Lolly Galvin's Dignity Project Advocates for the Homeless

Dignity For All

Lolly Galvin harnesses the power of social media to bring supplies, attention and change to the homeless

May. 26, 2016

UPDATE [3-xi-2020]: Since this story was published information technology came to The Citizen'south attention that Lolly Galvin was fined by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations for several violations surrounding Dignity Projection—including falsely working under the guise of a nonprofit and depositing money from her Get Fund Me campaign into her personal account. Yous can read the instance hither.

Lolly Galvin will talk to anyone—the trash collector, the cab driver, the store clerk, you proper name it. Only until the age of 31, she'd never talked to one grouping of people—the homeless. It wasn't a conscious or intentional human action. Information technology was just…life.

Afterward graduating from LaSalle, the Atlantic Urban center native went on to run a small chain of retail stores. She worked 70 hours a calendar week without time for much else. On any given day, she headed to 1 of her stores, dropping a dollar or ii to a homeless person along the mode. Just she never stopped.

That unexpectedly changed this by January, when a series of events led Galvin to run across Tom, a homeless man who inspired The Dignity Project, Galvin's mission to provide those living on the street with needed supplies—and a chance to tell their stories to the globe. Vi months later, Galvin is on a nationwide Dignity Tour, using the power of social media to raise awareness of not only the issue of homelessness, only the real people who are living it.

"They are extremely intelligent, shockingly so, and interesting," Galvin says, "more interesting than a lot of people I meet who are non homeless."

Galvin's circuitous route to The Dignity Project began in her living room 1 January evening, when she discovered Periscope, a social media platform that allowed users to broadcast alive on the Internet. She held a 10-infinitesimal circulate, simply introducing herself to those who joined, and carried on a casual conversation. Before she knew it, nigh 700 strangers had tuned in.

"For me it's not just the giving, information technology's spending the time and other people seeing me doing it," says Galvin. "That also breaks downwards the barrier because it shows that peradventure it isn't so crazy to talk to these people."

Right away, Galvin recognized the power of the engaging platform—and realized it could be used for skilful. She set up a $500 GoFundme campaign to raise coin to do random acts of kindness for $fifty each, and broadcast them live on Periscope—like a sort of exercise-gooder reality prove. She reached the goal in three days.

As her showtime act of kindness, Galvin decided to focus on an result all too familiar to Philadelphians—homelessness—past taking a homeless man out to lunch. She wandered Eye City, trusting that her intuition would lead her to the person she was meant to assist. She establish Tom near the corner of Wide and Chestnut, seated on the ground, caput down, holding a "Aid" sign and looking defeated. Galvin offered him lunch, and with his permission, broadcasted their conversation from that moment on.

"Information technology was cool because on the app people got to inquire him questions about his life," said Galvin. "He was very open, he was very friendly, and he gave some answers that you and I might not have thought nearly."

After they finished their $10 lunch, Galvin gave Tom the remaining $xl, and moved on to other acts of kindness, like throwing a Valentine'southward Day party at a nursing habitation. But her followers—which between Facebook and Instagram is now well over v,500—continued to ask near Tom. Galvin never saw him over again, only she couldn't end thinking well-nigh him either—or the other homeless people she passed on the sidewalk every mean solar day.

Throughout her random acts of kindness campaign, she made the transition from Periscope to Instagram, where she saw others posting images of themselves serving the homeless paper bag lunches. This inspired Galvin to create what she called "Dignity Bags," which are filled with essential toiletries and seasonally appropriate items like hand warmers, socks and gloves. (She hasn't kept rail of how many bags she's distributed, but her apartment—filled with boxes and bags of toiletries—is an indication of her dedication.) Just every bit importantly, each bag comes with a conversation.

"For me it's not just the giving, it'southward spending the time and other people seeing me doing information technology," says Galvin. "That too breaks downwards the barrier because it shows that mayhap information technology isn't so crazy to talk to these people."

Galvin'southward mission is elementary. Simply its impact has gone way across what even Galvin expected. Her stories on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media have touched people across the country. One of those people, Bobby Dee, was especially moved. A Philadelphia native who relocated home from Massachusetts after a tough divorce 8 years ago, Dee became homeless soon subsequently. At present remarried and living in Texas, Dee donated to Dignity Project from afar, and then flew out in April to assist Galvin distribute numberless.

"In that location are so many people in Philadelphia that aid," Dee says. "By people helping me out it got me back on my feet to where I'm living a pretty good lifestyle. People like Lolly make you want to improve yourself."

A couple months into the projection, some of Galvin's other followers from around the country asked her to bring her Dignity Projection to their cities. So she went dorsum to GoFundMe to raise $ii,000 for a 12-metropolis "Dignity Tour," a figure that, for her, would serve as a sign to motion frontward with the thought. Once over again, she speedily achieved that corporeality, prompting her to increment her fundraising goal to $10,000. Thanks to the help of 227 people, she reached that goal in iii months, and has again exceeded it.

"My followers take helped me shape this into what I do," says Galvin "Their involvement keeps me going."

Galvin'south supporters have fueled the evolution of her project in other ways, too. For example, around the $5,000 mark of the fundraising campaign, some donors advised her to consider becoming a non-turn a profit to manage the amount of money that she was raising. The Nobility Projection became a 501(c)(3) in April. This came correct equally Urban center Council held the outset public hearing on youth homelessness, and just in time for Blofish, the world'due south beginning gender neutral clothing visitor, to detect Galvin'due south project and announce that the not-profit will receive 10% of every purchase this calendar month.

The woman who once lived comfortably and enjoyed working lxx hour weeks, now lives in an flat filled to the brim with donations for the homeless and runs a non-profit that she never planned to start. To say her priorities have shifted is an understatement.

"Information technology'due south inverse me completely," says Galvin. "My mindset has shifted towards a great place of gratitude. I don't permit myself to complain or view things in the fashion I did because of the stories that I hear."

The woman who in one case lived comfortably and enjoyed working lxx hour weeks, at present lives in an flat filled to the brim with donations for the homeless and runs a non-profit that she never planned to start. To say her priorities accept shifted is an understatement.

Galvin's Dignity Tour kicked off May 10th in Philly, and will end with her concluding stop in New York on June 4th. She's currently living out of an Escape Camper Van packed with supplies, and meeting volunteers in each city who help her fill and distribute Nobility Bags. "This has been the craziest thing; every day it is pure, pure piece of work," she says. "I have no idea how this going to pan out."

What Galvin does know is that when she returns dwelling house to Philadelphia, she'southward going to pick up where she left off, only with more education and perspective. She hopes to bring some of the ideas that other cities are using to address homelessness to Philadelphia. And since she started recording her experiences on the tour, she's adult an interest in using picture show to tell the stories of the homeless.

She'll also keep an eye out for Tom, the man whose story first started her on this path—and who she has never seen again. As with and then much on this journey, Galvin is trusting her instinct that says it'll happen one twenty-four hour period.

"Tom had such an effect on me and other people," she says. "It'due south unusual to not encounter someone for so long, and so function of it does worry me. Just I think he's alright, and I'll catch up with him some twenty-four hours."

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/lolly-galvin-the-dignity-project/

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