We are THRILLED to be working with this amazing organization Habitat for Humanity of Marion Co. (FL).
We are continuing our journey with Habitat or Humanity as a sponsor and vendor at their annual Strawberry festival. We are excited to be involved in this event! Not only will we be interacting with other local merchants and the community by being a vendor at the event, our sponsorship will assist with the building of the Strawberry House.
We are THRILLED to be partnering with the Humane Society of Marion County during the month of February! Being a dog and cat loving family, we love that the Shelter is a NO KILL SHELTER. They are dedicated to the care and protection of animals in Marion County, Florida. Their mission is to prevent cruelty, suffering, and overpopulation of animals.
They are very active within the community and hold several fundraising events throughout the year. You can also donate almost anything to their thrift store and the profits go directly to caring for animals in need.
Additionally, they provide “Humane Education” videos for new or potential pet owners.
Ready to adopt (or foster) a pet? Check out the cuties waiting for their forever home on their adoption page.
Follow our social media throughout the month as we keep you up to date on the latest news with this awesome organization!
Follow them on IG @humanemarioncounty or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HumaneMarion/
@humanemarioncounty #humanesocietymarioncounty #loveapet #adoptapet #ocalaflorida #ocalabusiness #aboveartistic #veteranownedbusiness #womanownedbusiness #familyownedbusiness
We are excited to continue our partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Marion Co by being a sponsor for the Elvis Eras of a King event in Ocala FL on January 22, 2021! Proceeds from the annual Habitat concert benefit will go towards the construction of a Habitat home to help a homeless family.
During this time of year, there are so many who just need to feel safe. With the holidays and the Coronavirus pandemic, many services have been out of reach for those who are subject to domestic abuse and looking for assistance. Our partners at Alpha Gamma XI Military Sorority is one group who is committed to “providing resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for those who have and have not served” through their Supporting Women and Nurturing Survivors (SWANS) program.
if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
If you want to help make a difference, please reach out to SWANS, and see what you can do to help them help others. DONATE HERE or for more information, check out their website HERE or contact them at swans@alphagammaxi.org
Above artistic is THRILLED to be partnering with Alpha Gamma Xi and their Supporting Women and Nurturing Survivors (SWANS) program during December, spotlighting Domestic Violence awareness and resources available.
The SWANS outreach initiative is “dedicated to serving those women who have dealt with domestic violence and sexual assault. The SWANS outreach program has the sole purpose of creating strength within and rebuilding the “broken” woman; no matter the crisis. A program in which all who seek a place of empathy, safety, and confidentiality can come – knowing that her sister will be there reaching down to uplift her”.
The Sisterhood hopes to make a difference in the lives of veterans and other service members through the bonds of their 5 Pillars of Purpose: Service, Sisterhood, Stewardship, Scholarship and Solidarity.
Want to help? DONATE HERE or for more information, check out their website HERE.
During the month of December, Above Artistic will donate $3 from every item sold on-line (12%-23%) to Alpha Gamma Xi. We are very passionate about this cause and are honored to be partnering with such a great organization!
@AGXiSorority2014 #alphagammaxi @swans_agxi
We chose to raise awareness during this holiday season (although National Domestic Violence Awareness is spotlighted during the month of October), because in addition to the usual stress of the holidays, there is also of the additional stress of COVID-19 related issues. Stress from businesses and schools closing, and the fear of contracting the virus, are leaving many people out of work and financially strained, further increasing the likeliness that domestic abuse will begin, continue, or escalate.
According to a news article from NBC news, the restricted movement related to COVID-19 has resulted in increased isolation and has reduced the ability of the abused person to gain call for help or access resources because the abuser is also in the home. Additionally, shelters, legal services, and mental health resources are not always open or available because of the virus, making it difficult for an abused person to find a place to go for safety or to reach out for assistance.
Research about an increase in domestic violence amid the Coronavirus epidemic also confirms the increased prevalence of domestic violence during the past several months. An article from the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. This article states:
“Isolation may expose or worsen vulnerabilities due to a lack of established social support systems. The temporary shutdown of non-essential businesses has led to unemployed and economic strain [4]. Quarantine conditions are associated with alcohol abuse, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms [5]. Stay-at-home orders may cause a catastrophic milieu for individuals whose lives are plagued by domestic violence (DV).”
So where can one turn to for assistance if they are living in an unsafe, abusive relationship? Here are resources:
Here are some National organizations that work with domestic violence victims.
I challenge you! This year has been a challenge for many of us. I am thankful for the love of my family and friends, that I have remained employed and that I have a roof over my head and food on the table. During this holiday season, you can help those less fortunate by helping a veteran who is homeless by joining me in the CARDBOARD CHALLENGE. Veterans Matter – National Homeless Veterans Housing Program , they are working to stamp out veteran homelessness.
The Cardboard Challenge is simple: use cardboard and any other supplies to create your own unique sign, donate $10, and then challenge two friends to do the same. Here’s mine! Go to veteransmatter.org and click DONATE. I challenge you!
Here’s the latest update from Veterans Matter – National Homeless Veterans Housing Program. It’s not too late to join Veterans Matter for a virtual walk to end veteran homelessness on November 11, 2020. Those who are called to help homeless veterans can register and participate in individual or small group walks.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER TO JOIN THE VIRTUAL WALK. Get involved in the walk and help combat veterans homelessness.
During the Month of November, Above Artistic will be donating $3 of EVERY T-shirt sold to this awesome organization. Check out our Veteran’s Collection!
Above Artistic is EXTREMELY excited to be partnering with @VeteransMatter for the month of November, spotlighting Veterans homelessness. Veterans Matter has placed 4,000 veterans since the organization was first founded in 2012!
The mission is simple, house as many veterans as we can, as fast as we can.
In 2012, Veterans Matter was launched in Toledo to house 35 local veterans and expanded nationally with the support of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, John Mellencamp, and Mitch Albom, who wanted to help house veterans in their home states.
Veterans Matter – National Homeless Veterans Housing Program is a systems-level non-profit organization that works directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and local VA homeless programs to provide rental deposits and the veteran’s portion of the first month’s rent for chronically homeless veterans engaged in the HUD-VASH program. Using evidenced-based best practices, Veterans Matter has now housed over 4,000 veterans and over 1,400 veteran’s children in 25 states.
Want to help? DONATE HERE!
During the month of November, Above Artistic will donate $3 from EVERY T-SHIRT SOLD ONLINE to Veterans Matter. Being a Veteran family, we are very passionate about this cause and are honored to be partnering with such a great organization.
According to Volunteers of America, There are many factors involved in veteran homelessness – shortage of affordable housing, difficulty in finding a job with a livable wage that utilizes their military experience, dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and access to health care.
Stars and Stripes says although the homelessness rate among veterans have been decreasing over the past 10 years, one homeless veteran is one too many. Although The HUD-VASH program has vouchers for veterans to use, many veterans don’t take advantage of them because of the rising cost of housing and housing related expenses in some parts of the country.
This Month, we are shining a spotlight on Veteran Homelessness. Being a Veteran family (Karen was in the Navy Nurse Corp and her father was a Marine), we want to work with organizations to raise awareness of veteran homelessness and provide links to resources and websites that can help.
Here are some charities/non-profits to help homeless veterans.
We are active members of several Facebook Veterans-related groups and here are some of the charities/non-profits and other organizations we found to be good resources:
We are still talking with several organizations and will be announcing the organization we will be partnering with during our November Cause – Veterans Homelessness. Above Artistic is a T-shirt Company with a Cause and we will be donating $3 of every shirt sold online to our partner. Check Back to see who our partner will be!!
Above Artistic Team