We R Foco Supports The Matthews House - January 2019

This promotion is an open invitation for all We R Foco businesses to take their own creative spin on fundraising for the month. Our hope is that all We R Foco businesses are able to join together to help raise funds for January’s nonprofit, The Matthews House. We will be promoting each participating business throughout the month in addition to our own fundraiser on We R Foco’s Facebook page. We encourage you to join us!

Info about The Matthews House

In 2003, Jerri Schmitz met a young man in Old Town Fort Collins. He had just aged out of foster care, which resulted in him couch-surfing and living on the streets. Jerri told him she was going to do some research and find resources for him. It turns out, back in the early 2000’s, there weren’t any resources for kids aging out of foster care in Larimer County. “Well, someone should do something about that,” Jerri recalls thinking. That thought sparked the flame that eventually became The Matthews House.

The Matthews House was incorporated in 2005 and began working with youth in 2006. Jerri Schmitz and Sara Mitchell, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, launched the nonprofit together. They dreamed of creating a safe place where at-risk youth could escape poverty and abuse. Their dream quickly became a reality, and soon every child aging out of foster care was being referred to the program.

The Matthews House’s innovative approach was working! We were doing a great job pulling youth out of the “raging river” and getting them on stable ground, but why were they falling in to begin with? It wasn’t long before we started working “upstream” with families. We figured if we could reach families early enough, helping them gain stability, kids could avoid being placed in foster care in the first place.

Where are they now?
The Matthews House now works with over 3,200 youth and families annually. We are growing with purpose, filling in service gaps to meet the needs of our community. We work collaboratively with many nonprofits, businesses, and public entities to best address the needs of participants. The Matthews House offers both intervention and prevention programming, walking alongside youth and families as they work their way from crisis to thriving.

How Can You Get Involved?

Promotion Ideas:

Needing some inspiration on fundraising ideas for January. Here is our list of ideas for all different business types.

– Start your own fundraiser on Facebook or other social platforms – This is probably the easiest and usually highly effective fundraiser. Check out the Matthews House how-to guide here.

– Host a Birthday Party! The team at The Matthews House hosts a monthly birthday party for each child who’s birthday falls within that time period. Generally, there are 10-15 youth each month. Outside businesses are asked to donate a meal, cake and other party essentials.

– Donate a % of sales – this is where the many options begin; choose one night out of the month, a certain product or service or your business could do a match program (if you raise $500 through funding, your company will match that amount). They are still looking for hosting all throughout the year!

– Show a receipt and receive XYZ – encourage clients and customers to donate directly to The Matthews House and when they show their donation receipt you give them a % off service or a free giveaway.

– Sponsor a Family Dinner – The Matthews House is still looking for Family Dinner (Feb. 7) sponsors to help them cater or to make a large meal for about 120 families. You would also be invited to join them in all the fun and participate the night of Feb. 7.

Ready to host a birthday party or family dinner? Contact amys@thematthewshouse.com.

Ready to participate? Let us know!

Once you have your promotion plan underway, please let Erica know, we will be sure to promote each participating business through the month of January! Email Erica at erica@werfoco.com.