You and Who’sday – 30 (now 32) Cities in 90 Days – Richmond & 3 in NC
This is the eighth installment of a Tuesday feature documenting Dan Gigante’s nationwide tour on behalf of his Buffalo-based, community-driven apparel company.
By Dan Gigante, President, You and Who
I’m staying in Hoboken this week and visiting both sides of the Hudson – cities 16 and 17, Newark and New York City.
Last week was spent finishing up in DC before moving on to Virginia and North Carolina. Monday morning, I visited Georgetown looking for some good retail shops for You and Who shirts and then boarded the MegaBus to Richmond, Virginia.
In Richmond I was able to visit with two great organizations – Freedom House and The Daily Planet. Both organizations have multiple locations and service a great number of Richmonders in need. One program in particular caught my attention – The Daily Planet participates in Street Soccer, a 20-city effort that engages residents, employees and volunteers in soccer games. Through this program, participants train three times a week and each participant has to set “life goals” for the next three, six and 12 months. What’s wonderful about such a program is that participants that are experiencing homelessness get to be a part of a community through sports in which they build trust amongst teammates while enhancing their health and wellness. As a soccer fan and player, and as someone dedicated to fighting homelessness, it was awesome to see soccer being used as a helpful rehabilitation tool for those experiencing homelessness.
You and Who founder Dan Gigante gives a shirt to Sabrina, a guest at Freedome House in Richmond, VA
From Richmond, I traveled to Raleigh by way of Durham and have unofficially renamed 30 Cities in 90 Days to be 32 cities in 90 days to give Durham, as well as Fort Lauderdale, their own distinction as opposed to being lumped in with Raleigh and Miami, respectively. One of the reasons for this was that I was able to visit two Durham organizations, Durham Rescue Mission and Urban Ministries of Durham, and found a Durham-based artist, Caitlyn White, who works at the Durham Rescue Mission.
Moving on to Raleigh last Thursday, I visited the Raleigh Rescue Mission and Haven House‘s Wrenn House. Bruce from Raleigh Rescue Mission gave me a tour and shared with me a number of truly inspiring success stories of people who had stayed there and have returned to independent living thanks to the resources provided by the shelter.
The final stop last week was Charlotte, North Carolina, where I visited Charlotte Rescue Mission and not only learned more about the organization and its plans for the future, but also found an artist for Charlotte in Mike Hernon, a graphic designer that works at the shelter. I can’t begin to say how excited I am to be coming across artists such as Mike and Caitlyn who are deeply involved in working with the homeless and others in need. The shirts they design for You and Who will give special meaning to both them and to those they help on a daily basis, connecting them together even further.
Dan with Charlotte Rescue Mission's Mike Hernon, who will also design a shirt for You and Who's "Moving Forward" theme.
Similar to Christian, a resident I met at New Genesis who is designing a shirt for Denver, we are continually coming across very special people who not only have talents that the world should see, but who have intricate connections and personal stories to tell with this cause. To me, that interconnectedness makes You and Who’s mission that much more meaningful.
It should be a fun week in and around New York City – if you know of anyone in this area who would be interested in getting involved, please get in touch!
