GIVING STORY

I believe that beautiful and elegant spaces add tremendous value to our way of life. In this highly stimulating world in which we live, beautiful and intentional spaces afford people the opportunity to catch their breath and reconnect to what is important to them. At the same time, I am struck by homelessness; homeless and at-risk youth in particular. There are youth who simply do not get the opportunity to find that sacred space to relax. Ever. In Boulder County, there are over 160 youth on the streets on any given night. This is 160 too many. Fortunately, Boulder has a wonderful organization, Attention Homes, that provides at-risk youth with safe shelter and life-skills necessary for a sustainable future.

My ten year old son and I spend a great deal of time talking about homelessness in Boulder and we want to participate in the solution. Knowing that most non-profits work continuously for every single penny that they raise in order to do the good works that they do, we contacted Attention Homes with the request to create an interactive art fundraiser for them. They agreed and the fundraiser Cow Muse was designed for them. It was a wonderful community evening filled with art, food, product and music and 100% of the proceeds from the event went to them.

For the Cow Muse event, I enlisted co-designer Laura Ross who is a graphic designer extraordinaire. As we prepared for the fundraiser, a product line was inspired and born. We now have the opportunity to keep “milking the cow” so that an ongoing revenue stream is directed to Attention Homes for Youth. 15% of the profits of all cow products (see SHOP) will be given to Attention Homes. Additionally, the event was such a success that we decided to continue with an annual Muse event. Look for Dog Muse next year. Click to learn more about Attention Homes and the Cow Muse fundraiser.