One-of-a-kind non-profits make giving fun
Imagine a historic aviation museum and antique automobile collection dating back to the early 1900s. Early aviation models include a replica of Wright’s 1902 glider and 1911Vin Fiz advertising plane. In addition, envision sixty vintage automobiles, side-by-side with gleaming hubcaps and spotless exteriors. Welcome to the Collings Foundation.
Flying back in time
The Stow-based organization houses antique automobiles and notable aircraft in more than 70,000 square feet of indoor space. Collings hosts approximately 20 national events each year, restores planes and automobiles, and sells memorabilia and promotional products.
The Collings Foundation’s specialty mission approach is present in several other very different non-profit organizations across Central Massachusetts. The Growing Places Garden Project, in Harvard, donates vegetable gardens and helps low-income citizens grow their own food. Then there’s Dump and Run, a Brookfield-based program that collects anything from televisions to desk chairs to sell back to students. Another, A Suitable Image in Framingham, provides clothing and accessories for low-income women looking to dress appropriately for jobs and interviews.
"Our purpose is to educate people about their heritage through direct participation," says Hunter Chaney, director of marketing at the Collings Foundation. "Instead of going out to see a museum, we bring a museum to the public. We get to remind people in a much more thoughtful way of [the veterans]."
Collings, founded in 1979, originally focused on transportation-related events, including antique car shows. However, it eventually expanded to host aircraft tours and shows.
Planting a seed of opportunity
When two friends were looking for a way to incorporate their love of gardening with charitable work, the Growing Places Garden Project was born. Katherine Deyst and Cindy Buhner incorporated the organization in late 2001. It prepares garden sites for low-income families and helps maintain them over a two-season period, completely free of charge.
"We try to [plant the sites] at the homes because we feel it’s a whole lot easier to maintain something outside of your back door," Deyst says.
Eligibility for the program is income-based, using 200 percent of the current federal poverty level to determine who qualifies. Most of the people that fall into this category are also eligible for fuel assistance and similar benefits. Over the course of a year, the organization prepares about 25 sites with the assistance of several community volunteers. Last spring, more than 70 volunteers helped build and develop garden sites in 20 towns over seven weeks.
"We wanted to give back to the community in a way that we found meaningful and enjoyable to ourselves," Deyst says.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Dump and Run, launched in 2000, works with colleges and universities to conserve product waste.
"We’re an organization dedicated to reuse," says founder Lisa Heller Boragine. She says the concept is becoming more appreciated, especially by college students, whose cast-off electronics, office supplies, and furniture are just a few of the items collected.
Money raised from each event is often donated to environmental or social groups. The organization takes 5 to 15 percent of the proceeds as compensation for setting up and organizing the event. "We’re very interested in raising money for environmental organizations," Heller Boragine says. "We’re trying to reduce the negative impact of humans on the planet."
The key to an interview: A great outfit
A Suitable Image, established in April 2003, provides free clothing and accessories for women to wear to work.
"Our original mission was to educate low-income women on the importance of appearance in job interviews, and to provide a work-related wardrobe to help them start over," Founder Linda Brooks says. "We have expanded our mission to provide clothing to women who have just begun working but are still in need."
Brooks explains that the non-profit organization provides a three-visit incentive program, which furnishes one outfit for interviews and at least three outfits once a woman gets a job. After six months of continued employment, additional business attire is given. Clothing is also provided to women who must attend court dates or work-related events.
The non-profit organization relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, community organizations, and corporations such as Bose Corp. and Bank of America.
"Working with corporate sponsors gives us greater visibility in the community," Brooks says. "Their financial support is integral to continuing our services."
Nearly 12,800 women were eligible for the organization’s services in 2004, according to the Department of Transitional Assistance. Since 2003, A Suitable Image has met with more than 700.
"I feel extremely gratified to know that we are helping women overcome the last obstacle they might face in getting a job – ‘looking the part’ with self-confidence and assurance," Brooks says.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments