You and Who’sday – 30 Cities in 90 Days – I Left My Shirt in San Francisco

This is the fourth installment of a new Tuesday feature documenting Dan Gigante’s nationwide tour on behalf of his Buffalo-based, community-driven apparel company.

By Dan Gigante, President, You and Who

I love my job. I really do. Visiting the shelters and organizations that we will, or in some cases already do, donate to allows me to meet and talk to the people we are trying to help. Learning how the organizations operate and getting a tour of the facilities is the fuel that keeps me going. I’m so encouraged that there are great people out there dedicating themselves to making a difference and helping others, and I’m honored to be a part of that. I met with shelters and non-profits in three California cities last week: St. John’s for Women and Children in Sacramento; Operation Dignity and the East Oakland Community Project in Oakland; and ending the week in San Francisco where I hand-delivered shirts to our friends at the Raphael House, and was introduced to a new organization called Project Open Hand.

The other aspect of my work that keeps me going is having the opportunity to work with some really talented artists. I met two great artists in Sacramento, and, through them, made connections with three artists in Oakland and another in San Francisco. I was also able to visit with the two designers of our San Francisco “New Beginnings” shirts, and be introduced to another Bay Area artist. In total, I met with seven new artists in these three cities, and I can’t wait to see the designs they all come up with for our new theme, “Moving Forward.”

The artists I met this week had some incredible portfolios, and are all really excited to be able to contribute to You and Who’s cause, while having an impact on their own communities. In fact, some were so excited about the local component to our mission that they introduced me to several retail shops within each of these cities, all of which are interested in carrying our shirts.

Overall it was an incredible week – I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t California Dreamin’.

Next week’s stops include New Orleans and Las Vegas, but until then, I want to leave you this week on a note about what a fellow JetBlue Bluepass-er based in Rochester is doing with his Bluepass. Fellow upstater and web developer Dan DeFilippi is letting people bid on his time to help them with any project they want or can think of. Check it out: http://bidonmyday.com/. You and Who definitely plans on bidding for Dan’s services for a day – we could use the extra set of hands to donate shirts!