Dear friends,
I am writing to stay connected to all of you and to share with you what I’ve been thinking about and working on. My goal is to engage, educate, and inspire you in some way. I hope all of you have been able to enjoy these months at home with your families. I have been enjoying the time with my children in our home, and have loved working outside in our garden, exercising regularly, cooking super healthy meals, and reading books. I can’t remember the last time I felt that I could sit down and read, much less finish a book. My favorite quarantine books have been Educated, Where the Crawdads Sing, and Untamed. All are stories about strong independent, brave, and smart women. They have inspired me to be the best I can be.
I have been challenged by the fact that our industry, the special event industry, has come to a screeching halt. All but one of my events for 2020 have been postponed to 2021. I continue to stay connected to my friends in the industry, trying to keep abreast of the changing rules and regulations and working to plan for the new normal in entertaining. While it has been wonderful to have spare time to indulge in my other passions, my mind and body are used to focusing on and planning for the future, mostly my clients’ events.
In order to keep myself active and involved in the community, I’ve chosen to spend more time getting involved with some of the nonprofit organizations I’ve supported over the years. Each one of these organizations has had to cancel and postpone their fundraisers planned for 2020, so they need our help even more right now.
Scroll down for a few nonprofits we are passionate about supporting and please consider ways you can contribute to their mission and success.
All the best,
Kathy
Greener Partners
Grow. Cook. Eat. Inspire.
This mission is near and dear to my heart. Greener Partners is dedicated to getting healthy food to underserved communities. They collaborate with schools, hospitals, and other community organizations to strengthen access to local, seasonal ingredients and to provide education on growing and preparing healthy meals.
In lieu of our annual fundraiser, which has sold out every year, I’ve been collaborating with the GP office and our event committee to come up with an alternative way to raise awareness about the GP mission and to help raise money to support their actions.
The concept we came up with is: GP in a Box. One box contains a Greener Partners Cook Book, gardening tools, kitchen utensils, links to gardening and cooking tutorials, and more! You can purchase (or gift!) a box via the brand new, updated Greener Partners website. GP in a Box provides important fundraising for GP, as well as gives members of the community access to educational seminars regarding the food they grow, purchase, and consume.
For more information about Greener Partners, follow them on Instagram. To support this cause, click here.
Rushton Conservation Center
Conserve. Explore. Restore.
My husband, Rick, and I have been very fortunate to raise our family in Willistown Township. We are dedicated to helping preserve open space and the wildlife that we share the land with, and we love living in a community that shares those values. To reflect this, my husband is on the board of Willistown Conservation Trust and I am on the development committee for the Rushton Conservation Center. Our mission is to preserve the land and nature of the Willistown area and its local communities.
The Community Farm Program and Rushton Farm were started in 2007 as a way to engage the community in the Trust’s efforts to protect land and promote sustainable agriculture on conserved land. In addition, WCT owns and operates three local preserves一Okehocking, Kirkwood, and Ashbride一that have been actively used over the last few months.
In lieu of the many events that were on the calendar at RCC, they have embraced a virtual platform. We have been able to utilize Zoom and social media live feeds to host virtual events such as Learn about the Birds of Willistown, Behind the Scenes on the farm at Rushton Farm, and the watershed program. Best of all, these programs are free to view!
Featuring a brand new event for 2020!
Take a quiet adventure and support open space by participating in our first annual Cruise for Conservation. Due to safety restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be a virtual and unsupported bike race held from July 13 – July 26. Riders will have the opportunity to track times and submit them anytime during the open race period
For more information about Willistown Conservation Trust and Rushton Conservation Center, follow them on Instagram. To support this cause, click here.
LandArt Events
Engage. Create. Educate.
I encourage you to explore the mission of LandArt Events. They partner with organizations, like the Willistown Conservation Trust, to promote conservation and the arts by raising awareness and educating communities on land use, conservation, and the agricultural community. The 75 artists who are part of LandArt use the environment as inspiration and are supported via opportunities to display exhibitions and promote sales of their local works. LandArt brings arts and education together to engage painters, partners, and the public in an effort to foster environmental stewardship.
In a new partnership, the LandArt Events program selected Willistown Conservation Trust as their primary beneficiary and their artists have been going out onto the land in Willistown for the Pop Up Plein Air StakeOut. The artists’ stunning paintings can be seen here.
For more information about LandArt Events, follow them on Instagram. To support this cause, click here.
SpeakUp!
Communicate. Connect. Listen.
The SpeakUp! mission is to “create a culture of communication in our homes and schools where it’s ok to talk about difficult topics.” SpeakUp! is a youth-driven program that partners with local schools to encourage teens to talk openly, honestly, and without judgment with the adults in their lives. Through the program, teens are empowered to reach out for guidance and support and are taught effective strategies and techniques to communicate with their family members about difficult topics, such as stress, social media, mental health, drugs and alcohol, and relationships. In events, students, educators, and parents are brought together to engage in critical and open conversations about tough topics in a small group facilitated environment.
I first learned about SpeakUp! when my kids were at the Episcopal Academy and they participated in a SpeakUp! event at school. It was a very powerful experience for me and my children and I have since supported the cause by helping to coordinate and produce their annual fundraiser. The KPW team has helped to plan several SpeakUp! fundraising galas in the past and we look forward to continuing this meaningful collaboration in efforts to support their important mission.
For more information about SpeakUp!, follow them on Instagram. To support this cause, click here.
Steppingstone Scholars
Study. Support. Step Up.
Steppingstone Scholars provides enrichment programs for students and their families by facilitating quality education and college-prep that helps bridge the gap to college and career success for low-income and minority students in the Philadelphia area. The rigorous programs focus on supporting talented students ages 10-24 to guide them through middle school, high school, and college. With an incredible success rate, 95% of Steppingstone Scholars graduate high school, compared to the city school graduation rate of 64%, and 90% of Scholars go on to attend college.
KPW Productions believes in the importance of this mission and has helped plan and produce the annual Steppingstone gala for years. I look forward to the next fundraising opportunity we can organize together and strive to continue supporting their endeavor to provide academic success and opportunities for underserved students.
For more information about Steppingstone Scholars, follow them on Instagram. To support this cause, click here.
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