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Update: Campaign Raises $30K For Richmond Youth

Shaka and Maya Smart’s fundraising campaign for FRIENDS Association for Children raised $30,000 in thirty days. The couple plans to continue building awareness for the 142-year-old organization in December through a BonfireFunds.com site selling t-shirts featuring the FRIENDS logo.

“While Shaka and I both personally support FRIENDS, we wanted Richmond to get on board to build a strong base of support for the local organization,” Maya Smart said.  “We’re thrilled to put more than 1,000 FRIENDS shirts into circulation this month.  Whenever supporters don the shirt around town, they are helping to raise FRIENDS’ visibility and bolster its sustainability.”

Sales of both a FRIENDS RVA t-shirt and a special edition tee featuring Shaka Smart will be available through December at BonfireFunds.com/friendsrva.  All of the proceeds from both shirts, $10 and $20 respectively, will benefit FRIENDS.  

While t-shirts and select fundraiser prizes are still available online, November 30 marked the conclusion of the campaign’s main fundraising competition.   In one month, more than 1,400 t-shirts were sold to 816 supporters by 25 teams and 101  individual fundraisers.  Individuals competed for prizes including dinner with Shaka, original artwork from Ed Trask, and an LED flat-screen TV.

A public safety team including the VCU Police Department and first responders from across the state took the top prize and will receive an hour with Coach Smart.  VCU Police Chief John Venuti was also the campaign’s top individual fundraiser.  VCU’s spirit band The Peppas took the second place spot.

To date, the campaign has raised more than $21,000 directly through the Bonfire platform with additional funds coming from offline donors.  This campaign marks one of the largest on Bonfire to date.

“We hope Richmonders will consider supporting FRIENDS in their end-of-year giving,” Maya Smart added. “We still have time left to build awareness for this organization that’s helped so many kids throughout its history.”

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Congratulations and a big "thank you" to our winning team!  Public Safety led by VCU Police Chief John Venuti took the top spot raising $2460 for FRIENDS.

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THANK YOU for helping us get to $21K online.

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Thanks Barry!

http://ift.tt/1hmXWfz

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It's Small Business Saturday! - we're grateful to partner with local start-up Bonfire Funds this month to raise money for FRIENDS. Get your "RVA" t-shirt today to show support for FRIENDS and local business.

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Can we get to $18K online today on @bonfirefunds?  Tomorrow is the last day of our campaign. Click here to get your shirt now.

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Skip the lines on Black Friday! Be our top fundraiser and get this Samsung 55" LED Smart TV and support a great cause. One day left. http://bit.ly/1cGZjol

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Today, we're thankful for Lucy Goode Brooks who started FRIENDS in 1871. After she gained freedom, she started an orphanage for children displaced by slavery after emancipation. Read more about her story here.

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We're thankful today for your support -- in early December, we'll have new ambassadors representing FRIENDS with over 1,100 FRIENDS tees around Richmond.

There's still time to get one and share. http://bonfirefunds.com/friendsrva

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The Smart Family in their FRIENDS RVA tees.

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Two shirts away from $17K online. Let's get there and move closer to $20K on BonfireFunds.com.

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The sandwich I’m going to make the day after Thanksgiving

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Thankful for our friends like kindnessgirl who are spreading the word about this campaign. Get your tee here.

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6 days to go!  Help Shaka & FRIENDS get to $20K http://bit.ly/1cGZjol

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We still have some great prizes left including an rvacoffeestain print for those donating $100+ to FRIENDS. Click "Buy a Shirt" and donate at checkout here.

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FRIENDS Director of Programs Serenia Remley tells why supporting this campaign is so important.

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$16K+ on bonfirefunds and $6K+ offline.  Let's get to $20K online this week! http://bit.ly/1cGZjol