A Fundraiser Within a Fundraiser

Hi, everybody!

So, in the midst of Alyssa and me doing some fundraising for Anavah House, I've decided to take on a little project.

I've been fascinated by ceramics as both practical and an art form for years, since I first started fashioning bizarre little clay sculptures from Wal-Mart clay as a child. Not long ago, I was given the opportunity to try something I've always wanted to take part in--a ceramics class at the university. And lo and behold, I've discovered I can do it! I'm getting better with each class, and I've decided I'd like to begin honing my abilities. To that end, I'd like to install a small ceramics studio in the basement of Broadway Book  Roasting Company (where I live) sometime around June or July 2011.

And this is not just for me--one of the things that fascinates me most about the clay workshop is that it is a chance for people to come together in community and support one another, feeding off of each other's ideas, but it is also a chance for folks (like myself) to escape some of the craziness of the outside world and find their center (literally--centering clay on the wheel is a discipline in itself) in the quiet solitude of the craft.

Our plans extend to (but are not limited by) the following: initiating an after-school ceramics workshop (free) for latchkey kids; initiating a more advanced workshop (for a small fee) for adults; implementing wares from the studio into the Roasting Company's merch shop; donating bowls to the local Empty Bowls charity campaign each year.

So here's the deal: if you help us get this studio together, I'll send you a gift as a token of my (our) thanks. Donate $15, and I will personally deliver to you (provided you're not too far away) a coffee mug, handmade by me. $20, and I will gladly make you a bowl. And donate $30, and I will make you a water pitcher. Click here to see the water pitcher I am currently working on.

If I see you on a daily basis, I would prefer you just pass cash along (You can trust me, right?), but for those of you who'd like a little more professionalism, you can donate through paypal via the widget link below. This will be on the honor system--once you donate, send me a message letting me know that you donated, as well as how much.

Thank you all so, so much. I am blessed and humbled to have such supportive friends and family.

Peace,

Joshua