<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Mitchell family has become well known for creating what is arguably the most successful independent multibrand luxury store chain in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat isn\u2019t as well known is its commitment to fighting breast cancer. Norma Mitchell, cofounder of the business and grandmother of its current top executives, died of the disease, and many other family members, employees and customers have been touched by it.<\/p>\n
\n\tTwenty years ago, shortly after the family branched out beyond its first store in Westport, Conn., by buying the Richards men\u2019s store in nearby Greenwich, it became acquainted with the Breast Cancer Alliance, which was based in Greenwich.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe didn\u2019t have a women\u2019s business in Greenwich, but we were talking to some folks and they said it was a wonderful grassroots organization that could really use some help,\u201d said Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, chief marketing officer and vice president of e-commerce for Mitchells Stores.<\/p>\n
\n\tHe said the BCA, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, focuses primarily on early-stage research. \u201cThe government funds a lot of later stage, big trials, but there are very few \u2014 almost none \u2014 working on early stage, which is needed to be able to apply for larger grants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe group also provides breast surgical fellowships across the country. \u201cIn big cities, there are specific breast surgeons, but if you\u2019re in smaller markets, the same surgeon that\u2019s doing an appendectomy is during a mastectomy the next day and doesn\u2019t really know the intricacies,\u201d Mitchell-Namdar said. \u201cSo they fund surgical fellowships for people to come to New York City, learn the techniques from some of the greatest breast surgeons and then go back and share that with their local hospitals throughout the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe family believed BCA\u2019s work was a worthy cause and decided to host a fashion show as a fundraiser. \u201cFashion is in our DNA, and this was a way that we can leverage our relationships within the industry to help the cause. That got us started in understanding the need,\u201d Mitchell-Namdar said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBreast cancer survivor Giuliana Rancic has been a featured guest at Pink Aid in the past.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile their work with BCA continues, the Mitchells went a step further and created their own breast cancer organization, Pink Aid. <\/p>\n
\n\tHe recalled that 16 years ago, a woman who had gone through treatment for breast cancer approached him and thanked him for a $45 wig that a local hospital the Mitchells supported had provided to her. The single mother from Bridgeport, Conn., had lost her hair as a result of the drugs she was given, and it terrified her young daughter, who thought she was \u201can alien,\u201d he recalled, and refused to hug her when she needed it most.<\/p>\n
\n\tMoney was tight and she couldn\u2019t afford to buy a wig, but once the hospital provided her with one, everything changed and her daughter was once again at ease and happy to provide hugs.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat planted a seed in me,\u201d Mitchell-Namdar said. \u201cI started to do research and found it\u2019s happening all the time \u2014 women going through treatment don\u2019t have the human touch. We need research first and foremost, which is why we still work with the BCA after 20 years. But there was this human side that was not being met by anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tMany of the Pink Aid fashion shows feature multibrand participation, including menswear.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/p>\n
\n\tSo Mitchell-Namdar called his family together for a brainstorming session and they agreed to host a luncheon in Westport to raise money for patients who had trouble paying their bills because of their medical costs.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe had modest goals,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we raised $30,000, how many $45 wigs and services could we provide? And boom, $300,000 was raised at that luncheon and we knew we had struck a chord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSo working with three of the donors \u2014 Amy Katz, Amy Gross and Renee Madis \u2014 they created Pink Aid, whose goal is to provide \u201ccompassion until there\u2019s a cure,\u201d according to the organization\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
\n\tMitchell-Namdar said Pink Aid\u2019s mission is to provide emergency aid assistance to those struggling during treatment, whether that means paying an electric bill, rent, offering wigs or lymphedema sleeves. \u201cCan you imagine in your darkest moment your lights go off and you\u2019re literally and physically, mentally in the dark,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe provide Uber cards because sometimes women are nauseous from treatment and they can\u2019t afford a taxi and they don\u2019t want to take public transportation for fear of getting sick. So guess what they do? They don\u2019t go to treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tHe said one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes and one in three find financial hardship as a result. But that\u2019s where Pink Aid can make a difference. Since creating the nonprofit 16 years ago, $25 million has been raised and 65,000 women have been helped.<\/p>\n
\n\tAlthough the organization started in Connecticut, it has expanded to other markets where the Mitchells have stores, including Long Island and California. \u201cWe got a little slowed down because of COVID, but last year on our 15th anniversary, we were able to hit all 50 states,\u201d he said. \u201cWe call it turning the map pink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tPink Aid uses fashion shows in its stores with support from key vendors including Brunello Cucinelli, Michael Kors, Vince, Kiton, Lela Rose and Donna Karan. On Thursday in Westport, the store will host a sold out Pink Royale gala featuring a Veronica Beard fashion show. Tina Knowles and Olivia Munn \u2014 who Mitchells calls \u201cwarriors,\u201d or survivors \u2014 will be on hand to speak about their experiences with the disease. A gala will also be held in Huntington, N.Y., on Oct. 21.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe Pink Aid fundraisers also include a show with \u201cwarriors,\u201d or breast cancer survivors.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/p>\n
\n\tThen on Oct. 22, Wes Gordon will present the Carolina Herrera collection in the Greenwich store as a fundraiser for the BCA. Between the two Connecticut stores as well as the unit on Long Island, the company raises $4 million a year.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Sept. 30, the family hosted an event on the West Coast in the new Wilkes Bashford store in Palo Alto, Calif. Smaller events are held around the country throughout the year.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe organization has an executive director and four staffers that review applications from potential recipients, as well as a cadre of volunteers. If an application is approved, Pink Aid will send money directly to the utility companies or landlords through a process they call Pink Purse, to give patients \u201cbreathing room,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd the decisions are made quickly, typically within 48 hours.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re really super proud of the work that we\u2019re doing,\u201d Mitchell-Namdar said. \u201cWe\u2019re continuing to expand because the need is there to really want to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Mitchells #Family #Celebrates #Years #Supporting #Breast #Cancer #Patients<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Mitchell family has become well known for creating what is arguably the most successful independent multibrand luxury store chain in the U.S. What isn\u2019t as well known is its… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock789.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}