#2 Need - Educational Presentations

This kit is provided by one of the charter members at her own expense and
is not ready set up for teaching a group of people.

Many of our public outreach events involve demonstrating and giving out printed information about gourds, gourd growing, and gourd crafting. On more than one occasion we have had to choose between a couple requests. Usually we select a school request for a presentation over a gardening club or other public appearance because we cannot be in two or three places at once. This especially happens in late spring and in the fall - two times when the general population is interested in planting gourds or crafting gourds. However, what if we could attend to more than one or two requests at a time?  Especially when the requests are in two or three areas that are at a distance from each other. We can train the volunteers, but we could use several 'kits' ready for them to check out with chapter-approved materials, equipment, and handouts. Right now we use what charter members have, and operate these presentation functions with their generosity.


Our #2 need for the grant is 3 carriers of supplies for a chapter-sponsored presentations - one each for 3 locations at once. Each one would have regularly used equipment for demonstration, informational handouts, gourds to work with, and folding display boards.  Specific breakdown would be as such:

36" Rubbermaid commercial/industrial tool box: 3 x $77 =  $231
Black and Decker drill w/set of bits: 3 x $30 = $90
Set of hole cutter bits: 3 x $9 = $27
Dremel MiniMite drill w/set of bits: 3 x $25 = $75
Black and Decker jigsaw: 3 x $32 = $96
Dremel MiniCraft jigsaw: 3 x $35 = $105
Misc. tools - metal scrubbies, screwdrivers, coping saw blades, locking wrench, wire cutting pliers, needle nose pliers, Xacto knife/blades: 3 x $50 = $150
2-canister respirator: 3 x $28 = $84
Procedure masks w/earloops; pkg of 50: 3 x $8.50 = $25.50
Nitrile Exam Gloves: box of 100 pairs - 3 x $9 = $27
Sandblaster sandpaper - Assortment, value pack: 6 x $6 = $36
Sandblaster sanding sponges/pkg of 3 - 6 x $6.50 =  $39
3M TEKK Protection Splash goggles - 12 x $5 = $60

_______________________

Total  = $1,045.5 (rounded up) $1,050

Broken down, that's $350 per kit.  For that, we would be able to conduct 3 presentations on the same weekend, in 3 far-flung areas of the state.  As stated earlier, in spring and especially in the fall, that would be a terrific opportunity to educate many groups: school classes, gardening groups, festival attendees.  We could do the State Fair, AND the Frontier Museum, AND the Galax Heritage days at the same time!! It would allow us more opportunity to make use of volunteer services throughout the week when some work day jobs and others are free to present at various places.

The Big Three - #1 Festival Venue

The aspects of the grant for operational costs:

1) The first order of business is the venue expenses for hosting our annual festival. We have been putting on our festival for 14 years with the help of kind benefactors and volunteers. Volunteers will always be a driving force of the chapter events, but the bigger we get, the more educational information we want to present, the more expense will be involved with locations and services. This year we made a quantum leap from our previous generous venue benefactor to a fairgrounds in a different county. Very big, very exciting...more expensive, but worthwhile in terms of crowds. Last year we had 246 visitors to our event, but this year we counted 1,563 -- that is the number we could actually click on the clicker as volunteers were taking care of questions at the welcome table! This represents a 535% increase over the previous year!! Clearly the move was great in terms of exposure and getting our educational message to the public. We need some help with further expansion in this venue for next year's 3-day festival:

Building rentals for
     Ruritan bldg/auction + Vendors = (3 x $350) = $1.050
     Vendors (3 x $200) = $600
     Instructors/Classes (3 x $175) = $525
     Gourdpatch and Artisans (3 x $125) = $375
Bathroom cleaning/Maintenance for 3 days = $750
Parking and directional banners, 12 @$15 = $180
Event banners for 4 highway banners, 4'x12'@$120 = $480
3 month 2"x 3" ad, 4-c, Observer $284
Clarke County Fair program ad - $80


Total = $3, 804 rounded up to allow for misc. increases $4,000

Two of the buildings.

We Got a Plan

OK, we got a plan. Narrowing down our needs, and getting past our biggest activity of the year, helped to make clear what we need: help financing the operating expenses to hold the annual show, fund the printed material to promote th annual show, and do educational school visits for youth enrichment and hands-on experience.

...and **Kaching!**  There's a grant seems to fit our needs!  "Applicants for General Operating Support are required to present at least three different programs or services for the public in Virginia each year."  We have 3 needs: 
$ for the physical needs of putting on an annual show - venue rental; 
$ for the educational equipment to visit schools to education students about gourd art;
$ for mailing, printing stationary, posters, postcards, rack cards to promote the annual show
               

YeeHa!  We're dancing for the possibilities!

Aprons, Not This Year....

Well, the apron idea has been a bust and luckily a generous member took the financial hit of purchasing the aprons and dealing with the silk screen company.

First, the QR would not read and upon checking the website where it was built found out it was part of a trial and would not be released unless we paid money -- YIKES!...going in the wrong direction for that bit of do-re-mi!  Then, once the webmaster found we were a nonprofit 501(c)(3), released it as one of their good deeds for nonprofits.  Prime example of the good being a nonprofit can be!!  YAY!

So, now we have a working QR code again and BAM! found out it still will not read with people's scanner because the silk screener re-proportioned it to fit on the apron so the code is not square anymore, but rectangle. Subtle, but just enough to make it unreadable.

Add that to the fact that the white apron was scorched and the ink smeared in the QR code so some squares blended together, and what we have is a bunch of aprons that will become dish towels.

Bummer.

Lots of dish towels!

Scrambling for $

It has been a busy week for the gourd chapter. We are heading toward our fall festival and are reviewing our ancillary items for sale. Of course there is the letterpress limited edition posters that are a draw -- yes, many are stolen off the walls, but the signed ones are popular for collectors (and makes us a bit of change for our outreach programs).

As an additional fundraiser item, we have decided to go with a work apron with our information silk screened on. the bib area. A colorful QR code makes an interesting image and leads a visitor to our website. Right under it is the phrase "We're growin' gourds and makin' stuff."

Printing volunteer...

David Lasko, husband of one of the Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society members, has donated his time and printing resources to the chapter for 13 years. Using his collection of antique typefaces and printing equipment, he has generated the unique look the chapter enjoys -- not polished, kind of old fashioned. Volunteers make a 501(c)(3) happen!

Potential Grant Paths

Foundation Directory Online is a part of the Foundation Center's online searchable database of sources for nonprofit organizations. It is a purchased service that gives information to folks looking for places to request grant money. However, there are free places to do searches and by scaling up and down on the map provided, it became clear there is a library here in town where we can go to get full access to this database!  Yay!