SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- "We Make Good Things Happen," is the slogan of shopping malls owned and operated by the Macerich Company (NYSE: MAC). This month, the Southern California region will put the slogan to work with "Project Smile," a regional outreach initiative that allows Macerich centers to give back to the community.
Macerich's Southern California malls have set a goal at collecting 1,000 suits to help the welfare-to-work initiative and created a month of activities aimed at building confidence and strengthening job skills among project participants.
"Through a focused local study, we learned of the welfare-to-work initiative and the impact it has on our surrounding area," said Margo Heltzel, marketing director for Manhattan Village, the site of the suit collection. "We decided the best way to make a difference in our community was to appeal to those who have something to give back. Project Smile is all about working together to improve our communities as a whole."
Earlier this year, over 50 Macerich centers nationwide conducted a community audit, where members of the mall management team interviewed community leaders to learn of the needs in their surrounding areas. Each mall or region would then find their own "Project Smile," to give back to their community in order to answer a true need.
Prior to the audit, Macerich's Panorama Mall in Panorama, CA was already reaching out to the community. In 1998, Panorama Mall held a career fair in conjunction with the welfare-to-work program, Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), to answer its own community needs. The program, intended to help move participants from welfare to jobs by providing short term job-focused training and education, was a huge success and included a fashion show, resume writing and motivational workshops, fitness and make-over tips, guest speakers and a job fair.
Seeing the need in the community and the success of Panorama's program, the Southern California region decided to join forces. With varying demographics and income levels, some malls will rely on their resources to collect suits and hold business round tables to help surrounding areas, while others will hold job fairs and training programs to support participants locally. Together, the Southern California region will implement "Project Smile" to benefit the Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services GAIN program, Dress For Success and the 1736 Family Crisis Center.
The GAIN program will partake in several self-help and job related workshops planned for the month of October, as well as benefit from the suit drive. Workshops, job fairs and fashion shows will be held throughout the Southern California regional malls and will include activities such as resume building seminars, hair and make-up tips, tattoo removal and motivational speakers.
The region will host a suit drive in October to collect business attire for Dress for Success, a non-profit clothing closet for job seekers referred by local agencies, and 1736 Family Crisis Center, a non-profit organization committed to helping abused women and their families get back on their feet.
For more information on Macerich or the Southern California Region, please visit its web site at www.macerich.com.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROJECT SMILE
Fact Sheet
WHAT: Macerich Company's Southern California Regional Shopping Centers
will be hosting job fairs, motivational and educational workshops
and a suit drive to collect 1,000 suits as part of its Project
Smile, a community outreach initiative to benefit welfare-to-work
projects. Beneficiaries include the Los Angeles Department of
Public Social Services GAIN, Dress For Success and the
1736 Family Crisis Center.
WHERE: LAKEWOOD CENTER (Lakewood, CA)
-- Back-to-Work Fashion Show
-- A Career Expo and Informational Workshops
-- Friday, October 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
LOS CERRITOS SHOPPING CENTER (Cerritos, CA)
-- Motivational Speaker Sherri Cannon on "The Art of Making Good
Life Decisions"
-- Friday, October 15, 1999 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
MANHATTAN VILLAGE (Manhattan Beach, CA)
-- 1000 Suits in October Suit Drive and Businesswomen
Roundtables
-- Suit Collection: now through Sat. October 31
-- Business Roundtable: Sat. October 16 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
PANORAMA MALL (Panorama, CA)
-- A Career Expo and Informational Workshops
-- Saturday, October 16, 1999 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-- Career models will be treated to a "shopping spree" through
the donated suits at Manhattan Village
STONEWOOD CENTER (Downey, CA)
-- GAIN Job Fair
-- Friday, October 15, 1999 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
VILLA MARINA MARKETPLACE (Marina del Rey, CA)
-- Suit Collection throughout October
WESTSIDE PAVILION (Los Angeles, CA)
-- Suit Collection; Resume Clinic; Career Day with speakers,
fashion show and informational tables; and Job Fair with
mall's merchants
-- Career Day and Resume Clinic: Saturday, October 16
-- Job Fair: Saturday, October 23
SOURCE Macerich Company