One of my favorite local non-profits is Growing Hope. I wrote to Amanda Edmonds, their Executive Director, yesterday and asked her for a quick end-of-year appeal that I could reprint here. Linette and I had been thinking about making a last-minute contribution, and it occurred to me that there might be other people out there in the MM.com audience willing to do the same. Following is Amanda’s response:
Growing Hope depends on donations from community members near and far to keep our operations running. We, as many organizations, do a whole lot with a very very little amount of money, but those individual donors are what lets us pay the basic bills necessary to stay afloat. It’s those sort of things that are very hard to find grant and other monies to fund, in part because they are less glamorous sounding (“help us pay for out audit and liability insurance!!” doesn’t sound so sexy). Whether you’re here in Ypsi or Washtenaw County, or someone who believes in healthy food access, urban agriculture, and school gardens from afar, we hope you’ll support us. If you pay by credit card or write that check today, it can still count as a 2007 donation.
Also, there’s this super cool facebook grant competition being funding by the Case Foundation. They’re testing to see how online giving through social networking sites can make a real impact, and between now and February 13 is a competition to see what “cause” on facebook can have the most donors (donating $10 minimum). The top cause will get a $50K grant, the second $25, and third $10K. For Growing Hope, that’s significant money! Also, in every 24 hour period between now and then, the cause with the most donors in that period gets $1000. So if you are already on facebook, or feel inclined to join, join our cause at here, and if you’re cool like that, donate $10 (or more!)… and recruit others to join and do the same. $10 ain’t much, but with 10 other people is $100! You can see a NY Time article about it here.
Our website also has some embedded flickr slideshows– one of a few of our favorite pics of 2007… and another of people around town wearing our hip GH t-shirts that are for sale. And, you can still get our 2008 calendars online and at the Ypsi Co-op and Bombadills….
The last time I wrote about Growing Hope, I got an email from a former Ann Arborite currently traveling in the Netherlands. She was checking up on my site from a coffeeshop, read about Growing Hope, and made a contribution. It was one of those rare times that I felt like this blog was actually worth the time I put into it. At any rate, I’m posting this here today in hopes that someone else out there might have a few dollars to contribute to a very good cause.
Happy New Year.
One Comment
Hi Mark,
I recently joined the board of Growing Hope and found your blog in a Google search. Thank you for promoting Growing Hope. The Center was purchased on December 7 and efforts are now underway to begin to deal with the increased cash flow requirements which the mortgage represents, figure out how to pay for all of the physical improvements the property needs, and still find ways to fund and execute all the existing efforts. Anyone in the Ypsilanti Area interested in donating money or volunteering to help with local garden projects should find out more at their web site.