We want to start out by saying thank you. Thank you for coming to support MYTHIRDPLACE this past Monday at Chipotle for our third annual fundraiser. From the moment 5pm hit, the line wrapped around the restaurant (forget how small it seems–it’s deceptive) and the place stayed lively and full all the way through dinner. The conversations flowing throughout the restaurant were filled with laughter, and everywhere you looked, smiles were lighting the room. Thank you for bringing your appetites as well as bubbling personalities to support our cause. What a blessing it is to work together with such Kingdom centered people.
Initially, the vision was for these fundraisers to happen monthly at different restaurant locations across Azusa. But after the first one at Chipotle, it was made clear just how much work these events were going to take. Plus, we all know Chipotle is basically the best, so why would we ever go anywhere else? After hosting this fundraiser there just once, we did it three more times, and will continue that tradition twice a year. (Stay tuned for our next Chipotle Fundraiser this spring!)
Traditionally, we ask everyone who attends a “question of the evening” to bring as much engagement to the room as possible. This past fundraiser our question was, “When you were a teen, what was your third place?” The idea of a third place, as you might have heard, comes from sociologist Ray Oldenburg, who suggests that we all live in three places. The first place is home, and the second is school or our workplace, but the third place is anywhere we live outside of the first two. These three places are also connected and shape who we are, so much so that a change in one place will ignite positive or negative effects in the others. Asking people at the event what their third place was as a teen really brought their personal life stories into proportion with what MYTHIRDPLACE is striving to do. This fundraiser wasn’t just about coming to support an organization. It was, and is, about coming together as people with a vision, and in recognizing our own third places, creating a better third place that will positively impact the first two places of others.
To give you a small idea of what the numbers have been like in the past, our first Chipotle fundraiser, we raised about $1,300. That was just through your support and Chipotle’s willingness to partner with us. This fundraiser is the first time we have had donors matching what was raised. That being said, the results of this fundraiser were outstanding. While we have no idea how many people walked through the Chipotle doors, we do know that there was an amazing turnout. (And we have proof! There are like 100 something pictures on Facebook!) With your help, we raised a total of $1,006.28. Then, thanks to the generosity of our donors, Foothill Counseling Center, Boutique La Lune, and Beveled Edge Art Glass Studio (all which are linked below), MYTHIRDPLACE now has a grand total of $2,012.56 with which some pretty exciting things are going to happen.
Remember that bonfire pit that was mentioned as a potential future happening? Well that is just one of the many things we are looking to do with this money. You’ll have to stay on the lookout for a future blog post for all the specifics of what we really want to do, but we’re also looking to renovate a third room. Currently, we have access to three rooms, two of which are functioning within the program. The first room is and will remain a central meeting room, and the second room is being used as a classroom, though it is currently in the process of being outfitted as a more formal class space. The third room we have access to is simply waiting to be transformed so we can begin using it. (Yes, MYTHIRDPLACE is looking to make a third space. We apologize for the terrible pun.) We’re looking to turn this room into a space with a comfortable, almost cafe-like atmosphere for fellowship, studying, and maybe a few pastries. That outdoor space mentioned a few times before may also become a hub for outdoor movies or life-sized Jenga games to be hosted. We have so many ideas for our site here at MYTHIRDPLACE, and with the funds raised from Chipotle, we are one step closer to making these ideas a reality. So thanks again for contributing. We’re so blessed by your support.
If you weren’t able to make it to the fundraiser on Monday, but would still like to help, there are many ways for you to get involved and to give. We even have it all set up and ready for you. Just visit: https://mythirdplace.org/give/
Thank you again to our donors:
Foothill Counseling Center
https://www.foothill.org/counseling-resources/
dr.rbeckwith@gmail.com
626 629 7243
