Buzzy's Bees news & updates
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We are so grateful for the outpouring of support for Buzzys Bees this year. Take a few moments to reflect with us and recognize the difference your involvement makes in the lives of families who have unexpectedly lost a young child. As you consider your resolves for 2024, perhaps there is a new role for you in our hive? As we grow, there are expanded opportunities to join us in the mission to support grieving families. Check out the part-time position and the volunteer listings. We would love to have you join us! |
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Give Grief a Voice 2023 Art Reveal & Benefit Recap |
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On September 30th, 2023 we held our 5th annual Give Grief a Voice Art Exhibition & Benefit at the Greatroom in Beaverton, where we unveiled the stunning art pieces made for 10 families this year in memory of their little ones. The full recap of the event is available on our website, but, we would like to take a moment to give a huge thanks to our writers and artists for contributing their talents for another year, our event planning task force for all their hard work putting this year’s Exhibition & Benefit together, and to our supporters and community for helping us continue our mission to provide emotional and financial assistance to bereaved families. We are so grateful for your support of Give Grief a Voice, and hope you’ll continue to follow us as we move forward with the next steps of our mission.
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Our hive is full of generous donors who have responded to the End of Year appeal postcard, emails, and our asks on social media. Compassionate people like you believe in our programs and have seen the impact they have on bereaved families who have experienced the unexpected, and often unexplained, death of a young child. We appreciate you!
News of Buzzy’s Bees services continues to reach more people and applications this year have grown by 70% for our Financial Gifts and Give Grief a Voice programs. As our programs grow and we serve more families each year, so do our fundraising needs. Preparing for 2024, we set a goal to raise $20,000 by the end of this year.
To help reach that goal, a #GivingTuesday match challenge was set and then enthusiastically met by our community. Leading up to November 28th we received $5356.70 from donors which maximized the match of $3000. This was so very exciting! Additional donations have arrived and in total, as of December 20th we have raised over $27k via our End of Year appeal thanks to 47 donors!
Your donations will allow us to continue to support grief-stricken families in 2024 through our Financial Gifts, Give Grief a Voice, and support community (DUBS) programs. If you haven’t yet donated, we would appreciate your support. Mail your check to: Buzzys Bees, 515 NW Saltzman Rd #139 Portland, OR 97229, or donate online:
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Buzzy's Bees is looking for a part-time Financial Gifts Program Coordinator. This position can be conducted fully remote. If you are interested, please send a letter of interest and/or resume to amanda@buzzysbees.com by December 31. We will be conducting interviews the first week of January. The key responsibilities of the position include monitoring applications, attending committee meetings to review for fit with mission, sending responses (both declines and gifts-given) to the families, following through with payment and reporting. Further details can be found in the Position Description. We’d love to welcome you to our hive!
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We have been able to provide financial gifts to 23 families, totalling $11,150. There are several more pending as the year comes to a close. The needs are varied as families face the unimaginable. We've received notes of gratitude, including the following:
Thank you for your email and your kindness! I know they will deeply appreciate it! Can’t thank you enough, Aunt April (Electric bills & Groceries)
Good Evening, thank you so much! I'm just now seeing this email. We appreciate you so much for reaching to us in our time of need. SUDC Family in Minnesota (Counseling & Headstone)
We appreciate you getting back to us during this difficult time. With the holidays around the corner, it is just so unreal to face the first holidays without Adriana. SIDS Family in NJ
(Headstone & Gas)
Our hearts are with these families as they mourn. If you know of a bereaved family who could use some financial support, please let us know through this application.
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This is a quieter time of year for our program. The hustle and bustle of the event has ended. Our 2023 families have received their art, and we begin to focus on next steps. This week, we will meet as a committee and discuss the program plan for this next year. We’ll sift through applications and identify those that fit our mission parameters and make decisions about how many grieving families we hope to serve in 2024. |
We are happy to be launching a hybrid version of DUBS that will include both virtual and in-person events. Plans for 2024 include the following. Please reach out to Alex for more details (dubs@buzzysbees.com):
DUBS Virtual Gathering
Saturday, January 20, 2024 · 10:00 – 11:00 am PT
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/yer-svki-hxf
Or dial: (US) +1 443-671-8440 PIN: 233 406 259#
Craft day-Feb 10th @ 11a-1p
2400 NW 153rd Ave, Beaverton, OR 97006
Craft + snacks provided
DUBS Virtual Gathering
Saturday, June 15, 2024 · 10:00 – 11:00 am PT
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/yer-svki-hxf
Or dial: (US) +1 443-671-8440 PIN: 233 406 259#
BBQ-July-TBD
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This quarter we’d like to highlight and thank the volunteer contributions of Stephen Oshyn. The board was ready to hire an external accounting firm and Stephen helped by vetting a list of potential firms and coordinating the engagement of Blue Whale Accounting. Stephen also helped prep our 2022 accounting books so that Blue Whale could file our taxes. This is a perfect example of a finite-term, yet high impact contribution of volunteer time. Thank you, Stephen! |
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Thoughts from our Blog
In case you missed it, here is recent post from our blog.
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We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Satterberg Foundation for awarding Buzzy’s Bees the honor of receiving a $30k grant this past spring. This grant was awarded to us to support the outreach, storytelling, and community building of our Give Grief a Voice project - much of this will be with the continuation and expansion of our gallery tour. With this generous grant, we will be able to travel farther with our pieces, print our reproductions on durable metal bases, and more!
- We are so excited to welcome Gina Kornfeind to our team as a an advisory board member! Check out our blog to learn a little about her.
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Additional Ways to Support Buzzy's Bees |
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Volunteer Opportunities - Giving your time and talents |
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If you are looking to get involved with Buzzy's Bees, we are always happy to match your interests, available time, and specific talents with one of our standing committees. Please get in touch! Sometimes folx are looking for a defined role, in which case, here are a couple of opportunities to consider:
Golf Event Planning Committee Member - contact Nate Drews
Our 8th annual mini and par-3 golf event will be held on May 4, 2024 and we start meeting in late January, mostly by phone/web conferencing. We keep things light, fun, and organized. Help us develop the event theme, reach out to potential hole sponsors, determine event prizes, lunch menu, swag bags, and other special touches to make the day a success. We’d love to add you to our team!
Family Art Reveal Task Force - contact Amanda Drews
Our Family Reveal Event, held each fall, is the cornerstone of our Give Grief a Voice program, where families finally see their art piece for the first time and can meet other families from the program. A lot of work goes into putting these events together. Much of the work can be done virtually, so please consider joining this team.
IT Support - contact Julie Schneider
Have you noticed that our emails are .com even though we are a .org website? Do you have the IT talent to help us transition our email addresses to the new domain? We could use your help!
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Giving Partners
Thank you for your ongoing support through matching and other programs. Check these options:
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Benevity - A matching program through your employer (ie Google, Microsoft, Nike, etc)
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BottleDrop We are a registered non-profit with Oregon's BottleDrop and can receive proceeds from your donated cans and bottles! If you want to participate or have any further questions please reach out to Alex at dubs@buzzysbees.com.
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Fred Meyer Community Rewards - In addition to receiving personal rewards you can link your customer card to Buzzy’s Bees at Fred Meyer Community Rewards
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Thrivent Choice Dollars - If you have an insurance or annuity contract with Thrivent you may have Choice Dollars to designate. Check it out at thrivent.com under the My Thrivent heading.
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Grief does not discriminate. Buzzy’s Bees strives to support a broad and diverse community of grieving families. |
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BUZZY'S BEES | buzzysbees.org | hello@buzzysbees.com |
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