What do the Democratic National Convention, all-natural
fashion, and award winning barbeque have in common? The support of Promising Pages!
Promising Pages dove into the hustle and bustle of the
Convention this week to show support for Charlotte while fundraising in a unique
(and yummy) way.
To kick off the Monday of the DNC, Promising Pages
volunteers partnered with Packard
Place and assisted with the free “Charlotte Creates” event happening Sept. 3rd-5th
at 222 S. Church Street. Packard Place
is Charlotte’s
uptown hub for entrepreneurs and start up companies where the ultimate goal is
for creative juices to flow and for ideas to become reality! This venue was the
perfect host for “Charlotte Creates” (#CLTCreates), a free exhibition of
innovation and creativity across this city where organizations feature their
products and services in the areas of technology, social entrepreneurship,
energy, design, and the arts. Companies set up to showcase their mission and
goods to curious visitors across four floors of converted,
renovated, and “hi-tech” garage space.  |
| Knight Arts' Random Act of Culture |
Charlotte Creates relied on volunteers to pull in Convention
goers from the heat of the streets, escort them around the building, highlight
the purpose of Packard Place,
and provide the chance to learn of a new, creative concept in Charlotte. A few personal favorites
that I enjoyed learning and sharing about were “The Little Idea” (an invention
development company where each great invention starts with a “little idea”),
“Lime Energy” (a clean energy solutions company), and “Random Acts of Culture”
(an arts initiative that spontaneously provides crowds with song, dance, and
slam poetry). If you were not able to visit Charlotte Creates this week, I
strongly suggest you visit their site here:
and explore the companies in each category for yourself. As
a volunteer, it was eye opening and simply refreshing to realize how many
imaginative and resourceful organizations are boosting our community’s growth
and well-being!
 |
| Queen City Q Barbeque! |
While Promising Pages volunteers spent time at Packard Place,
Promising Pages was also creating a presence across Uptown at “Queen City Q,”
an award-winning barbeque restaurant. This Charlotte favorite has parternered to sell our
“Limited Edition” Charlotte Totes during the week of the DNC. Promising Pages
will be selling these “Queen
City” themed Jute bags
for $20 (tax included) during the Convention and after. They are the perfect size for Ipads, Kindles, Books,
and essentials! These bags are unique because the Jute material, ink, and
bamboo handles are all natural. They are handmade, waterproof, and the creation of local designer, Maurice Crawford.
 |
| Our super unique DNC Jute Bags |
I sat down with Maurice Crawford to hear her unique story behind
these environmentally friendly bags. Maurice worked as a fashion designer in New York City for thirty
years before retiring in 2000. The idea for these totes came to her one night
after she had heard the question “What are you reading at the
moment?” When an idea struck her in the middle of the night, she jolted out of bed
and sketched a bag with a design revolving around reading. She turned her idea into a reality after experimenting with the special Jute
fabric that can only grow from Jute trees in India
and China.
The result was a durable, organic tote that promoted reading and books. After
expanding her designs and clients, her bags reached bookstores in Charlotte before she had
moved here herself!
Maurice strongly believes people should use their creativity
to the best of their ability and channel it into something one thoroughly
enjoys. Maurice finds her joy in
helping children and she hopes that a major result of her work will be encouraging
kids to read. This is why the coincidental pairing of Promising Pages with
Maurice seems "meant to be".
Promising Pages and Maurice’s business were both featured on
the same page of an April issue of the Charlotte Observer. Soon after reading
up on each other, Promising Pages’ Founder, Kristina Cruise, and Maurice met up
and realized that the Jute bags would be the perfect fundraiser for Promising
Pages. Maurice is confident that these “Queen
City” Totes will appeal to visitors
and Charlotte
residents alike who enjoy and take pride in our city. The profits will go
directly to Promising Pages and Maurice hopes that the fundraising
capabilities of these bags will continue to help children across Charlotte discover a love
for reading and give them a voice.
This week I have been blown away by the excitement and
energy that has surrounded our city. It has been a great opportunity for
Promising Pages to learn from and contribute to our creative community and I know the
connections that we have made this week will continue into the future! Look out for our Jute
bags around Uptown, visit Queen City Q or contact us if you would like one, and
definitely check out Maurice’s website here: http://www.mccustomjutebags.com/.
Have a great rest of the week!
-Brennan Shearer
Great connection to the spirit of creativity
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