Although Athena’s Warehouse formed in 2009, we didn’t hit the ground running until 2010. It was a year of firsts, a year of marketing ourselves as an organization, reaching out to dozens of girls from Atlanta high schools, making new friends, organizing events and fundraisers, counting hundreds of beautiful dresses for inventory, donating to our favorite causes, and yes, having a blast along the way. Here are some of the highlights:

• Volunteering at founder Bee’s favorite organization, Project Open Hand, was a new experience for many of us, adults and high school students alike. Over two days, we assisted in packaging a portion of the 5,000 healthy meals that are distributed daily to senior and chronically-ill clients.
• Our first big fundraiser, Head Over Heels, was an adult prom that honestly felt like our coming-out party. Despite our nerves, the event went off without a hitch. Friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances were in attendance, raising over $4,000 for the organization.
• If we were nervous about Head Over Heels, it was nothing compared to our very first Dress Day with Grady and Maynard Jackson High Schools! Luckily, we had nothing to worry about. We transported hundreds of dresses, made do with two restrooms as our dressing rooms, and helped each girl choose the perfect prom dress. By the time Dress Day came around for Cross Keys High School, we felt like old pros.
• Speaking of pros…basketball was our sport of the year. First, we took the girls to a Dream Team game at Philips Arena, where they got to participate in a fan tunnel and meet one of the team’s star players, Armintie Price. The best part, though, was hearing the girls say, “This is the best night of our lives!” In the fall, we took a night off to enjoy the Hawks-Pistons game with dozens of friends and colleagues; a portion of the proceeds from the tickets sold went to AW.
• We spread the wealth by donating to Kiva, which funds micro-loans to entrepreneurs all around the world. To date, we’ve funded two education-related micro-loans to women in need.
• Kiva wasn’t the only nonprofit we supported; the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which promotes education in southern Sudan, received $300 from us in order to fund a girl’s scholarship for a year. The money was raised by selling our “purpilicious” AW women’s T-shirts.
• Last but not least, we were legally incorporated as a nonprofit, established a Board of Directors, and applied for 501(c)(3) status. Yay!

We have much more to come for the new year. Watch out, 2011!