The Philanthropy Club

The photo to the left displays my friends and me volunteering at a CSR event on behalf of our LIM College's Philanthropy Club. Although unconventional, I consider philanthropy as my art form. As LIM students, we’re meant to be leaders and break boundaries in the fashion industry. Accordingly, I want to be a leader in connecting the art of fashion to philanthropy. According to Aristotle, our goals in life must correlate with the needs of world in order to achieve happiness and fulfillment. As a potential philanthropist, I want to make a difference in the world by following the philosophy of Aristotle where I use my talents to pursue virtue and help others pursue philanthropy as well. By giving back I feel all the more accomplished because it helps make the world a better place while unleashing a whole spectrum of opportunities in fulfilling happiness for myself.

“Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.”

-Aristotle

Although unconventional, I consider philanthropy as my art form. As LIM students, we’re meant to be leaders and break boundaries in the fashion industry. Accordingly, I want to be a leader in connecting the art of fashion to philanthropy. As a military brat, I have been exposed to many cultures and communities. As I developed my talents in art and fashion, I was also reminded of how important it was to give back to the community at the same time. During my senior year in high school, it was a time where I wasn’t sure the fashion industry would accept my needs of morality or that nonprofits and philanthropy in general would shun my talent and knowledge on something so materialistic as fashion. I felt I had to choose one or the other because the two did not mix.

During my first semester, I asked my academic advisor, Dr. Patricia Fitzmaurice, if there was any way I could thrive in the fashion industry while at the same time giving back to the community. Fitzmaurice said that there is a concentration that will let me do both. It was then that I decided to concentrate in Responsibility in Business Practices otherwise known as Corporate Social Responsibility. Because of LIM College, what was only a dream or something I genuinely felt could never come true became a reality, a potential career. Ultimately, I would like to further merge philanthropy in with the fashion and arts industries. And so far, I've been a part of my college's magazine The Lexington Line as well as starting up LIM College’s Philanthropy Club where we assist non-profit organizations. Our Philanthropy Club officially started this past January 2016. As Public Relations Director and Founder of the club, I wanted this club to be associated with various non-profit organizations from different fields with the benefit of celebrating our student body's various talents because I believe man can give back to his community best through his talents philosophically.

Our Philanthropy Club Mission Statement consists of the following: (1) To promote the welfare of others and giving back to the community; (2) To assist non­profit organizations in their pursuit in helping those in need; and (3) To further bring generosity and responsibility into the fashion industry, this semester is mainly a learning period for the club and seeing what different non-profit organizations are out there. In addition to that, we're starting our own clothing drive for Bottomless Closet effective March 23, 2016. According to Aristotle, our goals in life must correlate with the needs of world in order to achieve happiness and fulfillment. As a potential philanthropist, I want to make a difference in the world by following the philosophy of Aristotle where I use my talents to pursue virtue and help others pursue philanthropy as well. By giving back I feel all the more accomplished because it helps make the world a better place while unleashing a whole spectrum of opportunities in fulfilling happiness for myself. With the assistance of this scholarship and LIM College, I can continue to pursue philanthropy as my art form.

We actually just now finished our clothing drive in benefit of Bottomless Closet, a nonprofit in aiding women less fortunate. We're also planning to work with Mercado Global, an organization that empowers indigenous women to overcome poverty and become agents of change in their communities. The club recently just won two college awards on Outstanding New Student Group Award and Service Learning/Civic Engagement. Words can't even describe how amazing this is and how much of an impact we've made in a semester. This proves that there are no boundaries in fulfilling philanthropy. I cannot wait to see what we'll achieve next semester.

-MASR

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