Much as we at DailyCandy love the charmingly useless, the sweetly ephemeral, and the just plain silly, not even we can live on fluff alone. We have to feed our hearts and our heads, too.

When it’s time for us to give back, we rely on charities like Cause for Paws, Network for Good, and the Grand Street Settlement.

When called to really step up, we turn to the Step Up Women’s Network, an organization committed to social change for women and girls. It sponsors community-outreach programs (like Sanctuary for Families, which provides shelter, legal counseling, and job training to survivors of domestic violence) and raises awareness about women’s health issues (through the Breast Examination Center of Harlem, a Memorial Sloan-Kettering affiliate). Its mentoring program pairs women with executives in their fields or with kids who need role models.

Members and volunteers include social workers, students, and conscientious members of the entertainment and media industries (yes, they really do exist). Which may explain why Step Up’s fundraising events include Vanity Fair in Concert, a celebration of Aaliyah featuring Missy Elliott, Tweet, Vanessa Carlton, and others on October 22 at Irving Plaza. (You can preorder tickets at ticketmaster.com.)

What does DailyCandy get out of this? Well, primarily a few parties, some new readers, and, best of all, that glow we get when we know we’ve tipped you off to something not only good but good for you.

For more information, visit stepupwomensnetwork.org.

It’s thrilling, it’s dazzling, and it’s only on DailyCandy. It’s the preview of The Little Friend, Donna Tartt’s new novel. Click here to read.