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Freedom has been selected to join and test the new validated Social Impact Seal! So, what does that mean?

SocialVentures, the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio, and Measurement Resources Company have joined forced to develop and launch a unique, innovative pilot program on behalf of the rapidly growing social enterprise sector, to validate the social impact they communicate to community stakeholders, consumers, and investors.

B Labs and its Certified B Corp program have gained significant traction over the years as a way to communicate businesses’ transparency as it relates to their commitment to ethical business practices, as well as their commitment to using environmental sustainability. Similarly, Conscious Capitalism is also trending among corporations examining their 360-degree impact, and exploring how business decisions, relationships and policies manifest in both intended and unintended consequences throughout their supply chains, their workforce, and the communities they serve.

But until now, there has not been a single organization to oversee and offer an affordable equivalent to social enterprises seeking to have their social impact validated by an independent third party. This has become increasingly problematic for social enterprises, as well as for consumers and impact investors, who want to know that their purchases and investments are supporting the social impact efforts that social enterprises are claiming they achieve.

Freedom a la Cart + 12 other social enterprise pilot program participants have successfully completed the process to demonstrate that our social impact is legitimate. And now, our organization will begin to market test a new seal that communicates this third-party validation. As shown in the image above, this new seal will appear throughout our marketing materials.

Check out the other 12 social enterprises participating in the social impact validation pilot program:

• Art & Clay on Main
• Bikes for All People
• CAREcutz
• Downsize With A Heart
• Food for Good Thought
• Furniture With A Heart
• Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio’s ReStore
• Kicks Mix Bookstore
• Nature’s Touch Landscaping
• The Roosevelt Coffeehouse
• Square Seven Coffee
• Transitions Commercial Cleaning

Teenage girl raises nearly $5,000 for Freedom a la Cart

 

Never underestimate the power of a woman on a mission! Even a young woman of 16-years old.  Grace Welty, a 16-year-old junior at Westerville Central High School, wanted to do something to support Freedom a la Cart’s mission to empower survivors of human trafficking after discovering the severity of the sex trafficking issue in Central Ohio.

 

“I know that [sex trafficking] is a really big issue,” Grace said. “I feel that people know about it, but don’t really take the time to take action.”

 

Grace approached Freedom a la Cart with her desire to raise money for the organization through the game of golf. Her plan was to encourage friends, family and neighbors to pledge a dollar amount for each par she earned throughout the 2018 golf season.  Grace ended the season with 98 pars. Most people pledged $1 per par, and others decided to give a flat donation on top of their par donation. Together, Grace collected $4,864.50 for Freedom a la Cart.(Even more than printed on the over-sized check!)

 

Grace said her dedication to the cause made it easy to raise the money.  “It motivated me more to ask people. Everyone I asked said, yes,” Grace said.

 

Although she hoped to raise a lot of money, Grace says she never expected to raise more than $1,000, so she was pleasantly surprised by the result.

Grace’s advice for anyone who wants to raise money for Freedom a la Cart is to “just go for it!”

 

“I didn’t think that I would raise this much money, but even if I didn’t, it’s still making an impact,” she said. “You can get the word out, and I think it’s really good to just go for it because you never know what can happen.”