The Climb Marketing team is excited to have donated $12,000 to 16 nonprofit organizations through our second annual Charitable Giving Program.
The Charitable Giving Program allows each team member at Climb Marketing to grant a portion of the agency’s annual profits to a 501(c)3 non-profit charity (or charities) of their choice. This is the second year of the program and a total of $12,000 was given away this year – a threefold increase compared to the $4,000 donated last year.
We’ve listed each member’s charity picks below and wrote why we’re passionate about contributing to these great organizations and supporting their causes.
Jeremy Lopatin
This has been a hard year for all of us, but the pandemic has hit the disadvantaged disproportionately hard. For that reason, I’ve directed much of my charitable giving this year to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, Food Gatherers, and the United Way of Washtenaw County. These groups do exceptional work to make sure the basic needs of everyone in the Ann Arbor area are met.
World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis. As a passionate foodie and restaurant enthusiast, it’s been distressing to see what the pandemic has done to the restaurant industry. In response, WCK has supported restaurants by using them as vehicles to feed the hungry, which I wholeheartedly support.
And although the pandemic has consumed so much of our attention this past year, we cannot forget the ongoing climate crisis, which poses an existential threat to all of humanity. For that reason, I’ve also chosen to support 350.org, who continues to campaign for a fast and fair transition to a clean energy economy.
Robbie Bolog
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
COVID-19 has brought to the forefront so many things I often take for granted. Chief among them is being able to put food on our tables. The importance of food banks in these unprecedented times cannot be overlooked. Second Harvest has been a major distributor of food to partners around Middle Tennessee since 1978. A quick glance at their website gives a sense of the wide range of families & programs who rely on their services for food. Our donation will fund 16,000 meals for those in need. Amazing!
Taylor Caldron
2020 made it more clear than ever that there’s a direct link between global issues and regional issues. We all know that catastrophic climate change is on the horizon and will be one of the toughest challenges we face as a species yet. So it seemed appropriate during a global crisis to divert some resources to mitigating the impact of what might be the next one. I chose the Sierra Club in particular because of their (very) long track record of thoughtful action as well as their very high transparency and accountability ratings by third parties, such as Charity Navigator.
Kristin Coleman
I’ve been a pet owner most of my life, and definitely have a soft spot for dogs. I heard about the Detroit Dog Rescue through a friend and kennel owner and knew right away this would be one of my choices for a charitable donation this year. As Detroit’s first no-kill shelter, the DDR rescues, rehabilitates, and re-homes Detroit’s stray dogs, and also makes a positive impact in the community by providing education, vaccination clinics, welfare checks and assistance – in short, helping all of Detroit’s dogs to get the care they need to live their best life.
I saw a presentation about Clara’s Hope in the fall of 2020 and was truly moved by the founder’s passion and her family’s personal, heartfelt story of fostering and adoption. This amazing organization works to fill the gaps between agencies and families by providing access to much-needed, but often overlooked, support and resources – connecting the community to the needs of local foster and adoptive families.
Riley Duncan
Retrieving Independence is a wonderful organization that trains and places service dogs. Uniquely, they partner with local prisons to create a program in which inmates learn to train service dogs. My wife and I volunteer for this organization by taking the dogs out on furlough on the weekends, and seeing the impact that Retrieving Independence has on inmates, volunteers, and service dog recipients has been really special.
Gideon’s Army is an organization doing great, on-the-ground work in North Nashville. Started by a former Metro Nashville Public Schools teacher, the organization is making an impact on crucial problems such as school-push-out, youth violence, policing, and juvenile justice.
2020 was a tough year for the world, but especially so for Nashville. Between a tornado, the pandemic, and the downtown bombing, many people in our community are hurting. NeedLink Nashville helps those most in need by providing financial assistance to those whose water, gas or electricity are at risk of disconnection.
Oasis Center does great work to support the youth of Middle Tennessee. I was impressed with their wide-ranging programs which help children and teens succeed by giving them resources and empowering them.
Celeste Huffman
I recently discovered Live Love Nashville as it’s still fairly new, but was featured on Ellen in 2018. It’s a beautiful organization that focuses on making sure children in Nashville feel loved. They do this by selling ‘Live Love Nashville’ items as well as taking donations where 100% of proceeds go to all necessities that children would need locally as there are ~3,000 homeless children in Nashville alone, which is a heartbreaking fact. I grew up having a strong maternal instinct, always wanting to take care of others. Seeing the light shine in children’s eyes is the warmest feeling, and I love working with nonprofits for children, coaching, and was a nanny at one point in time. I love this organization as it’s focused on keeping the light in those eyes and making sure the children have what they need and are loved even in the most troubling of times.
David Oltean
Focus: HOPE is committed to intelligent and practical action to overcome racism, poverty, and injustice in the Metro Detroit community. The organization offers a wide range of community-oriented services, including early childhood education and development programs, job training initiatives, and food drives for seniors. Between the pandemic and civil rights movement for social justice in 2020, I felt like Focus: HOPE’s programs are as important as ever.
The Ferndale Cat Shelter is a no-kill animal rescue that provides medical care, foster homes, and adoption services for cats in the Metro Detroit community. The Ferndale Cat Shelter adopted out more than 900 cats into loving homes in 2020 – a record year for the local rescue. As a member of the Board of Directors, I’m a bit biased, but I see firsthand how hard the staff and volunteers at FCS work to find loving homes for local kitties.
From the entire Climb team, we’re proud to support the 16 wonderful organizations listed above, and feel incredibly fortunate to have the means to lend a helping hand after such a tough year.