Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Vann.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
The idea for Give Like a Mother came from my desire to be a bridge between people who have things they no longer use and people who need those very items. My job as a nurse anesthetist allowed me to build relationships with folks in both of the aforementioned groups. In one particular instance, a friend was in need of some items for her grandchildren that had recently been placed in her care. Within days, we’d found her a crib, a highchair, a toddler bed, and big bins of clothes for each size of kids, and I thought to myself, “We could make this happen any time someone needs a little help.” One of the issues is that most of the time, the helpers and the helped don’t know each other, so there’s a gap that exists between these folks. That experience and several others like it told me that this is where I was supposed to be: bridging that gap. So, I began collecting items and distributing them out of my living room, then my garage, a self-storage unit, a warehouse, and finally, last spring, we moved into our new space within the Eastgate Mall. In our first year, Give Like a Mother served around 200 kids. In 2023, we served more than 3,000! Since our founding in 2018, GLAM has provided 10,222 clothing packs to children and teens across Greater Cincinnati.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not! We’ve struggled and will likely still struggle with the issues that small nonprofits often encounter. We’ve struggled to find enough volunteers, funding, and donated items. We’ve struggled in figuring out the best practices for our operation. And like all founders, I struggled with giving so much of myself and my family time to the work. This being true, I still would not change a thing because it helped us reach the place we are currently. We’ve got an amazing community (our GLAM Fam) that has uplifted and carried us forward and will continue to do so over the years to come. We’ll always be working to keep this mission alive, but where we’d nearly drowned before, I feel we’re at a point where we’re paddling steadily ahead.
Five years ago, I said in an interview that 5 years would be “enough time to get established.” I had, by this time in the organization’s lifespan, expected to get grants, funding, and regular donors so that we could get a physical location and more usable space. I said I’d wanted to get into schools and hire some staff so that GLAM wasn’t “like 100% running my life.” Reflecting on that statement, I wish I could show myself what things are looking like now. We’ve exceeded those expectations, and it feels great to look back on that goal and say, “We did it!”
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Give Like a Mother is a nonprofit focused on providing children and teens with seasonally appropriate clothing. Although we operate on gently used items, we pride ourselves on providing quality, in-style clothing to our clients. We want children to be proud to wear the clothing they receive because we believe this can increase self-worth, decrease ridicule, and in turn, have a positive effect on their experience and performance in school.
One of our primary goals is for children – and teens especially – to avoid ridicule for re-wearing clothing during the school week. That is why each child receives a clothing pack with 5 outfits, 1 pair of shoes, a jacket or coat, pajamas, 3-5 pairs of new socks, and 5 pairs of new underwear. All of this comes at no cost to the family.
We’re able to carry out this service because of generous community members who donate their time, funds, and clothing items! We are always in need of gently used, freshly washed clothing, coats, and shoes of all sizes – preferably the kinds of things children and teens would wear to the playground and to school. We also happily accept donations to go towards purchasing new socks and underwear for our clients. Lastly, we are always looking to make new additions to our staff volunteer team! But we also love hosting groups (businesses, school groups, sports teams, etc.) We have detailed information about all of the above ways to help posted on our website for those interested in Giving Like a Mother!
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I grew up in a Christian home. I know everybody has different feelings about faith, religion, God, and spirituality, but I believe that some people are just called to do something by God. Being “called” is kind of a cliché term, but I mean, I feel like this is definitely what that was: a calling. From the start, I felt called to make this vision a reality. And not that things weren’t challenging or a true test of my resolve, but everything that has led to the creation and continuation of GLAM has just seemed to “work out” in just the right way at just the right time. Everything that’s fallen into place couldn’t have been by coincidence.
I think that God provides the amazing opportunities for this mission to flourish because I’m following that calling. Some people call that coincidence or luck, but it’s just so undeniable to me. So many experiences have shown me that this journey is totally by design. There have been several times where I’ve been in a crowd of people, and I happen to stand next to somebody who ends up helping with something we’re doing, and every time, I’m like, “There You are again.” Throughout the evolution of GLAM, I’ve learned to trust the calling, and without fail, we’ve moved forward every time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.givelikeamother.com
- Instagram: @givelikeamother
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiveLikeAMother/
