Fruit of the Soul

Posted By Kelly Orange on October 9, 2010

StayClassy and NBC Affiliates Offer More Than $100,000 to CLASSY Award Winners
cast your votes at classyawards.stayclassy.org

StayClassy, the leader in social fundraising for Nonprofits, announced Fruit of the Soul as one of the Top 5 CLASSY Awards Finalists for Most Successful fundraiser by an Individual/Group!

Locally referred to as the Academy Awards® of Philanthropy, the 2nd Annual CLASSY Awards recognizes the top philanthropic achievements in eight (8) cities across the country: Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. From October 9 until October 22, you can visit classyawards.stayclassy.org and vote for Fruit of the Soul to be named a City Winner for Most Successful fundraiser by an Individual/Group.

Each City Winner will represent their hometown and compete in the National voting round from October 23 – November 5 for a chance to win a prestigious CLASSY Award. National Winners will be recognized at the Hollywood-esque CLASSY Awards ceremony in San Diego with a chance to win $10,000 in cash and in-kind donations to their charitable cause.

Read More about who we’re voting for in order of appearance:

CHARITY OF THE YEAR : A Reason To Survive (ARTS)
***ONE OF OUR BENEFICIARIES!

A Reason To Survive (ARTS) has been healing, inspiring, and empowering San Diego’s most youth through the creative arts for almost 10 years. Their three step “Heal, Inspire, Empower” model provides everything from a bedside visit for young cancer patients at Children’s Hospital to helping homeless teens get into college to study the arts and secure a job in the creative industries. In addition to it’s signature outreach program to hospitals and shelters, they run the Pat D’Arrigo ARTS Center, Van GO! a transportation program bringing kids to the ARTS Center and to arts & culture experiences in the community, they employ youth through ARTS Enterprises and last but not least, they create over 12 community public works of art each year with the youth for the communities they live in!! These guys are truly giving kids facing adversity in San Diego A Reason To Survive through the arts!

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: : Julie Darling
***One of our Committee Members!

Julie Darling is involved w/ many areas of need in San Diego. For 5 years she has organized volunteers to cook & serve holiday meals to homeless veterans & other under served in San Diego, also collecting scarves, blankets & sleeping bags to hand out. She is the director of Just Call Us Volunteers an unpaid position. She is the volunteer chef coordinator @ Olivewood Gardens in National City that teaches gardening,healthy nutrition & hands on cooking to under privileged kids. She attended the launch of Chefs Move to Schools in DC. & has been working to bring together all the local facets of Let’s Move under 1 roof with www.letsmovesandiego.org. She has adopted 2 schools in the Chef Move To school program. She chaired Olivewood Garden’s 1st fundraiser, a 2 day event featuring Ann Cooper The Renegade Lunch Lady, raising $20,000. she is working on the Fruit of The Soul fundraiser. Julie also finds time to run two for profit businesses Just Call Us Catering & Just Call Us Kitchen Rental.

MOST SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISER BY AN INDIVIDUAL/GROUP :
Kelly Orange/Niamh Scott ***AKA FRUIT OF THE SOUL!

Fruit of the Soul is celebrating its 5th year of fund-raising for art, music and nutritional education organizations in San Diego. Last year, in one night, we successfully raised $23,000 and donated 100% to A Reason To Survive, the Monarch School, and Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center. Our donation to Olivewood Gardens in 2009 allowed them to build a greenhouse for the children’s garden. Fruit of the Soul is rooted in collaboration. Our success is directly related to the overwhelming support from emerging youth and adult artists, local musicians, vendors, volunteers, sponsors and some of San Diego’s best chefs. In under 10 hours, on event day, with the help of many passionate volunteers, the Specialty Produce warehouse is transformed from a 24/7 working warehouse into an evening venue with fine food, delicious cocktails, amazing art, fun music and a ton of contagious energy! We invite you to “Give Back & Dance It Out!” at Fruit of the Soul.

PHILANTHROPIC BUSINESS OF THE YEAR : Specialty Produce
***OUR GRAND SPONSOR!

Charitable donations of produce and funds have exceeded $100,000 in the past year. We are not only committed to providing local chefs with the best produce available, spotlighting local farmers through our website and Farmers’ Market Bag program, but we also take pride in being able to donate to animal shelters, schools, and benefits for many types of organizations. The list of organizations we’ve worked with is a long one, and includes among others: Fruit of the Soul, Food4Kids, Monarch School, Slow Food Urban San Diego, Project Wildlife, San Diego Humane Society, Helen Woodward Animal Center, Mama’s Kitchen, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Liver Foundation, Morning Glory Brunch, San Diego Nutrition Network, Boys & Girls Club, Chef Celebration, & Chef Showdown. Specialty Produce also coordinates with Feeding America to donate unused produce and recently provided support for the Olivewood Gardens fundraiser featuring Chef Ann Cooper, the renegade lunch lady!

PHILANTHROPIC SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR : Nika
***One of our Sponsors!

Nika Water is a San Diego based, socially conscious brand that is the most eco-friendly on the market, without sacrificing premium quality to do so. There are 300+ restaurants, coffee shops and markets from SD to LA that proudly support our mission by carrying it. Nika Water donates 100% of our profits to clean water and education projects in developing countries to help end poverty. Through the 3 NGOs that we currently work with (Free The Children, Project Concern International in SD, Millennium Promise) we have already committed over $350,000 to water wells, water catchment systems, plumbing, schools and trees in Kenya, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and now Tanzania. Nika Water is also one of the most environmentally friendly bottled waters on the market. By planting trees, we offset our carbon footprint fully leaving no lasting negative impression on our planet. For every 4 cases of Nika sold, a tree is planted that takes in the same amount of CO2 that the production of those 4 cases created. For ever

Honorable mention: PHILANTHROPIC BUSINESS OF THE YEAR : Cupcakes Squared
***One of our restaurant participants! We’re sad you’re in the same category as Specialty Produce!

A Charitable Event to Remember
The 2nd Annual CLASSY Awards competition will culminate at a red-carpet awards ceremony on Sunday, November 7 in Downtown San Diego. It will feature a host of celebrity presenters, chart-topping music talent, nonprofit and technology leaders, and hundreds (if not thousands) of CLASSY Awards supporters. More than $100,000 will be donated to support the charitable efforts of the ten (10) National CLASSY Awards Winners.

About StayClassy.org
StayClassy is a San Diego-based company that provides a revolutionary new Social Fundraising platform offering powerful fundraising and communications tools to nonprofits completely free of charge. StayClassy helps nonprofits leverage the power of social media to raise more money faster, and grow their donor base among an active, engaged community of people dedicated to giving back. The CLASSY Awards is just one way StayClassy supports the philanthropic community.

Category: 2010, A Reason To Survive
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