From the desk of Adriana Ryding, Waxxer and Coordinator of the Urban Waxx Philanthropic Task Force

Hi,

If you have visited Urban Waxx in the past two months, you know we’ve been selling raffle tickets like crazy, hoping to reach our fundraising goal of $6,000. We had planned on dividing the total donations between our two wonderful charities – charity:water and The Bradley Angle House for Women and Children.

I am delighted to announce that the raffle has concluded and we blew past this year’s goal, raising a total of $8,445.00.

I would like to give an enormous, heart-felt thank you to each of you who participated in any way to make this possible!

This raffle has made it clear to us, once again, that everyone, whether you are a business owner who donated an item, or a guest who bought a raffle ticket, that when a small but caring community like ours joins together we can truly change the world for the better. Urban Waxx is fortunate, and grateful, to be part of such a community.

Because of the generosity of our friends and guests, we now have $8,445.00 to donate to our chosen organizations. I would like to explain how we have decided to split the money, why we decided this, and how the money will be used.

The obvious way to split the money would have been 50/50. Each organization would have received $4,222.

We decided to go another route:
The cost to dig and maintain a fresh water well in a developing country, right now, is $6,000. Urban Waxx could have been a major contributor by donating $4,222. However, after a little spirited debate and lots of back and forth, we decided to fund an entire $6,000 well project.

Over the next 18 months, charity:water will work with their partners in the selected country to find the best location, and build an entirely Urban Waxx Community funded well!

The charity:water team works meticulously to ensure that every dollar is accounted for and then provides reports back to us, their donors, by proving where every dollar goes with photos and GPS coordinates of the Urban Waxx Fresh Water Well.

The team selects water point locations based on geography and assessments of need. They also consider the potential for building strong relationships with local stakeholders, risk of overlap with the work of other organizations and availability of spare parts and repair services. Additionally, the willing- ness of the community to participate is essential, as strong programs require buy-in and participation to sustain water points over time.

Over the next 18 months I will be sharing with you the progress of the well project. I believe, but am not positive, that our well will be in India. I will report to you as soon as I know!

That leaves $2065.00 to be donated to the wonderful Bradley Angle House here in Portland who, since 1975, has been offering domestic violence survivors options for safety, empowerment, healing and hope.

The Philanthropic team will also focus on local efforts for The Bradley Angle House throughout the year. Our team will help with other fundraising efforts, necessities drives, and hands-on projects.

Our $2,065 donation to Bradley Angle can fund emergency shelter, food, clothing, educational support, support groups, and advocacy for a survivor of domestic violence for 30 days.

This shelter is a lifeline for the survivors who come through the door: 76 percent of the households served last year left for a safe, verifiable housing situation after their stay at Bradley Angle.

The list of services at The Bradley Angle House is seemingly endless: Emergency shelter, LGBTQ services, a 24 hour crisis line, transitional services, economic empowerment education, and the Healing Roots Program which provides culturally specific services for African, African- American, and immigrant women and their children.

Urban Waxx is delighted to have the opportunity to continue to support, in different ways, the fabulous people at Bradley Angle!

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the 2013 Urban Waxx Anniversary Raffle. It was a giant success and it was due to each of you!

If you would like more information on either of the charities or information on how you can get involved, please email me at adriana@urbanwaxx.com

Adriana