Hsm_260_Foundations_Paper_Week_8

HSM 260: Foundation Mary Kay Foundation June 1, 2012 Most people here the words “Mary Kay” and they think of little old ladies with vibrant makeup and pink Cadillac’s. Mary Kay Ash was a woman of integrity and wealth; she created the Mary Kay Foundation in 1997, to help fund breast and ovarian cancer research, as well as domestic violence avocation. This is the organization that I personally donate to, and not just because I am a sales consultant, but because I believe in the core values of the organization. The foundation’s gross monies came from Mary Kay herself. A grand total of $15 million; $1 million every year for 15 years is what she left for the foundation in her will. She passed in November, 2001. (Milestones: Mary Kay Foundation, 2012) For the most part, the rest of the money that the foundation is able to give is generated from donations from the sales force of the company, as well as the clients of that sales force. Each year, more than 100,000 volunteer hours are clocked in by the sales force and other employees of Mary Kay Inc. to domestic violence shelters. Last month, the sales force ran a fundraiser, to be able to purchase skin care and cosmetics to donate to YWCA shelters around the country. The purpose was to give the women a sense of normalcy and pride. Each year, 150 domestic violence shelters are awarded a $20,000 grant, totaling more than $3 million. In addition to donating money, the Mary Kay foundation has collected and donated over 300,000 cellular phones to domestic violence organizations to give to victims to have a way to get out. Cancer research is the other main area that Mary Kay Foundation donates to, specifically breast and ovarian cancer research. It is believed the reason for the specification, is that she knew those were the cancers that would affect her sales force the most, even though her 3rd husband died from lung cancer. Each year, the Mary Kay Foundation awards 13 respected doctors and medical scientists $100,000 each in cancer research grants, a total of $1.3 million. (Milestones: Mary Kay Foundation, 2012) And Stirred with Love Cookbook debuted in 2003, featuring favorite recipes from Mary Kay Ash and Mary Kay Independent National Sales Directors from around the world. Proceeds benefit the Foundation. (Milestones: Mary Kay Foundation, 2012) The independent sales force of Mary Kay cosmetics, which includes over 2 million women, put on thousands of fundraisers each year throughout the North American continent. These women also request donation from their clients, and I personally have 1 client that gives a monthly donation of $25, as many of the over 10 million clients do. All in all, the Mary Kay Foundation has been doing great deeds for the domestic violence victims and cancer patients of America for over a decade. The foundation has recently started a planning committee to branch out their philanthropy to reach a broader diversity of people in need. There is something honorable to be said for that. References Milestones: Mary Kay Foundation. (2012, June 31). Retrieved from Mary Kay Foundation: http://www.marykayfoundation.org/Pages/MileStone.aspx