Volunteerism: a beautiful way to be empowered.

Beauty is a word often used to describe the external. Cosmetics companies and many other businesses use advertising that creates a sociological image of what beauty is. Today, the natural look is "in" with nicely tailored clothes, healthy skin and hair. Good health makes a person glow. This gives a self-confidence boost, which makes a person glow even more. It's a cyclical thing.

Beauty is also designated a "'Women's Issue," fitting particularly well with this issue of New Life Journal. Discussing the direction of this month's column. Erin (New Life Journal's editor) and I both agreed that despite the buzzword status of "Women's Empowerment." it is an issue close to our hearts. I began thinking about how beauty relates to empowerment. My initial reaction was that external beauty went hand-in-hand with empowerment, ability, and status. I believe women who garner the most attention (from their seats in high places) certainly are more "classically beautiful." However, the more I thought about the External Beauty. = Empowerment equation, the less weight it seemed to hold. Many powerful, well-known women aren't externally beautiful in the classic sense, but are the epitome of empowered.

Perhaps what was holding me back in finally "getting it" was my admittedly lacking definitions of beauty and empowerment. Beauty: that which pleases the visual sense. Empowered: anyone who can significantly affect the lives of many. Neither of these definitions address the one sense that women especially are defined by: the heart. I'm not a major politico, or a high-up executive in a large corporation. I am able to touch the lives of my husband, family, friends, and even strangers. When I lend an ear to a crying friend, warm my husband's clothes in the dryer on a cold morning or stop to help an old man with a flat tire, my true beauty extends beyond the external, cosmetic company version and comes from my heart. Acts of kindness and compassion towards one person can put a positive spin on their interactions with others. Being beautiful on the inside can lead to empowerment on the outside. It too is a cyclical thing.

Volunteering your time is an incredible way to affect people's lives. The upcoming holidays are the perfect time to give. Thousands of people have various circumstances that prevent them from having happy, healthy holidays. A truly beautiful gift is spending time with your spouse, children and friends, giving your time or donations to a worthy cause. Being an internally beautiful and empowered person who is willing to volunteer helps to empower other people, which often makes them feel beautiful as well. Yet another positive cyclical path.

Keep in mind that not all volunteerism requires a financial contribution. Dress for Success takes donations of gently used professional clothing. Sutheastern Guide Dogs and the Atlanta Women's Foundation look for volunteers to man fundraising events. The following selected organizations work to empower deserving individuals by providing much needed services.

Natural Beauty

VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS

Enhance your inner beauty by offering support to charities such as these.

Dress for Success--www.dressforsuccess.org

What They Do: A not-for-profit organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and a second suit when she gets the job. The Dress for Success Professional Women's Group program then provides ongoing support to help their clients build professional careers.

How You Can Help: Dress for Success takes donations of new or gently used women's clothing: interview-appropriate skirt and pant suits, tailored blouses, scarves, handbags and professional shoes.

Who You Should Contact: Dress for Success Georgia Phone: [phone] [e-mail]. Dress for Success North Carolina, [phone], [e-mail]

Southeastern Guide Dogs--www.guidedogs.org

What They Do: Southeastern Guide Dogs' mission is to "offer, free of charge, a unique opportunity to achieve independent travel with safety and dignity to blind men and women, through the use of professionally and humanely trained guide dogs."

How You Can Help: Southeastern Guide Dogs is always looking for puppy huggers, families for career change dogs, special events volunteers, administrative support, and financial contributions.

Who You Should Contact: Southeastern Guide Dogs Georgia Outreach Program Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

Southeastern Guide Dogs North Carolina Outreach Program, 704-721-4000, 704-262-9225 (fax), [e-mail]

Atlanta Women's Foundation--www.atlantawomen.org

What They Do: The Atlanta Women's Foundation wants "women to be safe from battering in their own homes, free from fear of sexual assault, paid equally for equal work and be on the boards of the institutions that govern their lives" The foundation raises, manages and distributes funds to a wide variety of programs serving women and girls in the Atlanta area.

How You Can Help: The Atlanta Women?s Foundation is always looking for volunteers to help with fundraising events, major mailings and at the AWF office. They also accept financial contributions.

Who You Should Contact: Atlanta Women's Foundation, 404.577.5000, [e-mail]

Emma Family Resource Center--www.childrenfirstbc.org

What They Do: The Emma Family Resource Center looks to "support families in a way that challenges and empowers them to make positive choices for themselves." They are "committed to being an active catalyst toward making the Emma community a safe, beautiful, welcoming place to raise our children."

How You Can Help: The Emma Family Resource Center is actively looking for volunteers to pick up, transport and shelve food from MANNA, help elementary school students with homework after school, provide childcare for a MOTHEREAD group of parents learning to encourage their children to love books and weeding, planting and mulching in the Center's garden.

Who You Should Contact: Emma Family Resource Center, 828252-4810, [e-mail]

Emily Ray is a freelance writer in Atlanta, GA. She volunteers for organizations including the Lions International, the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and the Atlanta Women's Foundation. Have a beauty question you'd like answered in this column? Feel free to contact Emily at [e-mail].