For every year we have been in business, Bramble Berry has donated a portion of our profits to local charitable organizations and non-profits (see our Social Responsibility Statement here). Last year for the first time ever we decided to bring our friends, blog readers and customers, in on the charitable contribution action with the start of Bramble Berry Athletic Club. 2012 was super fun (and successful) so a new team was an easy decision. We recently we announced BBAC’s Sponsored Athletes for 2013. If you missed the announcement, check it out here. Today we have an interview with one of last years team members, Patty Staniewicz, who ran a half marathon at Disney World (how fun!). You can also check out Patty’s teammates’ stories here: Andrea Edgar, Bonnie Garrity, Harmony Davis, and Kerri Kretzmeier.
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Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Kerri Kretzmeier
For every year we have been in business, Bramble Berry has donated a portion of our profits to local charitable organizations and non-profits (see our Social Responsibility Statement here). Last year for the first time ever we decided to bring our friends, blog readers and customers, in on the charitable contribution action with the start of Bramble Berry Athletic Club. 2012 was super fun (and successful) so a 2013 was a no-brainer. We recently we announced BBAC’s Sponsored Athletes for 2013. If you missed the announcement, check it out here.
BBAC’s inaugural year brought together 11 sensational athletes. So far we’ve shared the stories of team members Harmony Davis, Bonnie Garrity, and Andrea Edgar. Today’s story is from Kerri Kretzmeier, BBAC sponsored athlete who ran her second ever marathon while wearing her custom BBAC t-shirt with pride! Prepare to be inspired.
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Harmony Davis
Every year, as part of our commitment to giving back, Bramble Berry donates 5% of our profits to local non-profit organizations. Last year we decided we wanted to bring you, our Soap Queen readers and customers, into the mix and donate to the causes YOU felt passionate about. We sponsored 11 athletes for our first-ever Bramble Berry Athletic Club! The BBAC members all ran races in the name of their favorite charity and Bramble Berry generously donated to the event (plus, there were cool BBAC shirts just for our “pro” team).
If you missed out on it last year, now’s your chance to get in on the giving! Apply for Bramble Berry Athletic Club 2013 TODAY! Check out this post for the details on becoming part of the team (and today is the last day to get your application in).
Need some inspiration? Harmony Davis was a sponsored Bramble Berry athlete in 2012. Read on to hear about her charity and event.
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Bonnie Garrity
Here’s another one of our BBAC 2012 athletes! Bramble Berry is committed to donating a portion of our profits to charity (and has been ever since we opened our doors!). BBAC is all about bringing YOU in on our charitable contributions. Today’s interview is with one of our star athletes from last year’s team, Bonnie Garrity, owner of Good Earth Spa. You can catch Bonnie’s BBAC teammate Andrea Edgar’s feature here. I hop you feel totally inspired after reading (I know I do!). There’s still plenty of time to apply to be a part of BBAC 2013! Check out the details here.
Bramble Berry Athletic Club 2013: Get in on the Action!
Last year was the inaugural year of the Bramble Berry Athletic Club, where we brought YOU in on Bramble Berry’s annual charitable contributions. Check out last year’s team here, and our spotlight on team member Andrea Edgar here (other team member spotlights coming soon!). BBAC is the perfect fusion of Bramble Berry’s commitment to social responsibility and my love of health and fitness. It was a blast to follow along with the BBAC 2012 athletes, get to know them, and read their stories. So we’re doing it again, and this year we’ve added a twist: we’re opening up the entries to BrambleBerrians who work at Team Bramble Berry! Double the fun!
Anyone who follows me on Twitter or has read this blog for a while knows that I’m dedicated to health. I believe life is a marathon and running a business is a grueling (but fun!) part of that marathon. I’m already so proud of Bramble Berry team members who have taken initiative and focused on healthy eating habits as personal goals in the last year, and I’d love to encourage them even more by having them join in the fun of BBAC with you guys. [Read more…]
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Andrea Edgar
Every year as part of our commitment to giving back (see our Social Responsibility Statement here), Bramble Berry donates 5% of our profits to local non-profit organizations. Earlier this year we decided we wanted to bring you, our readers and customers into the mix and donate to the causes you felt passionate about. We sponsored 11 athletes for our first-ever Bramble Berry Athletic Club! The BBAC members all ran races in the name of their favorite charity and Bramble Berry donated to the races and paid all entry fees (plus, there were cool BBAC shirts just for our “pro” team). At this point many of our fabulous athletes have participated in their events and we wanted to share some of their stories with you. Today’s interview is with Andrea Edgar, owner of Soap4Squares!
