- October 10, 2024
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Can the Ormond Beach community raise $100,000 for local schools during the current academic year?
Ormond-by-the-Sea resident Dillon Kalkhurst hopes so. Givebacks Inc, Kiwanis READS! and the city of Ormond Beach have partnered with local restaurants to launch a new donation initiative called Givebacks Shop to Give. Through the program, participating merchants make donations based on purchases made by Giveback "backers."
"This is really without fundraising," Kalkhurst said. "It's just connecting their supporters, connecting their parents and their parents' friends and family, and getting them to link up and support the school when they go out to eat."
By downloading the free Givebacks Shop to Give app, or signing up at givebacks.com, a portion of purchases made at eligible restaurants and retailers will be donated to schools, or other nonprofit organizations. Backers will need to link their credit cards and from that point on, every purchase made using that card at eligible businesses will benefit the initiative. The app, according to a press release, has a network of over 10,000 restaurants and 15,000 online retailers.
Locally, several Ormond Beach restaurants have committed to donating 5% of their purchases: Rose Villa, Grind and Kona Tiki Bar, Ormond Garage, 31 Super Club, Fugu Sushi, Pump House BBQ, Lulu's, Larry's Giant Subs, Fletcher's Irish Pub, Sunrise Grill, Absolutely Cheezee, Simply Gina's, Beachside Cafe and Donuts, Blues and Brews Bistro, SoNapa Grille, Fysh Bar and Grill, Woody's Bar-B-Q, Tortugas Kitchen and Bar, Madeline's Wine Bar, Super Maris Pizza, Neighborhood Scoop, and Surfin' Scoops.
"We've got a great foundation with some really good Ormond Beach local restaurants on board, and we're hoping to double that number within the next month or so," Kalkhurst said.
Some of the national retailers included in the initiative are Walmart, Office Depot, Lowe's, Chewy and Kohl's. Several stores in Tanger Outlets are also participating.
Mayor Bill Partington said that the most attractive part of the initiative is that the donations are being generated by ordinary day-to-day purchases, similar to the Amazon Smile program, which was discontinued by the company in February.
"It's a great way for everybody to do their part in a small way," Partington said. "But when you add up all those small contributions it ends up being a significant donation or contribution to the overall cause, which is pretty cool."
The average backer, according to the press release, generates about $100 in donations a year.
To reach the $100,000 fundraising goal in Ormond Beach, each of the participating schools — Beachside Elementary, Ormond Beach Elementary, Pathways Elementary, Pine Trail Elementary, Tomoka Elementary, Ormond Beach Middle School, Hinson Middle School and Seabreeze High School — would need 125 backers. This would bring over $10,000 to the school.
"It's local residents supporting local businesses that are supporting local causes and schools," Kalkhurst said.
Visit https://info.givebacks.com/givebacks-for-education-ormond-beach.
