How can you help?

As a new foundation, we need all the help we can get! We are looking for funding, volunteers and ideas and unique ways to support our local businesses, entrepreneurs and children in need of support. If you think your skillset can help us reach our goals, please send us an email to set up a zoom call. We would absolutely love to meet you! Creating a successful business (and life) is all about making meaningful, helpful connections with those in our community; we have so much to learn from each other.

Donate Financially:

Good, old fashioned charitable giving is always a great place to start! We need funds to dole out to our local business owners as the need arrives. We may give out funds after approving applications for the following reasons:

  • Crisis support: such as helping businesses make it through economic disasters such as COVID – 19. This may include paying rent/mortgage payments, funds for payroll or insurance payments.
  • Grants for start ups or expansions: We especially want to encourage young entrepreneurs to brave the world of business ownership. We offer grants to new and young businesses to help establish a new business, buy equipment or inventory for expansion, down payments towards rent or mortgages.
  • Families & Children in Need: Supporting local families and children in need through other small organizations such as “head start”.
Donations Received
$14,00
Our Goal for 2023: $25,000

Become a mentor:

Are you an experienced entrepreneur, small business owner or expert in business management or operations? We would love to meet you! We are looking for more mentors to donate their time to other business owners in our community. Mentorship may include monthly zoom calls, phone calls or good old in person lunches with your mentee.We leave it up to you to decide exactly how your relationship with your mentee will work as everyone’s needs are so different. We do expect a minimum time commitment to be a part of this program, as everyone’s time is so valuable, we want to make sure our mentee’s are getting everything they were promised.

Shop Small:

Even if you don’t have the resources or the time to get personally involved in a project right now, shopping small is the greatest gift you can give to our small businesses right now! Every time you spend a dollar, you are voting for the types of businesses and products you want to see in your community. By making a conscious effort, and going out of our way to shop small, you can make a HUGE difference in the lives of your fellow citizens and entrepreneurs. These big corporations don’t need any more of our money. Your neighbor needs your funds to keep their shopkeeper or waiter employed, their kids in your local little league and all their vendors in their supply chain working. It really is a beautiful trickle down effect. Next time you make a purchase, please consider finding a way to find this item locally. While the ease of Amazon and large chain restaurants is sometimes hard to resist, it doesn’t help your local shop or bistro keep their doors open. From food, to furniture and clothing please do a quick google search on which businesses are small, private or  family owned and operated before you make a large purchase.

Why is this cause important?

We believe that small business is the backbone of our community. Nearly 60 million Americans are employed by small business owners, that’s 47.3% of the entire US workforce! With numbers like that, we can’t afford to ignore them. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. These brave people need our support, our funding and our mentorship. On average, only half of all new businesses make it past their first year, we believe that education and mentorship can help reduce this percentage by making aspiring entrepreneurs more prepared for the stresses and unexpected obstacles of business management.

The Lochren Family