Flagler Enactus helps local youths tell their story through soap

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Soapy Tails product

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (05/16/2013)(readMedia)-- Eight young men from St. Augustine Youth Services are getting to tell their story through an unusual medium: all-natural, hand made, biodegradable soap.

Together with Flagler College Enactus, the boys have started Soapy Tales, a company that produces the soap that doesn't just get you clean but also gives you an insight into its creator, with their story imprinted on the tag.

According to Enactus, a student organization that focuses on creating projects in our community to empower people socially, economically and environmentally in a sustainable way, the idea behind the soap business was to give these young men a fresh start and help them get skills necessary to succeed in the real world when they leave foster care at 18.

"When we first came in to mentor, these boys didn't have the confidence to talk to strangers, they were shy and reserved and felt uncomfortable around large groups of people," said Estefania Mones, co-president of Flagler Enactus. "Through this business, they learned product development, marketing, sales, distribution and budgeting, but most importantly, they learned leadership, teamwork, accountability, responsibility and communication."

Schuyler Siefker, the executive director of Saint Augustine Youth Services, a nonprofit organization that shelters abused or neglected young men ages 6-18, says Soapy Tales has changed these boys' lives and given them the opportunity for a bright future.

"Soapy Tails has been an amazing experience for the boys at SAYS. To develop and learn the ins and outs of starting a business while making it sustainable has been a life changing experience for them," said Siefker. "This project has exceeded all of our expectations and we are completely in awe of the work the Enactus organization has accomplished with our boys."

To date, Soapy Tales has made profits of over $3,500 and their products are sold in 15 stores throughout St. Augustine including the Amiro Art Gallery, Rochelle's, Flagler's Legacy, Sphere, Red Pineapple, Vintage Clothing Co, St. Augustine Tobacco Co and the Flagler College Bookstore. Soaps can also be purchased every first Friday at art walk, with tables set up in front of Metalartz and another at the Starving Artist.

To order soaps or find out more information about Soapy Tales you can call 561-306-4729, email soapytales@hotmail.com or visit soapytales.miiduu.com.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $23,690, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.