My Beloved Family and Friends,
Please forgive the mass communication nature of this update, but I am overwhelmed with work and in need of efficiency at the moment!
I am writing this to announce the launch of my exciting new endeavor - renew social ventures
For a long (long) time, I have been working to define a model that would leverage my expertise in finance and corporate strategy while incorporating my love of music, theater and art and at the same time advancing my desire to do Justice in the world - to serve others and fight various forms of oppression. renew is the culmination of those efforts!
renew is a nonprofit collaborative space in the heart of Historic Roswell, Georgia. Our mission is to spark, support and incubate Social Enterprises and Nonprofits that are tackling the societal, ecological, economic and cultural challenges we face today.
We are in essence a Cultural Center (with a much broader understanding of "Culture" than typical). Tim Keller defines "Cultural Activity" as taking the raw materials of Creation and cultivating them - rearranging them to draw out their potentialities - for the flourishing of human community, and this is why renew exists. In addition to collaborative workspace, we will also have an art gallery with rotating exhibitions; seminars, discussions groups and musical performances on our stage; and two church plants using the space to meet on Sundays!
(For examples of collaborative workspace and more discussion of Social Entrepreneurship, take a quick look at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto and CASE at Duke University.)
I am posting this primarily so that you may know what I am up to, but I also (big surprise, eh?) need your help!
Though renew is built on a sound and sustainable business model, we still have (controlled and strategic) up front costs. I have framed the stage and am designing/building (myself) custom desks and conference tables, but we need to purchase the necessary building materials as well all of our seating (chairs and stools do not come cheap - even at IKEA). We also will be using creative solutions like IdeaPaint which represent the most creative and cost effective options and yet are still quite expensive.
We are filing for our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status (which alone requires $900 in fees - even when you are married to a lawyer!), so anything you give should be fully deductible come tax time. We are set up with PayPal for nonprofit donations (you do not need to have or open a PayPal account in order to donate via credit/debit card). There is a link on our website or click DONATE to go directly to our donation page.
ANY amount will make a huge difference...$20...$50...$500...$1,000...however little (seriously) or much you might feel led to share will make all of this possible for me and for the people who will be involved in and served by this project!
1. Pray (for wisdom, guidance....and why not for success while you are at it!)
2. Follow our online presence and spread the word to others
facebook: http://bit.ly/92I8Rf
twitter: http://twitter.com/renewSV
Thank you so much for all that you do and have done to provide me with such an amazing life - you are all an inextricable part of me!
