Indiegogo is committed to accessibility. If you have difficulty using our site, please contact support@indiegogo.com for assistance or view our accessibility notice by clicking here

This campaign is closed

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

Raising funds to start our restaurant, enabling us to instill leadership skills in formerly incarcerated men and women through an education in culinary arts.

You may also be interested in

Caret Left
Caret Right
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

Raising funds to start our restaurant, enabling us to instill leadership skills in formerly incarcerated men and women through an education in culinary arts.

Raising funds to start our restaurant, enabling us to instill leadership skills in formerly incarcerated men and women through an education in culinary arts.

Raising funds to start our restaurant, enabling us to instill leadership skills in formerly incarcerated men and women through an education in culinary arts.

Raising funds to start our restaurant, enabling us to instill leadership skills in formerly incarcerated men and women through an education in culinary arts.

Edwins Leadership
Edwins Leadership
Edwins Leadership
Edwins Leadership
1 Campaign |
Cleveland, United States
$29,356 USD 116 backers
117% of $25,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

               Enlightening  ~ Enriching ~ Educating

In life, everyone deserves a second chance. This is what EDWINS provides to formerly incarcerated men and women -- the chance to obtain a job and career through the development of marketable skills in the culinary arts.

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute will be a student-operated restaurant located in Cleveland, Ohio. EDWINS is a nonprofit that welcomes aspiring underprivileged and reentering adults interested in pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. The Institute offers the opportunity to gain a culinary education free of charge over six months of study. EDWINS’ focus is to help shape the understanding of food one day, one person, one city, at a time.

Your contributions will enable EDWINS to operate a self-sustaining restaurant that will be the cornerstone of the Institute. EDWINS will empower the students to apply what they have learned and be tested in a way that can only be accomplished through working in the high-pressure environment of a distinctive world-class restaurant.

Through community support, EDWINS will not only be able to inspire hope in those whom it serves, but will also give them the means to achieve their dreams.

What We Need & What You Get

EDWINS will use your donation to launch a restaurant in Cleveland this fall. The funding we raise through this campaign will go toward renovations to the restaurant space, hiring our six full-time staff members, and investing in the infrastructure of our new organization.

EDWINS Shaker Square

As tokens of gratitude for your support, EDWINS is offering a number of unique perks. These include spontaneous appetizers at EDWINS and credit on our website for those who are able to support us at the basic levels. Additionally, the first 200 people who donate $50 or more will receive an invitation to the Indiegogo Supporter Party at EDWINS in the fall.

The funding raised will enable EDWINS to purchase additional equipment and other material needed for a cutting-edge restaurant and institute (ice cream machine, blenders, Hobart Mixer, convection oven, completing the build-out of the space, flatware, silverware, signage, printing, and licensing).  

We have set a high bar for fundraising because we are passionate about the mission of this project and confident it will work in this community, but we need your help.

EDWINS Timeline for opening

The Impact

ENLIGHTEN  Today in the U.S. there are 2.2 million people incarcerated, making the U.S. the world’s leader. Each year in Cuyahoga County nearly 5,000 men and women are released from prison and return home. Upon release, there are numerous barriers to individuals successfully reentering society. Personal barriers include lack of family support, legal issues, and emotional, physical or substance abuse issues. Other obstacles include the lack basic necessities such as housing, food, financial stability, employment, and transportation.

The truth is, 1 in 3 individuals will return to prison beginning a circle caused by instability. EDWINS seeks to provide an avenue that breaks the re-incarceration cycle.

ENRICH EDWINS provides hope. It offers a promising approach at giving formerly incarcerated adults the opportunity to get and keep a job in the hospitality industry. Our goal is to teach a skilled trade in the culinary arts, empower willing minds through passion for the hospitality industry, and prepare students for a successful transition into the world of business professionals.

At EDWINS, we believe that Education Wins. As a non-profit, EDWINS provides invaluable skills at no cost to students who have shown a strong desire to participate in the program. Expected to build on the Cleveland region’s strong culinary culture, the restaurant will teach culinary arts and business fundamentals.

EDUCATE EDWINS will function both as a school and as a restaurant staffed by its students under the guidance of culinary instructors. Teaching methods used at the restaurant will include coaching, mentoring, and goal-setting. Students are taught how to cook and operate many facets of the dining room. They are also educated in basic business principles such as cash flow, management, and entrepreneurship.

By teaching students business fundamentals, they have the potential of owning or operating a business in their local community. Proficiency in restaurant operations will equip students to be prepared for job placement after they complete the program. Following their completion of the program, EDWINS will work closely with the former students to find placement for them at a job that allows them to use, and further develop, the skills that they have gained while a participant.

