Making it in America is all about taking a risk to work toward a better life. And for some people, making it is all about giving back.

We're talking about people like Natalie Thomas. She founded a company called Cultivation Five. It's a t-shirt line that benefits charities.

Natalie graduated from the University of Georgia as a fashion major, and after college she became an ambassador for the Linus Foundation -- a non-profit group that helps children in need. But when Natalie started giving her time, she realized she wanted even more. What she really wanted to do was combine the two things she loved: fashion and charity.

And so she did. Natalie started Cultivation Five as a way to make giving back fashionable.  She partnered with local charities in the Atlanta area and Cultivation Five donates $5 from each shirt sale to those organizations. And the consumer chooses where the money goes!

The slogan behind the company is "Cultivating a trend, five dollars at a time."  Natalie says it isn't just a fashion trend, but a trend in charity work.

Just recently, Cultivation Five teamed up with four other charity lines to raise money for Positive Growth Inc. -- a mental health service agency in Georgia that's dedicated to "improving the lives of children, youth, adults and families during difficult life transitions." In order to raise the money, these groups put on a fashion show in Atlanta, and not only did they meet their fundraising goal, they doubled it!

Besides the $5 donation for each t-shirt sale, here's another fun fact about what the Five in Cultivation Five stands for:

F: Fashion
I: Inspired
V: Volunteerism
E: Entrepreneurship  

Moving forward, Natalie says she plans to design custom t-shirts for individual charities, as well as work with organization to throw events.

When it comes to her quest for better, Natalie says, "I am Making it in America by giving back to the community!  I'm uniting charity with fashion to create not only a fashionable clothing line, but a movement in which everyone can give back.  I love being able to recognize various charities in Atlanta and show people that anyone can get involved with helping others.  I want America to experience the same happiness and success that I've been able to reach by giving back to those in need."

You can keep up with Cultivation Five on twitter @cultivationfive and on facebook.

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