Volunteering with purpose and passion – Meet Charlotte

Charlotte Slankard learned about Connections to Success through a neighborhood yard sale. Neighbors shared that they planned to donate remaining professional clothing to our Dress for Success Midwest boutique, which provides free business attire for job seekers. Charlotte thought it was a good cause and offered support at the time. Years later her initial interest grew into deep engagement as an ongoing volunteer.

Charlotte spent 30 years working in the eyecare supply business, including 17 years managing a supply business of her own. She started the company out of her living room, building it into a multi-million dollar business. When Charlotte and her husband, Bruce, sold the business in 2012, Charlotte continued working for the new owners for a few years and then focused her energies on a specific purpose – empowering others.

“I claimed to everyone that I ended up ‘retiring and rewiring’,” says Charlotte. She sought out volunteer opportunities in the St. Louis area and began volunteering with a number of empowerment-focused organizations. She also shared her business expertise with a small female-owned business, helping them build structure and capacity on a volunteer basis.

In 2017 Charlotte’s friend and former colleague, Jane Langa Miller, started serving as our Director of Resource Development in St. Louis. Knowing Charlotte’s interest in helping others, Jane invited her to get involved. Charlotte came for a tour and talked with our volunteer coordinator about service opportunities.

“She asked which one I would be interested in, and I said, ‘All of the above!’ I really wanted to learn all the different volunteer opportunities,” says Charlotte.

Charlotte started volunteering regularly. She hosted mock interviews and helped job seekers find interview-ready outfits in our suiting boutique. She invited others to events, served on our Tribute to Success luncheon planning committee, and helped build up our mentor training program. Out of all these experiences, one especially stands out for Charlotte.

“One of the very best opportunities was being able to attend Personal and Professional Development classes where I sat side by side with participants,” says Charlotte.

As Charlotte sat in for the training, she got to know other participants through conversations about struggles, successes and goals. “I remember so many of the people and their stories. There were probably about 17 people in the class,” she says. “They all had a different reason for being there.”

As a group they participated in hands-on exercises that illustrated simple but transformative concepts – like the power of positive affirmations. Charlotte says the exercises have stuck with her, including one that involved jumping as high as possible and making a mark on the wall with a piece of chalk. After jumping once, she was asked to jump again and make a higher mark. “I did my jump, and I’m only 5’2”, so my mark wasn’t very high. But the second time around I definitely was able to jump higher. That’s everything in life – if you try a little bit harder, you will succeed.”

Sacred Space Organizing – Blessing Our Neighbors

Charlotte’s volunteerism centers on helping others achieve success and realize their potential. This purpose carries over into another venture – a business she now co-owns called Sacred Space Organizing.

Around the time she started her volunteer journey, Charlotte also began learning about home organization and living simply. She had accumulated more things than she realized while working full-time, especially clothing and accessories, and wanted to understand why. As she started reading and learning, she connected with Erin Neumann, the founder of Sacred Space Organizing. They hit it off over coffee, and Charlotte later joined Erin as a co-owner of the company.

As part of Sacred Space Organizing, they launched an initiative called “Blessing Our Neighbors”. As clients simplify their possessions, items they no longer need or want are passed on to one of four partner nonprofits: Connections to Success, Catholic Charities, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Habitat for Humanity. “When it leaves those homes, it’s going to a new home where someone will really appreciate and benefit from it,” says Charlotte.

“Each one of our partners accepts different types of donations,” she explains. Connections to Success will receive professional clothing through the partnership to support our free suiting services for job seekers and the newly employed.*

Advice for Those Considering Volunteerism

Charlotte strives to balance work and volunteering with family time. She enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren and granddog, a Pomeranian named Clark Griswold. Balance takes intentionality, and Charlotte recommends pacing yourself and setting your priorities.

“We know we can’t help everybody but you can zero in on an area,” she says. She encourages others to research nonprofits in their area and try out different roles and organizations.

When she feels off course, Charlotte makes an effort to refocus. “I definitely have to stop and take a deep breath and remember, what is my purpose? What’s important to me? What are my values, and what do I want to accomplish with the rest of the time I have here.”

Charlotte says for her, life is about giving back and encouraging others. “Life isn’t just about us. It’s about all of us. It’s so important to embrace others, whatever background or situation that they come from. We still are all one.”

We’re thankful for Charlotte and the many ways she supports our mission!!

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact one of our volunteer and mentor coordinators:

St. Louis Region: Contact us
Kansas City Region: Aliyah McBride

*Clothing donations are currently on hold due to COVID-19