Graphics, Custom Furniture, Plants, Cars & More benefitting No Longer Bound

When you think of nonprofit fundraisers, you most likely think of events.  What if there was an organization that made roughly 80% of their own support through various industries that they run for themselves?  If you can believe it, I have found an impressive 501(c)3 that does just that!  No Longer Bound is a faith based drug and alcohol program for men ages 18 and up.  They operate 5 different industries where 100% of the proceeds go directly into their program...but wait...there’s more!  They also use their own resources to support people in the community as well as other Non-Profits.

So what are their 5 industries and how can you support them?

Logo created by Dark2Light

Dark2Light - A graphics and printing studio that can do as much or as little as you like when it comes to your promotional needs. Pricing is a fraction of the industry standard cost, and the quality is outstanding.  Take a look at some of their sample work below or on facebook.

D2L can create invitations & Save the Dates

Cars4Recovery - This industry is the one you may already know.  A donor can give their car to the program and receive a tax deduction.  Most of the cars are sold with 100% of the proceeds going to NLB, but a select few are donated to people in need, like single mothers or men who have graduated from the program.

Community Closet - A thrift store where you can donate your items and get a tax deduction.  They sell some of the items through online markets, but most are placed in the store for others to buy.  Look for them in their new location on Dahlonega Hwy in Downtown Cumming opening October 2011.

NLB Greenhouses - Plants abound in 20,000 square feet of greenhouses.  You can place orders in advance or stop by and see what’s available as the seasons change.  Before you make your purchase somewhere else, you might want to check them out.

NLB Woodshop - Specializing in custom pieces, the woodshop will help you meet your design needs for retail or personal use.  Let them know what you want, and they can give you an estimate. 

NLB Conference Table created by the Woodshop

The great thing about each division is that it does even more than just provide much needed funding.  It is also part of the healing process, since each program participant works within the industries during their journey to recovery.

Take a look back at these industries and think about the things you need, so you can save money in a way that gives back to others.  You could also support them through their upcoming fundraiser, I AM, on October 13, 2011.  Ginny Owens will be performing during this evening of celebration, inspiration, emotion, and restoration.

For more info about No Longer Bound and their industries and fundraisers, please visit the following:

No Longer Bound Website

No Longer Bound Facebook Page

Dark2Light Facebook Page

August 2011 NonProfit Event Preview

August is full of thrilling NonProfit events! 

Dan Uggla

If Celebrity events are what motivate you to get out and party, then you won’t want to miss Celebrity kids strutting their stuff on the runway at the WonderLand Kids Fashion Show to benefit the Show Me the Way Foundation or the Celebrity Servers Night at Morton’s Steak house, hosted by Atlanta Brave, Dan Uggla, to benefit his Diamonds in the Rough Foundation.  

Spending time outside is a great way to enjoy these last few months of Summer, so you might want to grab your friends/family and head over to the Barbecue, Blues & Bluegrass Festival supporting the Decatur community, the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival for Grant Park Conservancy, and/or the Atlanta Free to Breathe 5k that is helping the National Lung Cancer Partnerships.

Calling all local Foodies, and I know there are plenty of you!  August is full of culinary delights that will leave your heart and belly full.  Give Me Five will be giving you 10 Chefs, 5 Sommeliers, and all the event proceeds to Share Our Strength in an effort to end childhood hunger.  Cupcakes & Cocktails will be fighting Aids & Cancer, and Culinary Fight Night will be pitting two Atlanta chefs against each other with the winning team’s charity of choice as the beneficiary.  Simple Abundance Cooking Classes with 100% of proceeds benefiting Atlanta's Table, a project of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, will teach you how to make delicious dishes at home.

If a night on the town is what interests you most, then get your pen and calendar ready.  Kate’s Club for grieving youth will be hosting their 8th annual Kate's Club Cabaret, which will make you feel like you are in Paris with their Moulin Rouge theme.  Plus, the Can Can Ball, hosted by the Atlanta Apartment Association, will have you dancing the night away to provide food for the hungry through the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Photo provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank

Turn your good time into goodwill! 

To find out more about these and other Knowtable NonProfit events, click the calendar tab at the top of the page.

Best Dessert Atlanta 2011

Imagine a place where desserts from top pastry chefs were everywhere, and your job was to taste them all and decide which is best. On this excursion, there are live cooking demonstrations, great deals on silent auction items, music, a personal estate that most of us can only dream of owning, & chocolate tutorials. If this “imaginary place” seems too good to be true, I am here to attest that it is not! Each year Adoption Discovery, a non-profit dedicated to helping families navigate the adoption process, hosts this very event, and I have happily attended each one.

An hour before the event begins, those who purchase VIP tickets begin to arrive for the VIP reception where they enjoy a huge array of delicious appetizers* and get the opportunity to mingle with the celebrity judges. This year’s judges included news anchors, a former NBA player, a famous musician, many celebs from the food industry, and a top executive. VIP attendees also participate in live cooking and chocolate demonstrations and get a first look at the many items available at the Silent Auction.

No matter whether you purchase a VIP ticket or general admission, you are greeted by a smiling group of volunteers who are eager to register you and point you in the right direction. Your eyes bounce from room to room as you discover a chocolate sculpture* (this year was an adorable teddy bear), photos of children available for adoption in the state of Georgia, an ice sculpture*, and the beauty that this personal estate offers in each meticulously decorated room. As you step through the French doors into the back lawn, you encounter the estate pool and patio which surpass any 5 star hotel. It is a work of art filled with desserts and an open bar* like you have only dreamed of seeing.
           
The excitement builds as the votes are cast, the Silent auction is ending, and the winner of Best Dessert Atlanta and the People’s Choice awards are soon to be announced. You think this event just can’t get any better until Bridgette Bradley, founder of Adoption Discovery comes to the stage, tells you there are 150 thousand children waiting to be adopted in the U.S. and 160 million worldwide, and that 81 million families consider adopting, but only 1 percent actually follow through. She tells how the Adoption Discovery program delivers unbiased information helping those families not only choose to follow through with the adoption, but navigate the adoption process. Then she tells about the high percentage of families who once they adopt, adopt again and again. You may be like me, not good with numbers, but she makes it very clear that we are looking at an orphan crisis that CAN BE SOLVED. Suddenly, you discover the best part of this event is not the Yuzu Chibouste provided by Bluepointe (Best Dessert Title Winner) or the Sticky Toffee Pudding provided by Fourth & Swift (People’s Choice Award), but the fact that the money you spent to have a wonderful time and enjoy one of your passions is being used to solve a world problem, and has the capacity to do it in your lifetime!
          
As you walk away feeling that dessert overload, lugging that amazing 5 ft. art piece that is going to look great over your living room mantle and the swag bag filled with all kinds of goodies, you feel better than you’ve ever felt before because YOU just made a difference by doing something YOU LOVE...and that is what this blog is all about...being MORE than JUST a socialite!!

To find out more about the Adoption Discovery program, visit www.adoptiondiscovery.org.  Checkout www.bestdessert.org. for more information about Best Dessert Atlanta,  including information about their upcoming event on September 10, 2011.
*VIP reception catered by Soiree, Chocolate Sculpture provided by Callebaut, Ice Sculpture sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka, Alcohol provided by Macs Beer & Wine and Grey Goose Vodka, Photographs provided by Eyebeam Photography and LBG Photography.