Name: Jené Luciani
What is your job? National TV Style
correspondent, personality, bestselling author, contributor.
What social causes are most important to you? Anything that promotes self-esteem in young women and girls,
cancer organizations, and as a mom, anything at all involving children!!
What charities do you support – and how? I’m on the board of directors for Operation Prom (a great
organization to help disadvantaged girls get a great dress for the prom!) and
the annual fundraiser for Seton Pediatric Group’s John A. Coleman School forDisabled Children (which I also host).
I also host the fundraisers every
year for Go Pink NY (a breast cancer charity started by two New York teens) and
the St. John’s Riverside Cancer Hospital, and am volunteering to do crafts with
the children at Rusk Hospital in NYC through the Intimate Apparel Square
Club.
Aside from that, I donate to a dozen
charities a year, either my services and/or a signed copy of my book for silent
auctions, or monetary donations, for everything from the Humane Society to the
Campaign for the Westchester Children’s Museum and the Veterans of America.
I hosted my book launch party to
benefit a local breast cancer charity here in NYC and I’m on the committee for
The American Cancer Society's Evening of Hope.
Basically, I never say no!! I stay very active in charity work, despite
my busy schedule, because I feel above all else it’s so important to give back.
Do you have a passion for one in particular, is
there a personal tie? Through writing my bestselling book The Bra Book, and
including a chapter for women who have gone through a mastectomy, I have had
women come up to me and thank me for trying to help them through such a
challenging time in their lives. I never got to meet my grandmother because of
breast cancer and my mother-in-law has battled the disease so it’s touched my
life in so many ways, and the lives of many of my loved ones.
Also, having been born with a breast
deformity and so many self-esteem issues as a teen related to that, I will do
anything to help young women and girls feel better about the skin they are in,
or simply look and feel great, no matter their circumstances. That’s why I like contributing to causes like
Operation Prom.
Finally, I am very active in
children’s causes such as the John A. Coleman School simply because I believe
it’s a great cause. I was involved before I ever even became a Mom, but now, it
hits home even more.
I also believe in being active in
anything that affects the community you live in. Think globally, act locally. Everyone can do
their part, even the busiest people!!
Is there a particular way you would want to encourage
readers to be involved? Without coming off as preachy,
I just can’t stress enough how important it is to take time out of your busy
schedule to give back. Even if you choose a charity or cause out of the phone
book! When I first got involved with the John A. Coleman School for disabled
children, I literally came across their fundraiser on a listings page in the
magazine I was writing for, and realized the school was practically in my backyard.
I called up the fundraising chair Kirstin McArthur, offered up my services, and
she was grateful for the extra help. I’ve now been involved for the last 4
years. Also, every little bit counts. If you can only afford an hour a year, or
$100 a year towards a cause, at least it’s something!
I also suggest thinking of your
skill-set and how you could help in that way. I’m not exactly the handiest of
people so I wouldn’t necessarily think to call up Habitat for Humanity and
offer to pitch in and build a home. However, I would offer to do marketing for
them through my networks, help them organize a fundraiser, or MC an event,
because those are skills I can offer and ways I can be of use.
How would you define social responsibility?
Social responsibility is every man
and woman’s responsibility to themselves, their families, and others around
them – including strangers! We are all put on this Earth to do our part and to
give back to our communities in some way, shape or form. Where would we be without the help and
selfless acts of others?
I have a band around my ankle, an
amazing floral design on my stomach, a pink rose and my daughter’s name in pink
on inside of my wrist, and a butterfly on my back (symbolizing my graduation
from college when it was time for me to ‘fly.’) My tummy and wrist were done by
the most amazing artist in NYC by the name of Adal Hernandez at Majestic Tattoo.
Oh my goodness! Seeing these beautiful, delicate photos makes me want to get married! I can't wait to see more!!!
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