Cultivating Local Kindness with We Olive Pasadena

Kind Business #17

Nice Work! When entering We Olive Pasadena, customers are greeted by the welcoming smiles of We Olive staff and the intoxicating aromas of locally sourced olive oil, vinaigrettes and wines. Owner Ervin Galvan is extremely passionate about the company’s quality products and providing local residents with healthy and delicious foods. But these products are not the only thing Galvan is passionate about; he is also dedicated to supporting the flourishing community around him. The company is constantly working to engage the residents of Pasadena and doing what they can to provide support. To Galvan, doing well and going good go hand in hand.

Galvan expresses in the “Our Neighborhood” blog that “Pasadena is an excellent home for We Olive because our values directly reflect what this city is all about. We focus on being involved in the community, providing a comfortable and educational atmosphere for shoppers, and an experience that is unique and exciting.” We Olive of Pasadena translates this community passion into initiatives that strengthen the city as a whole. One such event is We Olive’s Sunday Yoga and Mimosas. This initiative, put on in partnership with Lili yoga, donates proceeds once a month to homeless children in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). This program supports 13,000 homeless students in in the LA area and works to maximize access to educational, social and enrichment programs for students.

The company also works to support organizations doing good work in Pasadena. Galvan has made it his mission to support those most in need of kindness. He frequently donates goods to local organizations including the Pasadena Humane Society, Outward Bound Adventures, and Friends in Deed which provides supportive services to homeless and at-risk Pasadena residents. Galvan is always on the lookout for new opportunities to get involved in the community.

Though Pasadena is their focus, the company also gets involved in national disaster relief causes outside of the community. We Olive Pasadena contributed to the Louisiana Flood relief efforts last year. They held an incredibly successful Mardi-Gras event in 2016 to aid those heavily impacted by the flooding in that region.  Most recently, Galvan held a fundraiser weekend in response to the growers who were affected by the devastating fires in Northern California.

Businesses like We Olive Pasadena are leading examples of Capitalism with a Conscious. Be it large initiatives responding to natural disasters or involvement with local nonprofits such as Actors for Autism, We Olive Pasadena is an agent of positive change.

If you or those you love are in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area, stop on by and experience the kindness of We Olive first hand. Not in Southern California? Cultivate kindness within your communities and nominate other Kind Businesses supporting local development!

Kind Cotton: Inspiring Fashion that Gives

#NiceWork! In Sarasota Florida, a kind teacher is on a mission to promote both child literacy and good fashion. Kaitlin Lambert, teacher Alta Vista Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, is working to provide books for children who need them the most.  In order to fund her operations, she’s utilizing her fashion sense to sell inspiring t-shirts online. Together, her business is called Kind Cotton.

Kaitlin has always made it her mission to help individual students grow as readers. “There is nothing in the world that compares to watching 18 kids’ eyes light up with curiosity as the pages of a book turn.” she explains in Kind Cotton’s blog. Still, though many of her students enjoy reading at school, they haven’t always been able to read at home. At Alta Vista Elementary, 97% of students fall below the poverty line. According to the Children’s Literacy Foundation, 61% of low-income families do not have any age appropriate books in the home. “Parents [in poverty] are stretched to work three jobs simply to ensure their kids have a place to live and a meal to eat,” Kaitlin explained to Envision Kindness.

A 20-year international study found that access to books in the home is a huge indicator of academic success. In fact, books play an even larger role in predicting future academic success than parent education level. So, Kaitlin started buying books for students on holidays or special occasions. She would even give books to students when they showed a particular interest in a book in her classroom. But Kaitlin wanted to do more. The 2010 U.S. census found that about 1 in every 5 children in the United States are living in poverty. So, funded by an Indiegogo campaign, Kaitlin founded Kind Cotton. The company uses a 1-to-1 model; for every item purchased on the Kind Cotton website, a book will be donated to a child in need.

