Lawrence Give Back creator thinks program can do even more

Cardholders support charities through local business

During an appreciation party Thursday night at Pachamamas, winners of the Lawrence Give Back Challenge were recognized. They included, from left, John Calewaert, Kelley Hurst and Kat Greene.

Getting involved

Becoming a participating cardholder with the Lawrence Give Back program is simple and free.

• Ask for a card from any of the participating merchants, which can be found at lawrencegiveback.com.

• Activate the card online and choose a charitable organization you’d like your purchases to support.

• When shopping, eating or using community services, present your Give Back card when paying.

• The charitable organization will get a percentage of the sale, and the cardholder will earn points toward rewards.

For more information, go to lawrencegiveback.com.

Constance Wolfe knows that raising $100,000 for local organizations in two years isn’t bad. She also knows the Lawrence community can do more.

That was the message Wolfe, creator of the Lawrence Give Back program, delivered at the second annual appreciation party Thursday evening.

“It feels amazing and it is really exciting,” Wolfe said. “We’ve laid the groundwork and I think it’s a great start, but we really can do a lot more than what we’ve been doing.”

The crowd that gathered for the event in the Alton Ballroom of Pachamama’s, 800 N.H., consisted of area residents, local businesses and some of the city’s charitable organizations, all of whom have been involved in the program.

The World Company and the Journal-World recently acquired Give Back. Wolfe said she took the program as far as she could as a 1.5-person operation, adding that she dreams big and is thrilled to now be working for The World Company, which she said will propel the program to the next level and beyond.

Kat Greene attended the party on Thursday with her husband, Dan Bentley. Cardholders since the program began in 2009, Greene and Bentley said they enjoyed being able to contribute through local businesses.

“It’s a really painless way to up your charitable giving without really having to think about it,” Greene said.

And during the final months of 2010, Greene proved that to be true, winning awards in both categories of the program’s “Give Back Challenge.” From October through December, Greene shopped at more local merchants — of which 52 participate in the program — than all but two other cardholders. She also was in the top three for most transactions at participating merchants. More than 280 people registered to participate in the challenge.

The program isn’t just about helping the local economy; it’s also about developing relationships within the community. Program assistant Sara Wolfe said seeing the interaction among residents, businesses and charitable organizations has been rewarding.

“They’re helping each other by promoting the businesses, by the money going to charity,” she said. “It’s just exciting to be a part of it.”

While members of the community mingled, Wolfe reflected on the simple yet important goals her program strives to achieve, serving as an alternative to tax increases and service cuts.

“It’s to keep our community economically sustainable,” she said. “This is a creative approach to offset those shortfalls.”

Edwin Rothrock, director of market strategies for The World Company, said the company’s new relationship with Give Back was a step forward.

“It’s exciting to be able to join forces with a program that does so much to support local businesses and contribute to charitable causes in the community,” he said.