From The Desk of Kathy Jenkins - January 2024

Happy New Year!

2023 was a banner year for New Directions and I thank you for your part in making it our best year yet. Your generosity, volunteerism, and advocacy has meant so much to us this past year, and I can’t wait to see all that your efforts make possible in 2024.

I am pleased to announce that we raised $184,062 through our year-end fundraising efforts, providing 9,203 nights of shelter! Based on an average shelter stay of 120 nights, this will allow 76 people to permanently recover from homelessness, poverty, or addiction through our Pathways Program. With dramatic increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness each night (653,100 each night in the US, according to the most recent data from HUD), this support is critical in ensuring our ability to provide shelter, meals, basic needs, and resources to those in crisis. Thank you for helping continue our mission!

As you may know, our 8th Annual Compassion Through Fashion event is a little over two weeks away, coming to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Saturday, February 3rd. Twenty-six fabulous designs made of repurposed, recycled, or unusual materials will walk the runway, competing for nine judged awards, and two audience awards.

Over the years, this event has become increasingly reflective of our mission. Things that were broken, discarded, forgotten, and worn down are remade into something new, incredible, beautiful, and whole; transforming ordinary objects, and reviving them to a new purpose. This is symbolic of the work we do with those we serve - helping those who feel broken, discarded, forgotten, or worn down - transform their lives into something new, incredible, beautiful, and whole. I say it every year - I can’t imagine the designs featured in this year’s CTF being any better than the last, but without fail, our designers continue to amaze and create things that surpass all expectations.

I hope that you will join me in attending this incredible event and fundraiser. Whether you enjoy art, fashion, entertainment, or simply a fun night out for a cause, Compassion Through Fashion truly has something for everyone. And thanks to the incredible support of the community, the transformations of ordinary objects that we will see on the runway are but a reflection of the extraordinary impact and life-transformation that happens at New Directions each and every day.

With Gratitude,

Kathy Jenkins, CEO

PS - Tickets are selling out quickly so be sure to get yours as soon as possible! You can purchase tickets here!