Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM OCTOBER 2021 58 O ver the course of 2020, the members and staff of the AVB/ BrandSource buying co-op, along with their vendor partners, raised more than $200,000 for the group's charity of choice, Together We Rise (TWR), which supports kids in foster care. At BrandSource's recent Convention21 in Nashville, AVB was digging into its pockets again, this time to assist TWR's Family Fellowship initiative for college-bound youth. Rather than discharge foster care clients as they age out of the system, the Family Fellowship program provides tuition assistance, housing, career and life skills support, and even a place to go during the holidays, for deserving students across the country. To help reach a Convention goal of $150,000, BrandSource's vendor partners came together to raffle off two roundtrip tickets to anywhere on Jet Blue and pitched in for a Grand Prize Jeep Wrangler sport utility vehicle, in addition to a second Jeep Wrangler donated by LG Electronics. Member dealers received raffle tickets after placing qualifying orders at the Convention's limited-quantity show special Stampede event, and also vied for the Wrangler with a $50 purchase of TWR apparel at the Together We Rise booth – where attendees also signed up for fundraising events in their stores and communities and entered the Jet Blue travel raffle by dropping off a business card. In addition, AVB donated $5 to TWR for every dealer who completed an online Convention survey. The fundraising drive was announced during a Convention keynote, where scholarship recipient and military-bound Juanje Davis gave witness to the program's cascade of social benefits. "I am extremely excited that Together We Rise is joining Convention as our philanthropy partner," said Amanda Nelson, a project manager with AVB's digital marketing division who first brought the organization to BrandSource's attention. "Working together through COVID, we have found innovative ways to continue to support the foster youth in our communities." Nelson continued, "Welcoming the Together We Rise team to Nashville, we were able to further educate our members, vendor partners and employees about the variety of opportunities to help foster youth gain the resources they need to live happy, fulfilling lives. I look forward to building our partnership for years to come!" All told, AVB/BrandSource met and surpassed its $150,000 fundraising goal, while Marcia and Carl Snyder of Carl's Appliance in Grand Blanc, Mich., wrangled the Grand Prize Wrangler. In addition, two other lucky raffle winners – Jeff Mastin of Peoples Appliance in Waterloo, Iowa, and Trevor Haasch of Schroeder's Appliance Center in Brainer, Minn. – each received two round-trip tickets to anywhere JetBlue flies. As a TWR "Superhero Partner" – a standing BrandSource shares with Toyota, Jet Blue, AIG, MetLife and other global organizations – AVB's employees can make recurring donations to the charity through payroll deductions. For others, one-time donations can be made by texting AVBGIVES to 44321. Congratulations to all the winners, and many thanks to all who sponsored and donated to this worthy cause. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO BRANDSOURCE RISES UP TO AID FOSTER YOUTH Alan Wolf is Senior Communications Specialist for AVB/ BrandSource, the nation's leading merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, home furnishings and consumer tech dealers. AVB Marketing's Amanda Nelson, COO Dave Meekings and Together We Rise scholarship recipient Juanje Davis convey the program's impact at Convention21.

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