| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | The Arc of Allegan County |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $10,000 |
| If your organization received Aware funding in the previous years, how many clients were serviced and/or how many services were provided with those funds. If you receive Aware funding this current year, how many clients will be serviced and/or how many services will be provided with these funds? | 24 employees, their families, and our community |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Mary Beth Ramm - President |
| Your Contact Information | Roger Bird |
| Phone | 2696738841 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | The Arc of Allegan County has been dedicated to advocating for social justice for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs) since its inception in 1957. Arc Allegan advocates for the inclusion and dignity of people with I/DDs throughout Allegan County primarily in 3 ways: Advocacy, Connection Programming, and Employment. |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | The Arc of Allegan County had a vision to start a pet-focused business that employs individuals with a variety of disabilities and support needs in the creation of all-natural dog treats. From that vision, Beyond Bones was born, and we began baking our treats and selling them to our community at the Allegan Farmers Market in July 2021. In July 2022, we opened our brick and mortar store in an Arc-owned building in downtown Allegan, MI. Very few options exist to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) fulfill their dreams of community employment. Until Beyond Bones, very limited services were available in Allegan County to assist someone with a moderate disability to secure paid employment as well as provide individualized support to help them stay employed. Beyond Bones and its retail space provide people with IDD a sense of purpose and pride with this much-needed opportunity for employment by providing quality products for our furry friends and their owners. Beyond Bones is great for our employees, the Allegan County community, and two- and four-legged shoppers alike. The Beyond Bones store is quickly becoming a destination spot for dog lovers, bringing shoppers to the downtown space as well as creating an opportunity for patrons to see the value that individuals with disabilities contribute to our community. The store carries the treats produced by our baking teams as well as a variety of dog products from local, small businesses and some wholesale arrangements to ensure a nice variety of products are available to shoppers. |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | We are only seeking partial funding from West Shore Aware to cover a projected shortfall in income. The full budget for Beyond Bones for this fiscal year is $87,415. We are also seeking funding from the Chatlos Foundation, Royal Neighbors and other private fundraising efforts. If full funding is not realized, the partial funds will be applied to the Beyond Bones budget and the balance will come out of cash reserves of The Arc of Allegan County. Private grants and donations account for less than 20% of the Beyond Bones budget. |
| 4. Summary | The Arc of Allegan County began its Beyond Bones initiative in 2021 to create employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Beyond Bones now employs 24 people in the baking, packaging, and retail sales of our all-natural, healthy dog treats. In 2022, we opened our Beyond Bones storefront in downtown Allegan where we sell our dog treats, along with our 23 retail partners throughout Allegan County. As with any new business venture, Beyond Bones will take some time to become self-supporting. The Small Business Administration highlights that most start-ups are not profitable within their first year, often requiring three years or more to thrive. While we are thrilled to see sales increasing and the addition of several new retail partners offering Beyond Bones products, it may still take another 12-24 months for the business to become self-sustaining. We are hopeful that West Shore Aware will recognize the value of supporting Beyond Bones, investing not just in a business, but in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Allegan County, many of whom are now earning a paycheck for the first time in their lives. Your support can make a life-changing difference for these individuals by helping Beyond Bones to continue its work. |
| Application Agreement | This is an application, otherwise known as a Request for Funding (RFF), from
West Shore Aware. This RFF is a request from your organization to Aware, for Aware to host a
Fundraising Event for your organization. By completing this RFF, your organization is requesting to be considered by Aware’s membership for an Aware fundraising event to be held during the summer of this year, also known as the White Party.
If your organization is chosen for a fundraising event by the Aware membership, your organization will agree to the following terms and conditions for the said fundraising event. 1. Aware will be given and provided full credit for the fundraising event in all of you organization’s publicity and advertising for said event, to include but not limited to event posters, newspaper advertising, handouts, radio and television advertising for the event, and organizational announcements concerning the event. 2. Your organization will only use the funds raised by Aware from said event for the purpose described in the RFF submitted to Aware. 3. Your organization understands that West Shore Aware is a philanthropic organization of LBGTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and that the funds your organization receives from Aware will be coming from the West Michigan lakeshore community. 4. The funds received from Aware as a result of the fundraising event will be net, after expenses for said fundraising event are paid. 5. Aware may use the name of your organization in its own advertising and publicity as a recipient of funds.. 6. Your organization will supply Aware with written approval to hold, or be part of a fundraising event held by Aware. 7. West Shore Aware reserves the right to audit any organization that receives funding to determine whether the funds were used as described in its RFF. 8. Your organization will allow West Shore Aware to use you organization’s name on the West Shore Aware website. In addition, if your organization has a website, you will link that website to the West Shore Aware website and allow West Shore Aware to link to your organization’s site. West Shore Aware’s web site link must remain on your web site for a full year from the date of the monetary disbursement. Failure to do so will disqualify you from requesting future funding. Once you have completed the RFF and agreed to the aforementioned, please submit it. Please sign this document below, indicating acceptance of the aforementioned terms and conditions. By signing the document, you acknowledge your organization is a registered 501(C) 3 Charitable organization. |
| Signature | |
| Date | 03/27/2024 |
| Ready to Submit |
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