Meet the New Bramble Berry Athletic Club!
Bramble Berry is honored to sponsor 11 athletes in our first-ever Bramble Berry Athletic Club to support worthy non profits. This is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this and we were thrilled to pieces with the responses! We plan on keeping you updated with the team’s events, charities and success stories. Get ready to feel warm and fuzzy! Not familiar with the BBAC? Read about it HERE.
Meet the 2012 Bramble Berry Athletes!
(Squee…this is so exciting!)
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Apply Now!
Bramble Berry donates 5% of our profits every year to worthy non profits (and has since 1998). This year, we would love to bring you into the mix with a portion of our charitable giving. Rather than have you vote on what charities to give to, we’re hoping to involve you in a personally meaningful way. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I am an avid exerciser and healthy living fanatic. Because fitness is something that I enjoy and believe is the foundation to running a successful business, I thought it would be fun to connect with Bramble Berry customers that share the same passion for giving back coupled with a desire to get moving. Let me introduce to you, for the first time in Bramble Berry history, the Bramble Berry Athletic Club! BBAC is a new group of sponsored athletes that will participate in various athletic events for charity.
I’m so excited about this! I can’t wait to support your athletic events and charities that are important to you. See details below to apply.
BBAC Perks
- Up to $550 to spend on entry fee and charity donation.
- BBAC schwag including team shirt to wear in your event.
- Soap Queen Blog feature including your story, charity, pictures and link love!
- BBAC surprise goody bag.
How to Apply
Email bbac(at)brambleberry(dot)com and tell us your story: Submit email by February 24th and we’ll announce the team on February 29th!
- Tell us about the race or event you plan on competing in this year.
- What charity does the event support?
- Why is this charity important to you?
- Please include a picture of yourself.
- Send us your charity page or a link to the race if you already have one set up.
Fine print
- The donation money will cover your entry fee for the event and the rest will go to the event’s supporting charity. We will cut the check directly to the charity.
- We would love a picture of you in your BBAC team shirt at the race (nothing would make us prouder) and we want to hear all about the event so we can blog about it!
- We will be choosing between 6-10 applicants.
Jake Locker and I at a Run for Hope benefit. See blog post here.
Squeaky Clean with Soap4Squares (Interview)
The soaping community is as diverse as they come, but it’s safe to say we all have one thing in common: we all like to “nerd out” when it comes to soap! Andrea Edgar took that idea step further in 2010 when she opened Soap4Squares, her soapy business that caters to fellow soapy nerds. Andrea has been a long time Soap Queen reader, and last year she was even one of 11 sponsored athletes for our first ever Bramble Berry Athletic Club. Read on to learn more about her soapy business and geek out over some totally cool soaps!
Soap Queen: How long have you been soaping for? And how did you get started?
I began soaping in 2010 while pregnant with my son. My skin became so incredibly sensitive during the pregnancy that almost everything on the market caused me to break out in hives! In my search for a gentle, natural, and fun cleansing option, I stumbled upon the Soap Queen blog and Soap Queen TV channel. I was intrigued with the idea that I could make amazing products at home, that were better for my skin, and a fraction of the cost of store bought soap! I dove in head first and haven’t looked back.
BBAC 2012: Renee DiMichele
Summer is coming up soon and that means the beginning of race and marathon season. We’ve sponsored our 2nd Annual Bramble Berry Athletic Club Team this year and soon enough, we will be hearing all about their events and races. In the meantime, check out this interview with one of our amazing athletes from 2012’s team, Renee DiMichele and get ready to be inspired! I love that she wore her BBAC soapywear to the race. It’s made out of high performance bamboo material (eco friendly too!) and it’s great for working out.
