Mary Kay Inc. | Allied Professional Award
Team Members: Crayton Webb; Kirsten Gappelberg
Addison, Texas
Mary Kay Inc. has shown dedication and passion to the victims’ services field for many years. Founded in 1963 with the goal of helping women achieve personal growth and financial success, Mary Kay is one of the world's largest direct selling cosmetics companies.
The company’s long-term commitment to preventing and ending domestic violence began when founder, Mary Kay Ash, learned that some of her Independent Beauty Consultants were suffering in silence from domestic abuse. In 1996, Mary Kay Ash began the Mary Kay Foundation and the organization’s mission today includes ending domestic violence.
Just in time for domestic violence awareness month in October, the Foundation awards $3 million in grants to women’s shelters across the United States each year. While supporting The Mary Kay Foundation’s work, Mary Kay Inc. has focused its corporate citizenship initiatives in recent years on domestic violence education and prevention efforts. The company refers to its work in this area as the “Don’t Look Away” campaign.
Mary Kay is the lead sponsor of the loveisrespect text for help service providing healthy dating and relationship advice to young people as the nation’s first text for help service. Mary Kay also partners with the national Alpha Chi Omega Women’s sorority to bring awareness to healthy dating and relationships to 18,000 college women each year.
Mary Kay also advocates for legislation supporting victims and survivors of abuse through the company’s national lobbying for good program. Through a unique partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the Mary Kay Foundation and Mary Kay Inc. have sponsored 20 healing gardens at women’s shelters across the United States. More information about the company’s initiatives can be found at https://www.marykay.com/dontlookaway.
Mary Kay has proven to be one of the most influential leaders and change makers in the domestic violence field, through their work with loveisrespect, on college campuses, in shelters around the nation and with research informing national policy.