The Olfactory: SMELL GOOD + DO GOOD: Perfume Sale to Raise Money for the Victims of the Oklahoma Tornado

In his address to the victims of the recent tornado in Oklahoma, President Obama stated: "There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms, and bedrooms, and classrooms, and, in time, we’re going to need to refill those spaces with love and laughter and community."

I live only a couple of hours away from the site of the Moore, OK tornado. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, and I know the risks and rewards of living here. The risks were made all too apparent this week.

Since the devastation, I’ve been racking my brain in an effort to figure out a way I (and you) can contribute to the relief efforts for the tornado victims, and I’ve decided that I will do what I do best: use fragrance as a way to make other people’s lives better.

Here’s the plan:

I’ve created a fundraising campaign on Crowdrise to raise money for the victims of the May, 2013 Oklahoma tornado (Crowdrise is a highly-respected online fundraising platform backed by the likes of actor Edward Norton).

100% of the proceeds from this perfume sale go to the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

The United Way of Central Oklahoma, in coordination with OK STRONG DISASTER RELIEF FUND, has established a fund to assist with the long-term medical, emotional and educational needs of victims devastated by the May 2013 tornadoes.

I will be hosting a perfume sale on my blog – all of the money from the sale of the perfumes will go to the fundraising campaign. Ineke Perfumer (an extremely talented perfumer out of San Francisco and one of my amazing sponsors) has generously offered a brand-new 15 ml. bottle of Angel's Trumpet edp for the sale. I will also be donating to the sale.

There are two ways YOU can help:

Got a bottle of perfume collecting dust on your dresser? Donate a bottle of perfume or cologne for the sale! I would prefer that donated bottles be no less than half full, but I won’t be terribly picky.

Need a new scent? Want to do good? Purchase one of the perfumes up for sale. Easy as that.

Here’s how it will work:

1. If you want to donate perfume, please email me at theolfactorymail@gmail.com with pictures of the perfume(s) you have for donation (please take individual photos if you are donating more than one).

2. Once I have received enough donation offers (let’s say, in about two weeks), I will then post pictures of everyone’s items on The Olfactory blog with an appropriate sale price.

3. On the day of the sale, if you would like to buy an item, you will leave a comment on the post informing me of which items you would like to buy. Then, you will click on the Crowdrise fundraiser link and leave a donation for the amount of the price(s) of the items.

4. Once you have paid/left your donation, I will remove your purchased items from the sale. PLEASE read through the comments before putting dibs on a specific item to be sure no one else has already claimed it.

5. Finally, please email me at theolfactorymail@gmail.com with your mailing address, which I will then forward to the item’s seller. If, for some reason, you have not heard from the seller in a few days, please email me and I will try to get in touch with the seller myself.

The seller will mail their items directly to the buyer, not to me.

If sellers would like to be compensated for shipping costs, please contact me, and will be happy to send you a reimbursement via Paypal. Once the sale is finished, I will let everyone know (on the blog) how much money was donated in total to the fundraiser. I’m aiming for $500, but would love to raise even more!

When is the deadline for donations?
Two weeks from now: Thursday, June 6^th.

When is the sale?
All items will be posted for sale on the blog on Friday June 7^th. The sale will continue until all items are sold (but, hopefully, it won’t take long!).

Ready. Set. Do Good.

Fragrantly Yours,

Tara

[Thanks to Arielle from Scents of Self for unknowingly inspiring this fundraiser. Last year, she raised for money for Refuge, a British domestic violence charity, and it was a great success, so I borrowed her brilliant idea. ]