Page 15 - 2018 Impact Report The Shelter for Abused Women and Children

A RIPPLE BECOMES A WAVE

A long-time supporter of The Shelter, Milda Vaivada was among a handful of
people who created what would become today’s Shelter Options Shoppe.
Milda moved to Naples in 1979 and served on The Shelter’s first board of
directors. During an early discussion about fund-raising, someone mentioned
the idea of creating a thrift store. As a retail owner, Milda felt the concept
had merit, but her view was not shared by the majority of the board.
Concerns included leasing space and staffing, securing merchandise and
the possibility of losing money.
Milda and fellow board member Linda Beckwith assured the board
they would personally take on the risk. Linda found the space and
Milda used her design sense and retail skills to give it a “Palm Beach
boutique” feel. Their call for merchandise and volunteers was met
with support. A contest was held to name the store, and “Options”
was born.

“We believed ‘if you build it, they will come,” she recalls. They
did come and have continued to shop and donate for 25 years.

Milda still has the very first item purchased from Options, a
beautiful Asian-style necklace with a hand-carved medallion.

“We didn’t imagine that it would ever bring in the money that it
has,” she says of those early days. “It is gratifying that the energy
and enthusiasm we had to start Options has continued over the years.”

Milda Vaivada

In 2017-18, Shelter volunteers logged over 21,000 hours of $506,940
service. If monetized, the total would exceed $506,940.

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