PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A business owner in Germantown is helping to give women and their children escaping domestic violence get a new start.
Several years into running her own fashion boutique, Perfectly Flawless, Crystal Jackson founded the Perfectly Flawless Foundation. She holds weekly clothing drives all year long, and she is especially looking to make a difference during the holiday season.
"I strongly believe in: Get rid of the old so you can bring in the new," Jackson says.
She started her foundation because she wanted to help out women, and their children, working to make the most of a second chance.
"They say, 'I didn't have anything. Now, not only do I have stuff, but my kids.' Because they take the kids, too. They pack up and you just leave with nothing."
She says local shelters are filled with women and children escaping domestic violence, and she wanted to fulfill a promise to help make a difference in their lives — especially during the holidays.
"Ever since I started my clothing company, I always said that, if I'm going to be in a community, whatever community I am, I'm going to always give back," Jackson said.
So she collects old and new clothing from customers, neighbors and anyone who wants to help.
"We have pieces hanging up in our closet that we no longer wear, and we have people in the city of Philadelphia that are desperately in need of clothes," she said. "Due to domestic violence, people are being relocated to shelters."
The women also come to Perfectly Flawless for clothes to wear for job interviews and school clothes for children — and they walk away with as much as they can carry from her little shop.
"It feels so good. That’s how I know it’s from God to do this," she said. "In my eyes, it’s big, because overall, look at the impact it’s making."