Hear from Brooke, Assistant Vice President, Sourcing, Non-Apparel, as she shares her thoughts on the community she's discovered while giving back at Ann Taylor and LOFT.

What inspired you to start volunteering?

I was inspired to start volunteering when I started here 11 years ago. The company gave so many opportunities to get involved with in-office volunteer events, sample sales, and off-sites. I felt like volunteering was part of the culture and its addictive. Once you go to one event, you want to go to another. Once you get involved, you get inspired to think of ways you can contribute.

I am happy to say we launched the accessories sample sale two years ago with all proceeds going to charity. It's a labor of love, but so much fun to organize. We work cross-functionally to save samples all year, set up for the sale, work the sale, and even design fun products to sell like our re-useable sample sale totes for everyone's purchase. It's starting to get competitive, and we know the sales we have to beat for this year!

How do you think volunteering and giving back to the community contributes to the overall success of Ann Taylor and LOFT?

Volunteering is a great way to step out of your day job, get involved in a cause, and connect with other associates that you might not interact with or even know. It puts titles and roles aside and creates a sense of community.