3 of 5
BACKNEXT
3. Free shoes
Free shoes
Suleika Acosta (at right) with a client at Heels.com's shoe giveaway.

From February through March, Heels.com, a Charlotte, N.C.-based online retailer, set up tables at job centers. There, staff gave away hundreds of professional shoes to job-seeking women in cities including Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C., and Atlanta.

"We surprised women with free, brand-new pairs of shoes to help give them a boost for interviews," says Suleika Acosta, director of Heels.tv. "In our eyes, it was a small gesture that could give these ladies the confidence and encouragement they deserved."

The company's 10-member staff heard encouraging stories on-location: One woman had never owned a pair of new shoes. The giveaway led to gratitude later, too. "We received a few e-mails from women who had found jobs and thanked us for helping them in the process in such a small but important way," Acosta says.

Local television affiliates in Atlanta, Greensboro and Charlotte covered the giveaway. "Coverage aside, the most rewarding part was seeing the looks on these women's faces," Acosta says. "It was also a breath of fresh air to be a part of positive news at a time when so many negative stories were leading the news."

NEXT: Free martial arts classes

Email | Print | Share  |  RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
LAST UPDATE: Nov 06 2009 | 3:45 AM ET
More Galleries
5 startups that are reimagining the world Bricks that grow from microorganisms, household garbage turned into art, three-wheeled bike-cars -- these startups are redefining urban living. More
Blue collar entrepreneurs These five entrepreneurs took their blue collar experience and used it to launch innovative businesses. More
7 lifehacks to eliminate your holiday hassle Whether curating the perfect gift or finding a pet-sitter, these startups offer time-saving services that might just seem like holiday magic. More
Sponsors

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.