It’s been a busy few months for the Healthy World Café! First, we’d like to take a minute to thank the many people who helped us develop and submit our video to the YorIt Social Venture Challenge Grant competition. From the songwriters, the musicians, to the actors, to the professional and amateur chefs that prepared the food for the filming, to the volunteers who sampled and tasted as well as acted, to the vendors and businesses who opened their doors to us, and all the volunteers who did voiceover, edited footage, took photos, and generally gave of their time and talent…. words can’t express our thanks.
We are very proud of everyone’s work on this, we’ve learned a lot, and have been inspired by how many others share the vision for opening this cafe. And now we’ve got this amazing video that helps to communicate who we are and what we are about to be. Please share it widely to help tell our story and keep up all of the momentum we’ve built. And keep your fingers crossed – as we’ve been invited to the next stage in the YorIT competition!
From the business end of things, we’ve begun developing our marketing materials, including a brochure, logo and letterhead. Our Facebook, blog, and Twitter pages are being updated regularly to keep people informed about HWC and all of our partners and supporters. We braved the weather to staff a display at the York County Agri Business Council Recognition Banquet on January 26. We’ve joined Downtown, Inc. and the York County chapter of Buy Fresh, Buy Local. HWC was featured in the YorkCounts Blog, “Count Me In.” Two guiding committee members attended a summit in Santa Fe hosted by other cafes with similar business models to help groups just like us who are getting one started. We’re finalizing a business plan, a marketing plan and a fundraising plan, and we will be posting these documents soon to seek feedback from all of you. And guess what? Our fundraising efforts are already starting to pay off!
What’s Next?
There are many opportunities in the coming weeks to get more involved with and learn more about the Healthy World Café.
- February 28, "Open Mind Mic," 7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Bistro 19, 19 N. George St., sponsored by Think Drink. Healthy World Cafe will be one of the topics discussed at this new, open, community dialogue.
- March 4, “RAW: Realizing Artistic Worth,” 6 p.m. – 10 p.m., 116 E. King St., hosted by local artist Shannon Sylte. This event is being presented in conjunction with First Friday and will feature Healthy World Café to raise awareness, (and hopefully some funds!)
- March 7, HWC Advisory Group Meeting, 6:30 pm, Friends Meeting House, 135 W. Philadelphia St., Jump right in with your ideas and feedback. Or just come to learn a little more about HWC. We’ll be discussing our business plan, our fundraising plan and our next steps.
- March 12, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., we plan to have a team on the streets spreading the word about HWC.
- April 4, HWC Advisory Group Meeting, 6:30 pm, Friends Meeting House, 135 W. Philadelphia St.
- April 23, “Going Green in the City,” 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., along N. Beaver St. Come visit us and view our display to spread the awareness of HWC.
How You Can Get Involved and Help
We’re recruiting volunteers to help with all of these events, both by attending, distributing information about HWC and staffing our information tables. Send us an e-mail or post to our Facebook page if you’d be interested in helping out for an event.
Follow-us on Twitter and Facebook.
Set some time aside and review and give us feedback on our business, marketing and fundraising plans (these will be posted to our Google Groups page in the very near future).
Donate funds. And ask others to match your donation. You can donate funds online (follow the Paypal button).
Attend an advisory group meeting to learn more and share your thoughts with us. These are held the first Monday of every month at the Friends Meeting House, 135 W. Philadelphia St. The food is always great and the company is even better.
Keep checking in with us for updates and other volunteer opportunities. Let’s all work together to make the Healthy World Café a reality.
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