AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Staunton resident Amanda Schrader is working to make a difference in her community, beginning with a purchase from Amazon.

She is the founder of the Skirt Project, which aims to make every woman feel beautiful and confident.

“I had just become a mom, and I have always been a plus size girl, I’d always walk into stores and I’d never actually get to wear the clothes sometimes because they didn’t have my size. When I tried on the yellow skirt, and I felt beautiful, I was like ‘Okay I’m ready, I can do this. I can take on the world,’ and I wanted to connect other women,” said Schrader.

In The Skirt Project, women are given one of the iconic skirts and photographed in it to bring them empowerment, encouragement, and raise money for women’s health and the American Cancer Society.

These sessions went from typical photography sessions to telling women’s stories.

“I’ve been able to not only help them, but be more empathetic, and understand that the world is not perfect," said Schrader. "But if we can at least lend an ear and come together, it can make more sense,” 

Schrader said this project isn’t just about feeling pretty; it’s about finding strength and beauty in yourself.

“The biggest thing is when people message me and say thank you so much for sharing your story, please reach out to the skirt girl and tell her thank you so much, because I wasn’t ready to share this story, but she was and it helped me so much,” she added.

Along with this project, Schrader continues to make efforts to help all women feel beautiful. From her Queen Project, where a woman gets a skirt named after them, to Brunch with Beauties, she wants every woman to feel important, included, and most importantly, confident.

“I hope that everyone just takes that message of 'if you really love yourself, and truly just wake up every morning saying ‘I’m a great person, I love myself, and I love my body’, I’m going to do great things today,'” added Schrader.