OUR BEGINNING
WHY WE DO IT
Have you ever wanted to share something? An idea, space, recipe, experience, knowledge, friends, family, community, state? Celebrating each other's unique abilities and gifts, revealing our best selves and inspiring positive change. This is Collective Won.
Why are we doing this? Selfishly, it’s possibly the most gratifying thing we’ve ever done.
When you ask an organization if they would like you do a fundraiser for them, the answer is usually yes, with much gratitude. We quickly realized that coming together as a community, supporting something greater than ourselves, connects us in an empowering way. Additionally, we are able to showcase our local artists, chefs, small business owners, large business owners, health and wellness professionals, professional teams etc. Our silent auction tables are a way for us to celebrate, promote and network.
Collective Won realizes that healing is part of living, growing, and evolving. The experiences through certain activities, attitudes, foods and persons support the cultivation of balance, health, longevity, intimacy, fun and creativity.
Hurricane season 2017 hit hard with; Harvey, Irma, Maria and Jose and we wanted to help. Finding an organization to support locally was part of our criteria.
ARIZONA SEARCH DOGS
The Phoenix Fire Departments' Arizona Search Dogs fit the bill. We were honored to bring awareness as well as funds to their organization. In planning the event, we realized that it was also a way to give an experience to our participants, connect our community and showcase local artists and business owners via the silent auction tables and vendors. Kim Balzan provided sound bath experience with guided meditation.
After the event, we reached out to Captain Dean to see how the fundraiser impacted AZ SEARCH DOGS and this was his response.
"Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG...easiest question ever!
With your help we were able to bring a tremendous search dog pup into our group. Elvis was trained at Penn Vet Working Dog Center in Philadelphia. Elvis is scheduled to take a FEMA Certification Evaluation on March 2, 2019 here in Arizona. Once he passes this test he will be available to deploy nationally with our Task Force and also locally to assist First Responders/Law Enforcement with searches for missing people in our community and state. Elvis represents thousands of hours of love, training and team work!!!!!! Actually, as I type this email Elvis and Dana are back at Penn Vet participating in another week of training. All this is done on a volunteer basis by his handler and all costs are covered through donations."
Checkout Elvis!
Phoenix Fire welcomes new search dog
Phoenix Fire Department welcomes search-and-rescue dog Elvis
BRONCO BROWN BAGS
After our first event, our son Dawson confessed “I wasn’t sure you guys would pull this event thing off, I didn’t know if anyone would come!” Admittedly, we didn’t know either. The reason it works is due to the fact that it emphasizes positivity, leadership, knowledge, and an empowering confidence in our humanity. Collectively everyone wins!
Dawson, resurrected Broncos Brown Bag Club at his High School and together we honored The Andre House, a local homeless shelter in Phoenix. We filled 500 bags in 40 minutes and raised $2,000.
Per Jay Minich, The Andre House, here is how our funds and bags benefited Andre House:
"The carload of hygiene bags: Our number one request during the hours our Pascente Office is open to our guests is a “hygiene kit.” Our Pascente office is open ~20 hours each week, and I would estimate we give out about 5 kits per hour to our homeless friends. That equates to ~5,000 hygiene kits per year, and you easily supplied us with 500 bags, or about 10% of the toiletry kits we provided to guests. It was truly a wonderful gift, and demonstrates what a group of generous souls can accomplish with just a small amount of effort."
POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE (PAL)
Collective Won is honored to have a true master in the Himalayan Yoga tradition. Introducing Acharya Girish Jha (info@girshjha.org) to our community and knowing his passion for youth we honored The Phoenix Police Department’s Police Activities League (PAL).
Girish led participants in guided relaxation and discussed the principles of Eastern Wisdom, meditation and the fundamental relationship of living in peace and mindfulness while being human in today’s world.
Per Sergeant Hosfield, this was our impact:
"Over 100 kids have been able to participate in team building and confidence building with AZ on the Rocks.
PAL was able to sponsor a chess tournament that 30 plus youth participated in.
PAL was able to assist with food and campground fees for two overnight camp trips. (one in Prescott Arizona, one in Sedona).
PAL was able to fund a youth with very limited income to participate in a basketball league through the YMCA.
PAL was able to take youth to a Flagstaff 5K extreme course to build confidence and team building.
PAL was able to take several trips to Lake Pleasant with the youth.”