Kind Cotton cares about making lasting impact on children’s lives. Kaitlin and the team want to make sure that the books they give stay in the households that need them most. In order to address this need, Kind Cotton has recently partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Newtown Estates Park. Every month (starting this November), Kaitlin will spend time reading with Kindergarten and First Grade students. Each month will focus on a new book. At the end of every event, each child will get to go home with a copy of the book. Kaitlin purchases the books from Scholastic for a great discount. In the future, Kaitlin hopes that Kind Cotton will be able to broaden its reach by working with other groups such as the Sarasota Housing Authority. Kind Cotton is also working on developing parent information nights to help parents support their children become successful readers.

The young company is even getting involved in the community in other ways. Kind Cotton has already given $400 to Irma relief efforts at Lake Trafford Elementary School.

Inspired by Kaitlin and Kind Cotton’s work? Support child literacy and check out their online store. Your life and experiences are unique and valuable. Leverage your skills to help those in need around you.  

Kind Business Number: 14

Store Rooms Self Storage Is a Platform for Kindness

#NiceWork! When confronted with the devastation of hurricane Maria, Store Rooms Self Storage in Marlborough, MA served as a venue of kindness for those most in need. Locally owned since 1996, Store Rooms Self Storage values service in and out of the community.  

Suffering from the destructive path of hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is left in critical condition. As a response, charitable organizations throughout the world are dedicating their time to relief efforts to fulfill the basic needs of those impacted in the country. One nonprofit organization answering this call is SMILE mass, whose primary mission is to work with surrounding recreational facilities to make day trips and vacations accessible to families with disabled members. Through their work, SMILE mass is providing happy and healthy memories to families living with children or adults with disabilities.

Called to action, SMILE mass and Store Rooms Self Storage partnered with one another to hold a food and water drive in efforts to aid those most in need of kindness within Puerto Rico. When asked what inspired the business to take action along with SMILE mass, Sarah, a representative of Store Rooms Self-Storage, explained to Envision Kindness that it was necessary to take action and assist in any way they could, in order to further contribute to the relief efforts for Puerto Rico.

Donating boxes, tape, plastic bags and their property, Store Rooms Self Storage served as the platform for the massive impact made by SMILE mass. Through several donations, the drive for Puerto Rico resulted in over 120 large wooden pallets being stacked with food and water for the country.  Working with Homeland Security and Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, the donations from the event will be sent to those most in need in Puerto Rico. Aside from this most recent effort, Store Rooms Self Storage has held numerous charitable events over the years, including drives to support Toys 4 Tots and their One Warm Coat. Store Rooms Self Storage provides kindness to those most in need. The business is quick to take action positively impacting the world around them.

To learn more about Store Rooms Self Storage and SMILE mass visit their websites: https://storeroomsselfstorage.com ; http://www.smilemass.org. Use your life as a platform for compassion and bring about positive change to those most in need of kindness.

Wasserhund Brewing Co. Brings the Community Together through Good Beer and Great Causes

#NiceWork! After taking a trip to Germany, the owners of Wasserhund Brewing Co. turned their passion for good times, great people, and German beer culture into an opportunity to serve the community in Virginia Beach.

Before opening Wasserhund, owners Aaron and Christine Holley spent five years in Northern Virginia where Aaron was on active duty in the US Navy and Christine was an engineer in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Now, Aaron and Christine are all about serving their hometown. “My husband and I opened our business back in the community that we both went to high school in. We knew that we wanted to raise our family here and build our business. Being good stewards of the community is important to how we live our life,” Christine explained to Envision Kindness. The couple has turned their passion for bringing people together into their life’s purpose.

Wasserhund Brewing Company is committed to making the Virginia Beach community stronger, closer, and better supported. One of their primary avenues of support comes in their financial donations. The brewery donates 5% of each month’s revenue to a cause chosen by a customer. August’s cause of the month was dedicated to the ALS Association whose works to “discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest.” As of September 2017, Wasserhund has contributed $76,197 since its opening to a wide variety of locally impacting charities.

