VISTA Brittany Johnson celebrates grand opening of Welcome Home Thriftique

This week, NC Campus Compact VISTA Brittany Johnson, along with her host site, the Hospitality House of Boone, will officially open the Welcome Home Thriftique. Congratulations all around! Read the Hospitality House press release for more info.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Todd Carter, Director of Development

828.264-1237, todd@hosphouse.org

Welcome Home Thriftique to Celebrate Grand Opening

Ribbon Cutting Oct. 3^rd for Upscale Thrift Shop Benefiting Hospitality House 

(NC Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA and Welcome Home Thriftique Project Manager Brittany Johnson)

BOONE, NC – September 26, 2014:  The Boone Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the official grand opening and ribbon cutting for Welcome Home Thriftique, an upscale thrift store project benefiting Hospitality House. The event will take place Friday, October 3, 2014 from 11am – 1pm. Lunch will be provided and the ribbon cutting will be at 11:30am.

Welcome Home Thriftique, a nonprofit retail shop with a purpose, has been open since July 25th. All items sold in the store have been donated by the community and 100% of profits go to support the programs and services of Hospitality House. Merchandised items include art, furniture, antiques and collectibles, home goods, décor and name brand clothing, Welcome Home Thriftique always accepts donations when open. Job skills training and financial literacy classes will also be offered at the store for clients and community members.

“We are excited to become ‘official’”, says Todd Carter, director of development for Hospitality House. “Our organization has been a long time member of the Boone Chamber and we are thrilled to present this new project and resource to the community.”

This three-year project is a collaboration of Hospitality House, Appalachian State University’s ACT (Appalachian and the Community Together) program and North Carolina Campus Compact. In August 2013, Brittany Johnson joined the Hospitality House team as a N.C. Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).

The purpose of the Thriftique is to further connect Hospitality House to the community, as well as to implement another revenue stream of continuous funding to support the organization. However, what sets this store apart from others is that it provides clients of the Hospitality House an avenue in which it can build a foundation for a successful future and learn sustainable living habits. Clients will have the opportunity to develop and further their skills and experience in the work force with the job skills training, financial literacy and internship programs that are at the heart of this project.

Local artists and entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to get involved and give back through Miss Trish’s Community Spotlight. Named in memory of volunteer and supporter Trish Burkhart, this component seeks local artists and entrepreneurs who are willing to donate a few items to be featured on a spotlight table for a month. The items will be advertised on social media and displayed on the sales floor! Participants will also have the opportunity sell their items every Saturday in front of the store.

“The Hospitality House mission is to serve the High Country community, specifically those impacted by poverty, by providing positive, supportive opportunities that teach skills and sustainability that will allow people to emerge from crisis, poverty and homelessness,” Johnson said. “I invite you everyone to come check out our store and learn about the purpose it serves for the organization as well as the community.”

Welcome Home Thriftique is located at 182 Boone Heights Drive. Store hours are Wednesday-Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. To learn more check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/welcomehomethriftique and follow them on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/Thriftique182 . For more information or to donate items, contact Brittany Johnson at Brittany@hosphouse.org or (828) 264-1237 x 115

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AmeriCorps VISTA: The Key to Opportunity

Throughout the month of June, North Carolina Campus Compact will be publishing articles written by our VISTA members. These pieces give readers access to first-hand experiences and reflections of VISTAs serving throughout the state. We are excited for them to share their perspectives on community and service with us! 

Please note: Any opinions expressed on the VISTA VIEW blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or policies of North Carolina Campus Compact, the AmeriCorps VISTA program or the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Becoming an AmeriCorps VISTA 

has opened the door to so many 

opportunities and helped me find 

my purpose in life. 

By Brittany Johnson, NC Campus Compact VISTA at the Hospitality House of Boone

Before serving in AmeriCorps I knew nothing about the program and did not even know it existed. I had no idea about the opportunities it presented and how it would change my life.

Originally from Eastern NC, I grew up in a very small town that I never quite fit into. After a failed attempt at college right after High School, the start of my 20’s was filled with uncertainty and confusion. At 22, I decided to go back to school and figure out my purpose in life. I transferred to Appalachian State University my junior year of college, and since then things have started falling into place. Majoring in Public Relations, I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do after graduation as there were many paths I could take. It wasn’t until my last semester of college that my path became clear.

After loading over $3000 cans donated to 

the Hospitality House, the late Ron Hurst

 and I stopped to take a photo together. 

Ron was a resident at the HH who inspired me

 and reminded me that he and others like him

 are why I do my job. He is greatly missed. 

For my senior capstone project, I was paired with Todd Carter, Director of Development for Hospitality House of Boone, to work on a campaign to raise funds and awareness for the nonprofit. After being educated on the homeless and poverty issues in Watauga County and receiving a tour of the amazing facility, I was hooked. I immediately wanted to know more and how I could get involved. Todd was an amazing mentor and his passion was so strong. He inspired me to look beyond my own assumptions of poverty and homelessness and open my eyes to the reality. Throughout the semester- long project I continued to learn so much and develop a passion of my own. I’ve always enjoyed helping people but it was more on a customer service level. Now, I have reached a level that was beyond my imagination and discovered my purpose: to serve others in need.  Todd informed me about the AmeriCorps VISTA program and how Hospitality House was trying to apply for a VISTA to manage a very unique project.  Filled with excitement, I knew this was the program and project for me. After a lot of research, I applied and became the NC Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA for Hospitality House of Boone, and it has been the best decision I’ve made since deciding to go back to college.

Since August I have been working on the Enterprise Project, a thrift store that will act as an economic

Celebrating a successful fundraising 

event at the Color Blast 5K, raising over

 $8,000 for my project and Western

 Youth Network, another community nonprofit!

resource to Hospitality House as well as a training facility for building job skills and financial literacy for Hospitality House clients. Starting a business from the ground up is not easy. Eager to apply my marketing and PR skills, I had to reroute that energy into writing a business plan, something I never had done before.  In addition, the location that was originally promised to us by a donor fell through, leaving us with no prospects for the store location. Refusing to quit and be discouraged, I continued to move forward, determined to stop at nothing until the project was successful. In February, I started planning a 5K and a Flapjack Fundraiser to raise money for the business startup costs.  The fundraisers were a success and we earned over $4,100 for the store. The hard work finally started paying off. On June 1st we signed a lease for our new thrift store, Welcome Home Thriftique, where we will sell upscale items such as furniture and home goods. It is so exciting to see this vision come alive. As the repairs are made and walls are painted, what seemed to be impossible at one time is now coming in to focus.

Looking back on a challenging yet amazing year, I realize that I have grown so much. The VISTA program has allowed  me to apply the skills I have in a field that suits my interests and every day I learn something new. Without the amazing staff at Hospitality House, the support of this beautiful community, and the guidance and wisdom of two amazing VISTA supervisors, this would not be possible. The lessons I have learned about the business of nonprofits, poverty issues, and the people I serve are priceless. Fueled by my passion, I work hard for something I truly believe in and realize that I am one of the lucky ones who get to do what they love every day. Being a VISTA has taught me to go beyond my comfort zone and realize my own potential and that with hard work and dedication, anything can be done. I am happy to announce that I have signed up for a second year in this program and I cannot wait to see what the next route of this journey has in store.