Tell us about your event! What was your favorite part?
Claire Dann 2012 BBAC Update
It’s time for another Bramble Berry Athletic Club charity shout out! If you’re a daily Soap Queen reader you’re probably familiar with BBAC and know that Bramble Berry donates a portion of our profits to local non-profit organizations. Starting BBAC was a way to connect with some of our customers equally as passionate about giving back and a way for Bramble Berry to donate to a wider variety of charitable causes that touch the lives of our customers.
Claire Dann Graduated from UW in 2012 and is now on her way to Oxford for grad school. She was one of the top fundraisers for the UW Relay For Life event and loves making lip balm from Bramble Berry in her spare time (when she’s not studying). Thanks for representing BBAC, Claire, we’re so proud to have you representing Bramble Berry!
Tell us about your charity!
Relay For Life supports the American Cancer Society. Because cancer never sleeps, the event is 24 hours long. The event honors cancer survivors and remembers loved ones that lost the battle with a candle light ceremony at dusk (always very emotional). My team, Paul’s Pals, camped out overnight and took turns walking and running around the track. Thanks to Bramble Berry’s charitable contribution, my team was able to raise over $5000 for the cause!
Say Hello to BBAC 2013!
Bramble Berry is proud to announce 2013’s Bramble Berry Athletic Club sponsored athletes! In it’s second year, BBAC had more responses to our call for applications than last year (hooray for health!). All of the entries were inspiring and it was hard to choose, but we were delighted by the interest everyone showed. This year we opened enrollment to members of Team Bramble Berry, and even opted to sponsor a unique group of athletes. Read on to see our fabulous 2013 team!
Ladies and gentlemen, Bramble Berry Athletic Club 2013…
Beth Comstock
Susan G. Komen 3-Day for Breast Cancer Research
Holly Pike
Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society [Read more…]
A(nother) Big Announcement!
We’ve been full of big news lately, from finding out that we’re having a baby girl (eek!) to launching this year’s Bramble Berry Athletic Club, there’s been a lot of happy hustle and bustle and I couldn’t be more excited. But before you go thinking that’s all I’ve been busy with, there’s another big announcement…a secret I’ve been keeping for almost a year now:
I’m writing a book!!(!!!!!!!!!)
I’ve been working with the fabulous team at Storey Publishing on my new print book, Soap Crafting. It has been an amazing, mind-blowing, grueling, exciting experience so far (really, a little bit of everything). The book contains 31 Soap Queen designed and tested Cold Process soap recipes that I hope will knock your socks off. The book shows how to infuse natural colorants, how to dilute and work with LabColors, incorporate fun additives and even includes a glossary of soapmaking terms. Plus, for beginners, there is a ton of introductory information about making Cold Process soap, a basic beginner recipe AND a breakdown of common soap making oils. Whew!
The book is due to come out in August (three months after Bramble Girl is due to arrive if you’re keeping track!), which feels like such. a. long. time. But as the book comes together, I’ll be giving regular updates on its progress. [Read more…]
Making Soap for AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a disaster relief and humanitarian organization that distributes donated items to those in need both locally and internationally. Their founding story is pretty amazing; you can read it in full here. It speaks of founder Bob MaCauly’s first endeavor into humanitarian aid, which involved a completely selfless act assisting children in need that wound up putting him in a large amount of personal debt. After the rescue, his wife was quoted as saying, “The bank got the house and Bob got the kids.”
From the AmeriCares website: “AmeriCares assembles product donations from the private sector, determines the most urgent needs and solicits the funding to send the aid via airlift or ocean cargo to health and welfare professionals in the indigent locations…Because we deliver donated medicines and medical supplies from our corporate partners to an established and trusted network of locally based clinics, hospitals, and health care providers around the world, the impact of the contributions of supporters is multiplied many, many times over. Historically, for every $1 donated we are able to deliver $25 in humanitarian relief to people in need.” Since it’s start in 1982, AmeriCares has delivered over 10 billion dollars in aid to over 164 countries. [Read more…]