We Are Committed: A new Gap Inc. website

We know that many of you have questions or concerns about our work in Bangladesh and work that Gap Inc. does around the world. While we didn’t operate in the building that tragically collapsed in Bangladesh last month, we’re committed to worker safety and understand the urgency to make lasting, meaningful change.

To help answer your questions and have the chance to hear from you, we’ve launched a new website, WeAreCommitted.com. There, you can find information and updates on our work with Bangladesh, as well as the other communities where we live and work, and you can share your thoughts with us, as well as ask questions.

Thanks for your interest – we look forward to hearing from you.

How these students changed my life

In honor of National Volunteer Month, we are highlighting employees that lead volunteering for their store or team, and the partnerships they have formed with local organizations to create change in their community.

This is the second of two volunteer-focused posts.

Standing outside of Notasulga High School in Notasulga, Alabama, all you see is an old, run-down school building.

It runs on a minuscule operating budget, barely able to afford the basic necessities. With these financial struggles, students must have fundraisers to finance after-school activities and sports.

I was first introduced to the school when a private donor came into the Gap looking to buy school uniforms. Our store, in Auburn, reached out to our district and found the 300-plus items the kids needed. And when I walked into the school for the first time to distribute the uniforms, my life was forever changed.  

I met the most amazing children who, despite their circumstances and hardships, had a passion for learning and true love for their school. I decided then and there that I would make it my mission to positively impact their lives.  

I returned to my store, shared the story, and with the help of my coworkers, our community partnership began.

For our first event, we collected school supplies during our fall Friends and Family event. Our Gap Auburn family, customers and employees collected more than 20 boxes filled with backpacks, pens, paper, and supplies. The children and teachers were so grateful for the donation that they organized an entire school program around it. (Click here to see video of a student-led rap song thanking Gap.)

Since then, we’ve started a clothing closet, held a fashion show with donations benefitting the school (the photo above features the show models), collected boxtops, and adopted 18 children for Christmas. 

We have started a volunteer website and are promoting it on the local university campus. Our largest event to date will take place in August when we host a citywide event to collect back to school supplies accompanied by a fundraiser ball.

Every time we walk through the halls, we hear, “thank you, Gap” from every student we pass. 

These children have put their imprint on all of our hearts and created a partnership based on love.

Why I volunteer

In honor of National Volunteer Month, this is the first of two volunteer-focused posts.

The first time I volunteered at a Sumner County Special Olympics event in Tennessee , I remember seeing this group of ladies in their 50s struggling to walk before the races began. I didn’t know if I could bear to watch; I was worried about how they’d do. 

But then, during the 100-meter dash, they came around the corner in a sprint, with an intensity like I’ve never seen. And that’s when I knew how important the annual Spring Games were to them — how badly they wanted to compete, and how happy I was to be a part of it.

I’ve been working with the Special Olympics here for six years. We’ve tripled the number of employees who’ve volunteered since my first year, and employees even use their own vacation hours to do this. We’ve raised around $20,000, including company matching. And this year’s Spring Games will be the biggest ever, with 240 athletes signed up.

For us, it’s not just about putting in a day here and there.

There’s also the story about Tyler (pictured with me above), a 23-year-old who can’t run very well because of dexterity issues, but he loves playing on our soccer team. We practice every Thursday, and then every Friday, he’ll say to his father, “How many days until practice?”

When we chose him to be the torch carrier in the parade, he didn’t sleep a wink the night before because he was so excited. It seems to put everything back in perspective for me.

We teach these kids to try to win, even though it’s not most important. These are people who don’t often have opportunities to compete like many of us do. And as much as they love competing, I have to say that I feel like the lucky one, getting to work with them.

Gap + the Toronto International Film Festival for Kids

Whenever I meet a mom in my Gap PR job, you can usually bet she’ll ask how her little one can become a GapKids model. I’ve often thought about why that is.

I think it’s about a great opportunity, but also having their child enjoy a fun, memorable experience with a much-loved brand. That got me thinking about creating more of those experiences and, well, Tiff Kids .

A global leader in children’s cinema and a property of TIFF, one of the world’s top film festivals, it seemed only natural for GapKids to get involved and sponsor Tiff Kids Opening Night in mid-April.

Located in downtown Toronto, it also connected us with our customers in a localized, culturally relevant way.  Plus, the movie premiere was amazing – an animated Canadian film called The Legend of Serila.  

The Gap PR team ramped up to the big night by first kicking off a social media contest for a chance for three families to win Opening Night tickets and have their children outfitted in the GapKids Spring collection.

Then, we started thinking about the pre-movie party at the Tiff Bell Lightbox, where the movie premiered. What could we do to make it super-fun? We decided to recreate the A-lister experience, inviting hundreds of parents and kids to strike a pose with on the GapKids red carpet before heading into the movie.

They loved it. I have to admit, so did I. That night, everyone was a GapKid.

 

Everyone’s crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed band

Leather pants, ripped t-shirts, spiked heels....maybe not things I would wear to my day job doing Public Relations at Gap, Inc.  

But by night, when I sing in a San Francisco-based band called Talk Tonight, the door for style is wide open.

At a recent live show, the band was spotted and subsequently sponsored to record one of our original songs in studio with a producer. The song is now done (super excited), so the next step is to get it out there! But, the band knew before we could start promoting, there was one thing we were desperately needing - a “look.”

Being a group of six, we all had different opinions on which way to go – Rock? Dressed up classy? Hipster? What? We needed to look polished but still look like us.

Then I remembered that Banana Republic offers on-site stylist services and immediately made an appointment with the stylist at our flagship store in San Francisco, Nanci, to see if she could help a band out. She said she would, so one recent Saturday, all of us met at the store to get our new look.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but were blown away with what was prepared for us. Nanci did her homework! She knew who each one of us was upon arrival because in preparation for our appointment she listened to our music, watched our videos on YouTube and got to know our personalities on our Facebook page.

Nanci had reserved a wing of private dressing rooms so each of us had our own room with thoughtful, pre-selected looks based on what instrument we play and our role in the band (comfy sleeves for our drummer and show-stopping gold pants for the lead singer). By the end of the day, all six of us left with multiple new looks that we can’t wait to show off on stage.

So next time you’re in San Francisco, come see us rockin’ our new look at our next show , or listen to our new song. 

PHOTO: (clockwise) Pat (brown textured full zip sweater, gray Heritage slim cords), Frank (weekend orange & blue plaid short sleeve shirt, Heritage premium slim 101 selvage jean), Jason (navy Heritage button funnel neck sweater), Liz ( navy & white lattice peplum top, fuscia Hampton capri pant), Christian (white weekend  short sleeve stretch shirt, gold spring Emerson chino, navy & white polka dot tie), Marie (black Monogram sleeveless shawl shell, red woven full mini skirt, blush Kate platform heels)