Alongside their financial contributions, Wasserhund Brewing Co. donates time and resources to events centered around charitable and community organizations. A portion of proceeds from these events also go to support the groups. One such event, the Beer, Dogs, and Veterans festival, benefited the nonprofit Dogs on Deployment in its efforts to care for the pets of those who have been deployed. The brewery has also supported groups like Lady’s Grace, a nonprofit dedicated to helping military families, by hosting the Hampton Roads BBQ Wars and VB Jaycees, a group that provides development opportunities to young people, by hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day event.

If you are in the Virginia Beach area and want to support the cause of the month and have a taste of German beer culture step on into Wasserhund Brewing Co. To learn more about their contributions and upcoming events visit their Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages!

Take time to discover your passion and use it to create a kinder world.

Kaladi Brings Good Feels and Close Community to Alaskans

#NiceWork! Born as an espresso cart in 1986, Kaladi Brothers Coffee has grown to be a staple of Alaska. Today, Kaladi has fourteen locations across the State and one in Seattle, and they produce almost a million pounds of coffee every year.

How did they do it? On top of roasting and brewing fantastic organic beans, Kaladi cares about its customers. Former owner Mark Overly explained to the Alaska Dispatch News that, “[The community aspect] was [always] the intention of the business…And [we knew that] everything would follow that.” As a “catalyst of community,” the shop is incredibly dedicated to supporting and growing the communities they serve.

Kaladi sponsors countless community events, drives, and causes. By teaming up with other local businesses and nonprofits, Kaladi is able to put on incredibly fun and generous events to benefit Alaskans. One such event was for a launch party for Read on the Fly. The event, sponsored and hosted by Kaladi, called on community members to donate children’s books. They turned this donation drive into a party for the whole community along with free hot dogs provided by Phat Kid Food Truck and a craft station put up by the Anchorage Community House.

Kaladi is incredibly generous in its coffee and gift donations. From offering free coffee for moms on Mother’s Day to donating gift baskets to local drives and auctions, Kaladi is constantly finding new avenues to give their support. They’ve donated money to the University of Alaska Anchorage Debate Team and the Anchorage Running Club. Kaladi’s marketing team estimates that Kaladi supports around 250 events per year. Along with the work of their Community Cafe and other donations, this comes out to about $150,000 in donations every year.

Across Alaska, Kaladi is famous for their Community Cafe. This cafe-on-wheels travels around the state to spread its warmth. They’ve been there to meet parents with a free 12 oz cup of coffee when dropping off kids at their first day of school or to provide free espresso at the Pride Parade and at events for the Anchorage Motorcycling Community. No matter the gathering, Kaladi shows generosity to all community members. By using the hashtag #FollowTheRedGoat, inspired by their Red Goat logo, Kaladi has gained huge popularity across Alaska. When the Red Goat comes, everyone knows that warmth and community come along with it.

Kaladi is also famous for bringing the community together in their open and shared community spaces. Spaces are used for just about everything, from family gathering and group meetings to art shows like Susitna Elementary Student Art Show. They currently have 3 large community spaces at their Brayton, Downtown and Soldotna/Sterling Highway locations.

Kaladi support groups like the Cook Inlet Tribal Council. They provided the coffee for their Native Youth Olympics and they purchase wholesale goods, such as sandwiches and baked goods, from their Chanlyut program. The program gives residential, vocational, and educational support for participants to overcome challenges such as reintegration post incarceration, addiction, and homelessness.

“Kaladi is an industry leader when it comes to coffee, community and customer experience,” customer Seth Stetson said.

So, if you ever find yourself up North, drop on in to enjoy a cup of joe at Kaladi. Your dollar supports a company that works to support you.

Great Harvest Bread Warms the Hearts of Anchorage Residents

#NiceWork! Great Harvest Bread in Anchorage, Alaska  does phenomenal business. For the past several years, it’s held the top spot in sales for restaurants in Anchorage. But their success can’t simply be explained by their infamously fresh and organic bread. Anchorage owners Barb Hood and Dirk Sisso believe that 90% of sales are due to the restaurant’s connection with the local community. Anchorage residents know that a purchase at Great Harvest Bread is a purchase that supports Anchorage.

