Christmas time in the year 2000 I was driving around with a trunk full of excess miscellaneous Avon products . I had been with Avon for 6 years and returned products only if they were damaged . At that time I was servicing 1 customer at University Oaks Retirement Community. As a means to help the Seniors shop for Christmas and possibly sell some of the excess products I approached the Activities director about a 1 time Christmas event .
To my surprise I was able to sell a good bit of my excess products in just a 4 hour period and the residents were so happy to shop. I made new friends. It went well. A few weeks later the activities director invited me back again for a Valentine’s event. Then St Patrick’s day, then Easter, then Mothers Day. Then she asked me to come once a month . That turned in to twice a month..She left that Retirement community as the activities director and went down the road to Atria Senior Living retirement home to be an activity director there. She invited me to come there too.
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I was working a full time job, building an Avon team and now I had every Saturday at a retirement home . I was busy but I absolutely LOVED my Senior Citizen friends. I was providing a service. They could shop Avon’s very affordable products for themselves and their families and chat with me. They would share incredible stories about their lives and families . I was building relationships . Sadly many have died over the years. My time there was not about the money but I still had run a business . I used my profit from my customer orders outside of the retirement homes to purchase inventory. I would see my complete profit when I sold the inventory . The profit was not always right away . If I did not sell at least the cost of the inventory I may not see my earnings until the next time. This had risks but it became not as important as spending time with my elderly buddies . A team member came to visit one day. It was a slower morning. I asked her was I crazy for doing this . Her answer hit home. She said “this is your ministry . This is how you give of yourself to others. ” (Thank you Phyllis Mixon! )
Fast forward a few years and I approached a third retirement community – Somerby. They were looking for an Avon Representative . . Imagine that. She immediately put me on the schedule .
In 2015 my Arthritis had spread from one hip to the other and I had to make some changes. The set up was alot. Especially with the level 6-8 pain I was dealing with on a daily basis.. My sweet husband Louis helped me pack and unpack at each location. But it was getting harder and harder to do this.
I approached the Activities director at Atria Senior Living, Ladawn Moore about starting a club for the seniors. This would be a product tester club. Once a month we meet and play with Avon products. Each class they had a theme product to try. This became the Sophisticated Seniors Sampling club. In 1 hour we would talk about a product, sample it, demonstrate its use, share opinions, have a few drawings and let them shop. These events did not have an elaborate set up. This helped break up the constant packing and unpacking of products. Little did I know I would have a hip replacement surgery later on that year and another 3 months later. .
That year I also earned a set of black mirrored display boxes from an Avon incentive. These boxes create a beautiful table display . Avon also introduced felt wrapped black jewelry displays . Before that the jewelry was in the boxes laying flat on the table and I created height with Avon boxes . I had different color swatches of fabrics that I covered the boxes with. Today’s table set ups evolved from nothing. In fact when I started setting up I used the retirement homes table and a white tablecloth. Everything else came in time. Today’s technology you can live feed right from the events . What a world we live in.
December 2016 will be the 16 year anniversary of these events. Time has gone by so fast. I’m grateful to have had the time and opportunity to learn so much from so many people and in turn help them look good, feel good and have a friendly chat.
This is just one of the hearts of my Avon Ministry
From the HEART
Interested in table events at retirement community or anywhere else??
