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In
Gratitude Always, LLC is
a start-up printing business which will employ adults with autism. Our company is the brainchild of artist Jeff FitzHarris and Laura Misenhelter, an autism mom who co-founded Charleston Autism Academy.
Both have been affected by autism on a very personal level and are committed to the success of this company. In Gratitude Always will offer both screen printing and sublimation printing of t-shirts and related promotional items.
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Our intention is to provide competitively priced, quality printing
services while allowing people with autism a chance to work. Our customers will enjoy the products we
sell and will want to buy from a company doing social good.
In a world
where young adults with autism are rarely employed, In Gratitude Always intends
to be a solution. We recognize the value
of training and employing people with autism, and we believe that the t-shirt
printing business is a good fit for a portion of this population.
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We won’t just be printing t-shirts – we’ll be
providing hope – not only to the individuals we employ, but to their parents and
families.
What We Need
Our campaign will provide the initial start-up funding for necessary equipment, supplies, training, staffing, space, and initial sales expenses.
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We have a donated space for the next several months in which to begin operations.
We have already received a generous donation of silkscreening equipment and starter supplies from an anonymous donor.
- We need to purchase additional equipment and silkscreening supplies to complement the donation we received.
- We need money to hire an experienced silkscreen printer to train staff and get the printing party started!
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We need money to set up on-line sales and establish local avenues of sales.
What You Get
We have some great perks to choose from, all centered around the world of art! Jeff FitzHarris has been a full time commissioned visual artist for the past 19 years. He
specializes in one of a kind custom wall finishes, interior decorative arts,
and large scale murals, customized to the liking of clients’ chosen subject
matter and style.
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- Contribute $35 to receive a There's No Place Like Charleston t-shirt designed by Jeff.
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Contribute $75 for a signed limited edition There's No Place Like Charleston Brand Launch poster.
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And $1750 buys you and 7 friends a private painting class in Charleston (travel and accommodations are not included).
Other perks will be announced during the campaign.
What we raise through Indiegogo will go towards the start-up of In Gratitude Always. While our goal is $30,000, we intend to succeed in the start-up of this business even if we don't reach our entire goal. Any amount of support we receive is a blessing and will help us make this dream a reality! So give if you can, and pass the information about our campaign along to anyone you know, even if you can't give.
The Impact
T-shirts are an important component of our world’s wardrobe. We buy and wear them for many different
reasons – celebration, expression, remembrance, advertising, comfort. T-shirts allow the artists of our world to
display their works in a living, movable fashion.
In addition to employing artists, graphic designers and printing engineers,
In Gratitude Always will serve
as a vocational training location and an employer of people with autism. Partnering with the Charleston Autism
Academy, trained behavior therapists will be part of our team, working
alongside our vocational trainees.
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Laura's son, Aaron, will likely be our first employee with autism. Some 50,000 people with autism are reaching adulthood each year over the next decade in our country. We recognize that vocational opportunities for people with autism are extremely
rare in our local area and nationwide.
We hope to create a template for other printing businesses to use in the
future to create similar vocational opportunities around the country.
Risks and Challenges
Obstacles to achieving our mission are fairly great, although not insurmountable. We need money to equipment and supplies, money to hire a behavior support specialist, and money for an ongoing marketing campaign. You can help by donating to our cause and by sharing our campaign with others.
As we see it, the risk we are taking is in the time and effort required to build this unique company and the money we are able to put into it. Most of what we have to work with is "sweat equity." We believe that with smart planning, promotion, and economic use of the resources we have available to us that we can make this work. We do not expect this to be easy, but then again most important things are not easy ones.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute to our campaign, we certainly do understand. Please consider passing the information regarding our campaign on to others who would be interested to learn of our project. Share with others on social media and make some noise for adults with autism!