Great Harvest Bread, a franchise, with over 100 locations throughout the United States is unique.  The company doesn’t solely focus on profits. In fact, the company’s tops priorities, aside from making delicious bread, are freedom and people. The parent company encourages each individual branch to do what’s best for their location and connect to their customers in a unique and personalized way. That’s why to many Anchorage residents, Great Harvest feels like home.

Ever since the Barb and Dirk opened shop in 1994, they’ve been a community favorite. They’re probably most well known for their generosity of spirit. As Bonnie Harry, an employee of Great Harvest, explained, “It’s not for show. They do it because generosity to others is part of who they are. The fact that it benefits the business is a bonus.”

Barb and Dirk’s generosity radiates through Great Harvest. They’re frequent donors, and they let the community choose where a large portion of their donations go by encouraging Anchorage residents to submit requests to support local events. Over the years, they’ve supported hundreds of events including annual fundraisers for Breast Cancer and Leukemia research. The restaurant is also an official partner with three schools: West High School, Romig Middle School and North Star Elementary, where they support school events with bread and cookies.

Great Harvest may be most famous for their exceptionally large free samples. When speaking with Envision Kindness, Barb explained an instance in which a young girl came to the counter to get a free sample. She returned again a few minutes later to get another. When Barb saw this, she encouraged the girl to bring a third piece back to her mother. Upon hearing this, the mother burst into tears. “You never know where people are coming from,” Barb explained. “So, you just try to do your best.” Two families have even come up to Barb to tell her how important this free bread has been to them during tough times over the years. Great Harvest also donates unsold items to the local food bank, Beanz Café, each day.

Barb and Dirk even lend out their restaurant’s space. They have made their shop into a community center, helping local artists display their work and hosting open mic nights for poets, musicians, and others.  This personalized engagement with customers and customer values has allowed Great Harvest to become a cornerstone in the community.

Outside of Great Harvest, Barb is known for taking pictures of underrepresented populations and telling their stories. Dirk is currently serving as president of the local neighborhood Basher Community Council, working to protect natural places among other things. Dirk carries his interest in environmental protection to the bakery. Great Harvest has received Green Star’s award for environmental responsibility, a shining example of an eco-friendly business.

Inspired by Barb and Dirk’s Great Harvest in Anchorage? No need to fly to Alaska. Check out what your local Great Harvest is up to these days. No Great Harvests near you? Think about what can you can do to be help others in your community.

VOW Transportation Shows Us the Power of Opportunity and Understanding

#NiceWork VOW! VOW Transportation doesn’t just help its passengers get where they need to go, it gives them the opportunity to achieve more. Vision of Winning (VOW) and its founder and CEO, Lorenzo Stewart Sr. of Washington D.C, knows a thing or two about how important these opportunities can be.  

After spending years in and out of jail, Stewart was having trouble finding a job. “Nothing solid ever came through,” he explained in an interview with Courtland Milloy of the Washington Post. In addition to having a record, Stewart, struck by a stray bullet at 15 uses a wheelchair. With the support of a loving family, Stewart realized that in order to achieve success he needed to become his own boss. Fortunately, D.C. has started an incredible and kind program: Aspire to Entrepreneurship. This partnership between District agencies and Changing Perceptions provides ex-offenders with the necessary tools to start their own businesses. It believes in people to make a change for themselves. In December of 2016, Stewart got the loan he needed to make a difference (WUSA9). 

Stewart didn’t take this opportunity lightly. He took the kindness that was shown to him by D.C.’s program and decided to create something amazing with it. VOW isn’t your average business. This organization helps people with disabilities, seniors, and students with their transportation needs, a mission inspired by Stewart’s own life. VOW even offers free services. Because Stewart knows firsthand the importance of family support, he provides rides to people who want to visit their family members in prisons. Demand is high, so he’s hoping expansion is in his future. As of June 2017, he operates three 15-seat vans.

“It’s true that when we give returning citizens the right set of skills and opportunities, they will flourish,” D.C. Deputy Mayor Courtney R. Snowden said. Inspired by this story? Push for your state to support entrepreneurship programs like the one that helped Stewart in D.C. There are surely more kind organizations and people to be discovered.