The shampoo, laundry detergent and toothpaste are piling up in the window display at Chapter One for their Loads of Dignity supply drive. The drive is part of a larger effort by Chapter One to support local non-profits and draw participation downtown for Hamilton’s First Friday events.
“It’s always great to see how our community comes out to support one another,” says Mara Lynn Luther, co-owner at Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton.
Chapter One is inviting non-profits to partner on a month-long fundraising effort that is kicked off every First Friday. Organizations have the opportunity to share their work with customers at a special First
Friday event. 20% of proceeds from featured books related to the organization’s mission will be donated back to the non-profit. For the remainder of the month the organization will be the Blind Date with a Book recipient, in which customers choose a book concealed in wrapping with simple clues to what story is inside and give a donation for the book. The donation is up to the customer. At the end of the month Chapter One gives all proceeds to the featured non-profit.
“We’ve been doing the blind date with a book program for years, but we decided it would be great to give our non-profit partners even more opportunity to raise awareness about their organization,” says Luther.
“We also hope we will see greater participation in First Friday to the benefit of all participating downtown businesses.”
In April the featured non-profit will be the Bitter Root Water Forum which leads efforts to ensure clean water now and in the future to valley residents through river clean-ups, restoration projects and education campaigns. April’s First Friday at Chapter One will include a story time at 4 p.m. led by the Water Forum including a gardening craft followed by a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. where customers can learn about the
Water Forum’s efforts, including their water-wise plant packs and landscaping workshops, while exploring books on water conservation, our cultural connections to water and, of course, water-wise gardening.
20% of proceeds from featured book sales will go to the Bitter Root Water Forum.
On Saturday April 8th, water-wise landscaping will also be the topic for Chapter One’s Culture Crawl event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In May the featured non-profit will be Bike Walk Bitterroot in celebration of Bike Walk Month.
“We are excited to continue these partnerships with more First Friday events and month long activities to build awareness around all the great work being done in our communities,” says Luther.