Sustainability Meets Amazing Influencers at GoodwillSFL
In case you haven’t heard, Colleen Coughlin, Dionne Dean, Jennifer Falcon, Courtney Val, and Annie Vasquez are local Influencers and creators with a personal connection to Goodwill South Florida.
These Bloggers, Vloggers, YouTubers and Instagram stars show us how we can hunt for deals at GoodwillSFL and put together looks for less, inspiring you to hunt for fashionable deals too!
As avid customers of GoodwillSFL, the women in our profile use their finds to dress themselves with original and affordable clothing that represents their own sense of style, while helping people with disabilities and our environment.
These creative ladies stand out because they are more than just Influencers, they are routinely shopping in our stores and sharing their trendy looks while finding sustainable ways for us to help save the planet. They achieve this by keeping discarded clothes out of our landfills, and in doing so they are making a huge impact in our community.
Let’s take a look at these GoodwillSFL Influencers and what inspires them to make an impact:
Colleen Coughlin
Colleen quit her job as a fashion designer in 2013 and created TheFullEdit, a Zero Waste Lifestyle Agency. TFE helps people organize their homes and upcycle their waste.
To date, TFE has eliminated 4,662 pounds of goods from the waste stream, organized 14 Zero Waste awareness events, and educated over 40 businesses on how to reduce their waste. Colleen holds degrees in Fashion Technology from Buffalo State and Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology. She also holds a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Design Entrepreneurship where she was a graduate of F.I.T’s first sustainability class.
After years of shopping at Goodwill South Florida stores, we invited Colleen to tour our manufacturing facilities at our central location Headquarters. Coughlin was thoroughly impressed to see all the people we help and what they accomplish outside our stores. You can find Colleen’s Blog at TheFullEdit.com (Photo via instagram.com/thefulledit)
Dionne Dean
Dionne Dean is a unique Blogger, Vlogger and TV personality who describes herself as a “Wife, Mom, Educator, and Champion Shopper”. In reality, Dionne is a South Florida Thrifter extraordinaire! A frequent shopper at GoodwillSFL stores, Dionne made a video with GoodwillSFL for National Thrift Shop Day which received more than 3,000 views.
Dionne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Consumer and Textiles Sciences from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies from Loyola University Chicago.
Additionally, she was the resident beauty and style expert for Good Morning Texas on the ABC TV affiliate, WFAA 8. In her capacity as a visual merchant, Dionne has worked with top-name designer brands and has completed visual merchandising assignments in high-end department stores. She previously held the position of Senior Academic Advisor with the College of Architecture and the Arts at Florida International University. Dionne is currently Lead Faculty of the Fashion Merchandising and Retailing Program at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami. You can find Dionne’s blog online at DionneDean.com (Photo via instagram.com/iamdionnedean)
Jennifer Falcon
Recently we invited Jennifer Falcon, a local (V) Blogger, to visit Goodwill South Florida for a tour of our facilities. Jennifer is known locally as “Miss Pinup Miami.” Born and raised in South Florida, with a Cuban heritage, Jennifer loves vintage retro and pinup items and chronicles her adventures on her blog.
Jennifer is a frequent customer at Goodwill South Florida. She told us that she is able to find everything from gowns to separates to shoes to décor in our stores! We invited her to Goodwill South Florida’s manufacturing facility so that she could observe our day to day operations firsthand and learn more about our mission. We wanted to show her that in addition to our stores, Goodwill South Florida provides programs that train, employ and provide job placement for people with disabilities and other barriers to work.
Jennifer appreciated how we train our employees to work together harmoniously. She was astounded at the scope of our production capabilities which include military uniforms and interment flags manufactured here at our manufacturing plant.
Read more about Miss Pinup Miami on her Blog at MissPinupMiami.com (Photo via instagram.com/pinupmiami)
Courtney Val
Thrifter, Vlogger and YouTuber Courtney Val took a tour of the facilities at Goodwill South Florida, and she was surprised by all that goes on “behind the scenes” at our headquarters.
Courtney is a former crisis counselor who learned that self-care and living well is essential for a happy, healthy, and successful life. She uses her blog and Vlog to help her viewers develop a routine that allows them to live their best life. For many years she watched YouTube videos as a way to relax and practice self-care. Now she gives back by making her own self-help videos. On her You Tube Channel you will find DIY information, vlogs, health and fitness videos, reviews, and more.
Visit Courtney’s Blog at CoffeeWithCourtney.com, and her YouTube Channel at TheImperfectPearl (Photo via instagram.com/courtney.val)
Annie Vasquez
Journalist, Annie Vasquez, is also known as “The Fashion Poet”. Annie is a blogger and frequent shopper at Goodwill South Florida. We invited her to tour our facilities, so that she could witness our programs in action.
When Annie was in college she wanted to be a poet, otherwise translated as: author. She finally got her wish when she published her blog, TheFashionPoet.com. Since then, the Fashion Poet has been Nationally recognized as an award-winning lifestyle & travel blog.
Annie’s work has been featured in Vogue, Marie Claire, Cosmo Espanol, The Today Show, NBC, CBS and more. She won "Best Miami Blog" by the New Times and won Best Content Creator at Univision's Telca Awards. TheFashionPoet blog focuses on Body Positivity, Healthy Eating, Fashion and Travel. You can watch Annie’s Best Short Audience Award video from the 2013 Miami Film Festival here and you can follow Annie on her Blog at TheFashionPoet.com (Photo via instagram.com/thefashionpoet)
It’s really cool and admirable how these women are both fashion Influencers and environmentally responsible thrifters when they shop for fashionable finds in our Goodwill South Florida stores. These creative ladies stand out as more than just Influencers, they are Goodwill South Florida Ambassadors!
Better yet, as they shop the money from the sale of the donated items they purchase helps Goodwill South Florida provide job training, job placement, as well as other great programs and services for the people and families in your community.
If you are an Influencer we would love to hear from you!
Contact us via email at mgarcia@goodwillmiami.org
You can also write to us at: Goodwill Industries of South Florida| 2121 N.W. 21 St. | Miami, FL 33142 | Attention: Digital Marketing Department
