A wise woman once said "The best blush to use is laughter: It puts roses in your cheeks and in your soul."
I am not a make-over artist. Nor am I a fashionista. But I am a woman with a good eye, and in possession of talents which lead to well-dressed women. I am also a woman who knows what it's like to discover, in bemusement or dismay, that her plans for the future were shoved to the back of a dusty shelf. Whether a result of Providence or careless hands, each of us understands, through observation or personal experience, the black hole that a sense of powerlessness can create right in the middle of your soul.
Lord willing, most of us will never know what it is like to lose everything despite our best laid plans, to helplessly watch a loved one deteriorate, or to bury a child. Under these or similar circumstances, the blush of laughter can feel like a far off fairytale.
Out of the Gray is not about creating a flawless appearance. We are about meeting women right where they are, in their own space, and helping them to claim what they forgot they own: that rosy glow of a fine work of art.
These things should not be left to chance: nature abhors a vacuum and so do we (heh). So here's the plan: we will accept nominations for women in Western Washington who need some clothes, nice clothes. Cute clothes. (Not your grandma's lime green polyester suit, please.) Women who need some time. We'll do a little paperwork, and I will hand pick outfits for them from a collection of new and gently used clothing based on their particular needs, tastes, and shape. Each woman will also receive a selection of donated personal care items. We'll have fundraisers and those of you who can, will use the PayPal button to the right to make financial donations. If you have other talents or donations to offer, please see contact information also on the right.
Each of these acts, these gestures, is a small thing. Except they are not. The seeds of kindness, falling on fertile ground, grow into strong, healthy plants which go on to bear fruit in perpetuity. After all, healthy women are helpful women; their successes, their strengths, grow exponentially as conveyed through their offspring and contributions to their communities.
Blessings,
Liz Joseph
Executive Director
A newsletter and information page for Out of the Gray, a charity incorporated in the state of Washington, which exists to benefit women who serve others, often to their own neglect, especially those in extreme circumstances.
Out of the Gray Mission Statement
As the gap widens between economic groups, there is an increasing need for resources for those women left between welfare benefits and a comfortable lifestyle.
Our society is well-studied enough to acknowledge what statistics tell us: that the stress of hopelessness and isolation poses significant risks for violence, cyclical poverty, and physical and mental illness. Many women are left in this state because they are occupied serving others in their care who cannot help themselves.
Not every contribution a person makes on behalf of society can be measured financially. Our role is to come alongside those who stand in that gap, and affirm that their compassion benefits everyone. Our goal is not only to provide some nice, personally stylized clothing and other miscellaneous items for self-care, but also to represent to these women that they are not invisible. We respect their sacrifices and support them in their quiet acts of devotion, and will do what we can with what we have to increase their ability to lead within their families and within their communities.
Make a Donation
About Me
- Liz
- I am just a girl whose passion, and the primary goal of Out of the Gray, is enabling that beautiful blush of realization that rises when a woman sees her self, for the first time, as a work of art.
Contact Information
To nominate someone
to be an Out of the Gray client
please contact:
Elizabeth Joseph
outofthegray@gmail.com
or at
20825 SR 410 E
Bonney Lake, WA 98391
