Young Professionals of Oxford and Holding Hands Resale Shop will hold a screening of the Ole Miss vs.Vanderbilt game this Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and sold at the door an hour before kick-off. The money is going to benefit Holding Hands Resale Shop, a thrift shop that employs people with special needs.
“Each employee is provided specialized training matched to their unique abilities assuring a high level of success and accomplishment,” describes their website.
The goal of Holding Hands Resale Shop is to provide their employees with a sense of independence through a job in which their working environment is comfortable and suitable for their individual needs. Saturday’s event is a fundraiser for Holding Hands and is supporting their goal of helping their employees find success and work here in Oxford.
“The people who work here are doing well,” Donna Howard said. “I love it. We stay busy all year because prices are so low, and the Oxford Community has been so good to us. Come see us. We’re the place to be.”
She has every reason to be proud about Holding Hands. Howard started the business herself as a way to help her daughter, who has chronic paranoid schizophrenia and needed a better working environment. Howard was inspired after meeting a man who opened up a thrift store to support his autistic daughter. Since then, it has become Howard’s goal to bring jobs to disabled persons and to help them become a part of the Oxford community.
“We have six employees now, and they are doing great. They need a safe place to work where they are understood and are appreciated for what they can do. I can give them that place,” Howard said.
Holding Hands was chosen by the Young Professionals of Oxford to be the charity supported by this year’s “Our Team, Our Town” event. Part of the money raised this weekend will go towards buying a moving truck for Holding Hands.
Donna Howard’s dedication to her daughter and people with the same abilities and disabilities is an example of the kind of integrity and great stewardship that Oxford as a community has to offer.
The Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt will be on the biggest screen in town with a cash bar and free food from local restaurants as an added bonus to the contributions made by buying a ticket and hanging out at the Lyric for the afternoon. There will also be a silent auction benefitting Holding Hands Resale Shop.
Holding Hands is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
-Audrey Hall