EDWINS Development Process

EDWINS views the challenges of recidivism and inner city poverty as an open door to incite change. There are numerous visions to help reshape struggling neighborhoods. Partnerships for health coverage, housing, legal aid, and counseling are provided through social programs to help reentry. Through contributions from our supporters, the talents of our instructors, and the inspiring drive of our students, EDWINS will become a significant institution driving positive change in Cleveland, its neighborhoods, and its families.

EDWINS' Current Supporters

EDWINS has already received support from a number of critical partners within the Cleveland community inlcluding the following organizations:

EDWINS' Supporters

 Other Ways You Can Help

We know that not everyone is in a position to help us with their financial support or perhaps want to do even more. Here are some additional ways for you to be involved:

  • Help us spread the word about EDWINS and our vision for a stronger community. Share our page on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Talk to your neighbors, rent a blimp, whatever it takes…
  • Ensure that your politicians recognize that recidivism is a solvable problem. Support programs and solutions that strengthen your communities and help to break the cycle of re-incarceration.
Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

Sponsor/Founding Member Credit

$10 USD
You will be featured on the EDWINS' website as a sponsor and founding member of the restaurant at Shaker Square. Spread the good word and share EDWINS' website on Facebook or Twitter; all of your friends will see how awesome you are!
7 claimed

EDWINS Bumper Sticker

$20 USD
You can totally jazz up your ride, be it your car, bike, baby carriage, or auto-rickshaw with a slammin' EDWINS bumper sticker (that can be picked up at the restaurant). You will also get mad props on the website as a sponsor and founding member.
9 claimed

Spontaneous appetizer

$50 USD
Receive a spontaneous appetizer during your first meal at EDWINS. An off-menu app will be uniquely crafted by the chef for you and a guest to share. You can also look forward to receiving the EDWINS bumper sticker and sponsor credit on the web site as well.
14 claimed

EDWINS T-shirt

$75 USD
We know you already feel chic, but when you sport an EDWINS t-shirt you are going to look hot. With a $75 contribution you will be entitled to a black t-shirt emblazoned with the EDWINS logo. We'll also throw in the spontaneous app, a zippy bumper sticker, and list you as a sponsor on the EDWINS web site, all of which can be used by you to further prove your coolness. [NOTE: The EDWINS t-shirt is only available as a part of the $75 perk and can be picked up at EDWINS after opening.]
11 out of 400 of claimed

Opening week reservation

$100 USD
With a $100 contribution you will be considered a friend of the restaurant. You and a companion will receive an exclusive invitation to join us for opening week once it is announced, before EDWINS is open to the general public. This perk is an invitation only. All guests will be responsible for food and beverage costs. As you might have guessed, you will receive the free app, a nifty EDWINS bumper sticker, and sponsor credit on the web site as well.
19 out of 40 of claimed

Dinner for 2

$250 USD
For a $250 contribution you and a companion will receive dinner with wine at EDWINS. It's the perfect date night: a world-class dining experience while helping to build a better Cleveland. Don't forget, you get sponsor credit, a bumper sticker, and a spontaneous app on your next visit.
Only 3 left

Create a seasonal menu item

$350 USD
With this perk, you will work with the EDWINS chef or bartender to create a seasonal appetizer or cocktail that will appear on the EDWINS menu. You will even have the option of naming it after yourself if you so choose. Don't worry, you will also get credit on the website, the spontaneous app, and the bumper sticker.
2 out of 4 of claimed

Dinner for 6

$500 USD
So that you can experience EDWINS with your closest friends, we are offering this perk for you to enjoy dinner with TWO bottles of wine and dessert, for you and 5 other people. This is an awesome opportunity and will not last, so snatch it up quickly. You also get the website credit, the super cool bumper sticker, and a spontaneous app on your second visit to EDWINS.
2 out of 10 of claimed

Cooking lesson at EDWINS

$750 USD
You and a friend will get a two-hour cooking lesson with our chef, hosted in the EDWINS kitchen. Following the lesson you will enjoy dinner as well. Yup, appetizer, bumper sticker, and sponsor credit also included.
2 out of 5 of claimed

Wine Storage at EDWINS

$1,000 USD
With this incredibly unique perk you have the opportunity to store 12 bottles of your own wine at EDWINS. They'll be housed in our temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar, ready for enjoyment as an accompaniment to your favorite dish at EDWINS. Of course, you will also be entitled to a specially prepared spontaneous app, a snazzy bumper sticker, and sponsor credit.
4 out of 15 of claimed

Personalized bar stool

$1,250 USD
You may not stop by EDWINS every night, but your presence will always be with us as your name is artfully engraved on a metal plate on an EDWINS' bar stool. You will also get credit on the website, an appetizer made with love, and not just one, but 2 bumper stickers!
3 out of 8 of claimed

You may also be interested in

Up Caret