amazing opportunity I’ve yet to have as a blogger.  I was extended the opportunity to join the Hanes Comfort Crew – which as you might be able to guess is a natural fit with my brand.  Bonus?  They offered us the chance to go to Walt Disney World on a VIP experience to discover Hanes’ role as the official apparel brand of the Walt Disney World Resort.

Take a gander at the looks of delight on Audrey Grace’s face as she experienced Walt Disney World, the Hanes way.

Today as Audrey and I prepared for our trip back to Walt Disney World in September (85 days, but who is counting?!), we looked back through pictures from our time in February and I was re-inspired by the memories and found myself nostalgic for our Hanes friends.

It was the experience of a lifetime, and I got the most incredible education on Hanes and their role in the apparel world.  Plus, I made some of the closest, most amazing friends from the Comfort Crew and the brand team. More than that?  Hanes unwittingly turned me into a brand ambassador and believer.  (And for the record, they more than converted my mom too!)

So what is it about Hanes?

First of all, they’re a brand that cares.  If you’ve ever visited the Hanes Green site, you know about their commitment to sustainability.  It’s everything from their EcoSmart^® polyester fiber (which is made from recycled plastic bottles), to cutting water use per product by 18% since 2007, to becoming a 2010 EPA Energy Star Partner Of The Year. They are also a major partner with Susan G. Komen – be on the lookout for a second post this week encouraging you to “Think Pink” this summer (as well as a $100 Hanes Gift Card Giveaway).

Second of all, their products are amazing.  I personally am a lingerie fanatic, and I now live in my Hanes bras and panties.  Also, the word on the street is that the men’s boxer briefs with the ComfortSoft® Waistband are pretty much the most comfortable thing on the planet – but being as I’m not a guy, I can’t personally back that one up.  Let’s just say I have it on good authority.

Lastly, and it has to be said, Hanes products are just great basics for any wardrobe.  One of my favorite products are the long sleeve t-shirts that are sold in little rolled up packages.  Tell me that you can’t make a t-shirt fashionable, and I’ll tell you you’re crazy.  A pair of jeans, a long sleeved tee, a long necklace or a scarf around your neck and you’ll look like a million bucks.  Fashion doesn’t have to be complicated, and it most certainly doesn’t have to be painful!

It’s all about being comfortable.  Hence my role in the Comfort Crew and self-declared ambassador role for such an awesome brand.  You can buy a lot of things, but most of them aren’t all that comfortable.  Not so with Hanes – comfort is their number one priority!

Stay tuned this week for an awesome giveaway thanks to Hanes!