Gearing Up for Another Season

As sno-cone season fast approaches, the "Change the World" Project is gearing up for another season of giving.  We're always looking for places and events to participate it, so if you have any suggestions please let us know.  Just leave a comment or email us at snobeachatx@gmail.com


Heidi Klum says, "if you want to change the world, change yourself," we say, "Just pay for your sno-cone in change!"

Bastrop Fire Relief

On September 4, 2011 wildfires spread across Bastrop County and Steiner Ranch, eventually destroying more than 1,600 homes, killing 2 people, and inflicting and estimated $325 million of insured property damage.  The fires raged for over a month and were not officially declared contained until October 10th.  During this month smoke filled the air around Austin, the surrounding communities worked together to provide relief and volunteer fire fighters raced to the scene to help.

When one of our employees, who was a member of her high school student council, came to work and shared her experience of collecting and delivering over $7,000 in money and gift cards to Bastrop High School students, we just knew we had to jump on that.  Thanks to her help, Sno-Beach adopted Bastrop High School as our October "Change the World" recipient.

Dine Our for the Cure

In September we were asked to participate in the Susan G. Komen Austin Affiliate's Dine Out for the Cure.  On September 8, 2011 we partnered up with 14 other Central Texas restaurants to donate a portion of our food sales to provide FREE breast cancer screening, treatment and education programs in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties.

Since Thursday nights during the school year aren't our peak times, we decided we could give a little more.  Why not adopt the Komen Austin Affiliate as this months charity?  Being the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, this was a no brainer.

SAFE

After a few months, word got out and "Change the World" was starting to pick up.  We now had customers buying two sno-cones, one with a bag full of change and one with dollar bills, shoot, we even had customers dropping off a handful of change just to add to our monthly pot.  (Do we have the best customers or what?)  So, when one customer asked that we donated to SAFE, we did some research and decided... of course!

SAFE provides safety, helps victims heal, promotes safe and healthy relationships, and works with others to create change in order to help individuals and families affected by sexual and domestic violence.

SAFE was our August recipient of "Change the World".

Twitter Birthday Challenge

Back in June Kay Marley-Dilworth of @ATXFoodnews decided that for her 44th birthday "instead of being the guest of honor at a swanky dinner party [she] would like to use the next 19 days to raise funds to cover 190 meals for clients at Meals on Wheels and More."  We saw her tweet, and we were inspired.


Thanks to YOUR change, Sno-Beach alone donated over 200 meals to people in our community through Meals on Wheels and More!

A Glimmer of Hope

For our next "Change the World" project we decided to go global.  We teamed up with Austin Tennis Academy and the Tri4Glimmer campaign, to benefit Austin's own Glimmer of Hope Foundation.  A Glimmer of Hope helps to lift the women and children of rural Ethiopia out of extreme poverty by providing clean water, schools, health clinics, and micro-financing loans.

The kids from ATA are some of our most loyal customers, stopping by after tennis practice on a weekly basis, so we were ecstatic to team up and help contributed to something near and dear to their hearts.

The Helping Hand Home

I'm a little biased, but the "Change the World" contribution for the month of June may have been my favorite.  Actually, I know it has been my favorite.  

After driving by The Helping Hand Home on my way to work day in and day out and doing a little research, I decided it was time to get involved.  For the past 2 years I have been a bedtime reader for the children there, and the amount of joy I have experienced can not be put in to words.  This organization was a big part in why I started this project, so I was elated to make them one of our "Change the World" recipients.

One June afternoon I walked in to the front office of The Helping Hand Home for Children and dropped off a check for all of the change our customers paid with from the month of May.  Together, we were able to send the children to Schlitterbahn for the afternoon!  What better way to kick of the summer than spending a day at "The Hottest, Coolest, Time in Texas"?  Everyone who's grown up in Central Texas knows a childhood summer isn't complete without a ride on the MasterBlaster...

Fundraising for Japan

On March 11, 2011 the northeast Japan was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami resulting in the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.  The disaster left up to 23,000 dead or missing.  Later that  month our neighbor, the owner of Sushi-A-Go-Go, decided to organize a fundraiser to benefit Ashinaga, an organization that provides educational and emotional support for orphans worldwide.

The benefit took place April 30, and the timing was perfect for the first "Change the World" project.  There were Henna tattoos, balloon art, a Japanese movie projected on the back of one of the trailers, and plenty of live music.  Overall the fundraiser was a success.  It was fun to see all the families and Austinites out enjoying the beautiful weather and to experience first hand how a small community of local businesses can join together to make a difference.

The Beginning

Crammed in an old rickety van between a driver and a relative stranger (we'd known each other for about 33 hours at this point), straddling the gear shifter, piecing together broken spanish and the driver's broken english, on dirt roads through the jungles of Argentina, I found myself thinking about how I could make a difference. It was 2008, I had recently graduated from college with a degree I was no longer interested in, and wI as trying to figure things out. I found myself on a TOMS shoe drop, totally embracing their One for One Movement, riding the high (in maybe a little too idealistic kind of way), that yes, one person can change the world.

Well, 3.5 years later, I'm in a position to make a difference. After taking on the role as a small business owner I have felt a responsibility. I've been blessed beyond belief. Every single morning I wake up and am still in awe that this is my life.

I racked my brain for how sno-cones could make a difference... I couldn't really figure a way to incorporate "One for One," I mean seriously, donating a sno-cone to someone in need doesn't exactly work. While it would cool them off, it's not going to provide much nutritional value.

Then one night in the shower (the best place to think) it hit me. Customers often come with a handful of change (we're talking pennies, nickels, and dimes... maybe a few fifty cent pieces every once in a while) and apologize as they count out their change, I always said no need to apologize, money's money. Yes change is annoying. It weighs down your purse, if you drop it on the ground you don't always pick it up, especially if it's not heads-up, and that jingle in your pocket isn't always welcome, but... it does add up!

From that moment on "Change the World" was born in my head. Every time some one pays with change we throw it in a bag. At the end of the month I take the change to the bank to have it counted, and we pick a philanthropy or charity to donate it to. So far we've contributed to the Japan Disaster Relief, the Helping Hand Home for Children (closest to my heart), and A Glimmer of Hope

It's surprising how quickly change adds up. The suspense of waiting a few days for the bags of change to be counted and deposited is the excitement of my month. I seriously check my account hourly in hopes that the magic number will soon appear. Then seeing the look on some one's face as I hand them a check and explain where it came from... my heart explodes with joy! A little change can go a long way. Nothing is too insignificant.

Hopefully this will catch on and we can get other businesses to join in this little movement... maybe all the food trailers in Austin?!?! Dream Big right?