Jaden Seaman
Brianna Taveras
St. John's University
Charles Wankel
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STATE Bags was a company started by a husband and wife. They had started a camp for kids in under-privileged areas of New York when they realized that many kids were bringing their things in ripped trash bags. They decided to start STATE Bags which allows kids from lower income families to receive bags filled with school supplies for every bag that is bought on their website. They allow kids to gain a better education with things that they might not have had access to before.
Scot and Jacq Tatelman started STATE Bags in 2009 in Brooklyn as a way to help with the education of children in all of New York. Many students and their families do not have the means to afford backpacks or school supplies for the school year. The Tatelmans were able to come up with a solution for this problem when they started their company with the idea that children are able to receive free bags as well as school supplies when people buy their bags online.
The business started as a way for children to receive the supplies and products they need but has turned into much more. STATE Bags collaborated with such people as Beyonce, Barack Obama and even other big organizations like StarWars. This helped them gain more traction and attention to be able to continue and give back. They were able to donate hundred of thousands of bags very quickly to childdren in need.
As they gained more attention and popularity, they used their platform to spread awareness and education on very serious injustices and issues that are occurring in the world. Some of those include the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ initiatives, mass incarceration, the Flint initiative and much more. As a result, they hope to help that not only children but anyone who comes across their company will learn to pay attention to issues going on today.
The couple was first inspired by Camp Power, the non-profit camp they started for children in under-funded areas of New York. At camp, they noticed that many children would arrive carrying their belongings in trash bags that were not sturdy and ripped apart. This is what inspired them to start STATE Bags. The idea was founded on being able to keep spreading the word about what Camp Power was: helping kids and families in need through stocked backpacks, role models and new fun experiences.
The Tatelmans knew that they could make an even bigger difference for these kids especially since they were also having children of their own and could only imagine what those parents were feeling not being able to get the things their children needed.
For this business, their mission is “to make beautiful, well-made, inclusively cool products while using the power of business to give back and shift narratives around social injustices," they explained.
The short-term effect of the innovation is that children are no longer carrying their belonging in trash bags. The long-term effect of their business innovation is that the Tatelmans got to build a business that gives back to the community. They enjoy selling nice bags for all different kinds of occasions and with the purchase of one bag, a student in need gets a bag with school supplies which supports them in pursuing their education.
Before the pandemic, this company worked out of a small office in Soho. Several years later, they now have 10 employees who work all over the world in places such as California and Paris. The employees and founders of the company treat each other as family and the owners take into consideration that employees have lives and families. They do not have a physical storefront but their bags are available online or at Nordstroms or Bloomingdales.
This company has expanded its ways of giving back to the community. They have such a big impact on the lives of students by taking them on trips to experience things they have never experienced. before. This company has had the opportunity to partner up with other associations to ensure that they can give back to the children and not only use their business for profit.
The Tatelmans also use their platforms to raise awareness for the injustices and issues going on in today's world that may not always be publicized. They are among the few who stepped up and decided to make a difference for hundreds of thousands of children who needed it.
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