Our First Vendor Event!!!
Good Afternoon Everyone!
This weekend was a weekend for the books. A few weeks ago we had planned on being a vendor for the event K’s to Kick Addiction and Blindness Fun Run/Walk or Bike ride hosted by A promise to Jordan, which is an organization created by Jordan’s mom with a promise to help anyone with addiction and substance abuse. Plans this week did change a bit from Friday into Saturday.
Our typical Friday night consists of gathering donated goods in order to so our weekly shelter runs but we had to shift our usual process due to the prior planned event which was being held from 7:30 am- 12 noon. This Friday night we ended up packing up Ashlei’s car with a sample backpack filled with essentials we wanted to show we are working towards and the table for the set up the next day.
Saturday morning though, it started to rain, so when Abigail came by my house, we grabbed the canopy to set up over the table to make sure we had shelter against the rain while at the event if it did continue to rain. Once loading that up, we were “off to the rodeo”. The plan for the morning was to stop and pick up breakfast on the way to Simsbury and meet up with Ashlei and Lili, one of our new volunteers at the event. The Simsbury Lions Club and A Promise to Jordan being the organizations hosting the event. Once we got to the event site, there were portraits lining the sidewalks of people lost due to substance and addiction. As we were setting up we saw there was another group there which was “Today I Matter” and we found out they were the organization that had the portraits project. This project is very important because it shows that everyone matters and anyone dealing with substance abuse can be anyone; an uncle, a brother, a son, an aunt, a friend. Showing loved ones and sharing their stories is an important way we can help and spread awareness that no one is alone, and as they state, everyone MATTERS.
We also had the opportunity to partner with M&D Creations LLC, they are a small mom-and-daughter company as a co-participant, and they were selling custom and homemade jewelry, art, and other crafts items. They also added to their collection, creating some Little Homes Lifestyle merch and donating a portion of profits to us! There were hats, cups, shirts, and oh so much more. We hope everyone who made a purchase does enjoy them and spreads the word to not only help us build the customer base for M&D Creations but also spread our message.
We had many people stop over to hear about who we are as a team and what we strive to do. Around 9 a.m. they started a bike ride, then followed by a 5k, and following that was a 15k. Even in the rain, it was amazing to see how many people showed up for the bike ride/run to support the event! We were also able to watch the town come together to support their local lacrosse and support the local dancers. To see the girls so happy on the stage dancing their hearts out was warming the hearts of many because who can have a bad day when you see a kid smile brighter than the sun; “Through the darkness, light will show ”. That’s what this event brought, warmth, smiles, and strength. You could feel the power and strength through each and every person in the park and I’ve never felt something so strong. Though this weekend may have been kind of quiet due to rain we made many great connections and can’t wait to see where the road takes us and to keep you informed!
Till next time, Stay Safe and Stay H.O.P.E.F.U.L.
