Our ‘Raise the Roof’ event at the Woodshed in SLC, UT is happening soon!! Local businesses, organizations and artists are really coming forward with their support of Project Wezesha! As a result, everyone who comes out for the fundraiser has the chance to take home some pretty amazing items! Here is a little taste of what’s up for grabs on August 5th:
JOE NORMAN – SCULPTURE
Joe Norman of Blue Boat Home Design has donated a piece from his wooden sculpture collection. Joe is a local artist who loves doing custom work. His skills are varied and refined and we are delighted to have some of his work on hand for the event. You can see his work up close and personal at Gallery MAR in Park City as well as Sugarhouse Gallery. You should also take a look at both his website and his blog. Happy days to the winner of his donation!!
NILE GALAL FAHMY – METAL JEWELRY
Nile Galal Fahmy is a remarkable local artist who shapes metal, most often coins, into the most amazing jewelry. He can take an antique coin and turn it into a bracelet or earrings. You may have spotted him this summer at Craft Sabbath in Library Square or at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in Pioneer Park. He is contributing a custom bracelet – and you could be wearing it home!
LAURA LEIGH KEMPER – GLASS JEWELRY
Laura Leigh Kemper of Lake Street Glass makes the most spectacular belt buckles and jewelry from glass that she repurposes. The colors and patterns that Laura pulls together have been a huge hit among men and women alike at her local trunk shows. For this event, you’ll have the opportunity to take home some amazing items from her collection – including a belt buckle, earrings and a bracelet! Unfortunately, her site was recently hacked but should be up and running again soon, so I’ll include the link for you to peruse when it’s ready: Lake Street Glass.
KATHLEEN C. SMITH – PHOTOGRAPHY
Kathleen C. Smith is another local artist – a painter and photographer – who has donated a photograph for our event. Kathleen paints with watercolors and acrylics on canvas, she does collage with mixed media and occasionally sculpts. In addition, she has a wonderful eye for capturing images with her camera. Check out her artistic expression here: Kathleen C. Smith.
TERRA REILLY – PHOTOGRAPHY
Terra Reilly is a newly local artist who joins the Salt Lake scene from the East Coast via Seattle. She has mad skills with cameras and has been compiling a very impressive collection of images taken with her iPhone. Her eye for texture, composition and story in the world around us lets viewers enjoy the world in a way that’s just a bit more edgy and exciting than what we experience on the regular. She’s contributing a photograph to our fundraiser and you’re gonna wanna hang it on your wall! Check out her creative endeavors here: Sansivera Photography.
SAM WELLER’S BOOKS – GIFT CARD
Sam Weller’s Books of Salt Lake City, UT was founded in 1929 and is going strong in its third generation of operations! This great local bookstore contains roughly 400,000 new, used and rare books on three floors in the historic David Keith Building on Main Street in Salt Lake City – although they’re soon to move into Trolley Square (this fall). When you walk in and take a whiff; you can just smell the knowledge and stories that lie in wait for you between the book covers! Until they relocate, check them out on at 254 South Main St. in downtown SLC. Support Local!! Catherine Weller generously donated a gift card for our event, so get ready for that next book club!! Check out Sam Weller’s Books here at their site: Sam Weller’s Books.
MAX LOSEE – CUSTOM LONGBOARDS
Max Losee started shaping longboards in his garage years ago so he would have a way to carve even when the snow melted off in the Wasatch. Now, he’s grown into a company that churns out quality boards in the style of the custom ‘garage’ boards that got him started. All the boards literally roll right out of Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT with great attention paid to quality, innovation and detail. They’re hand-painted, hand-finished and laminated. The available graphics are awesome, but you can also customize your graphics on their website. *Max is customizing a board for the event with the Project Wezesha logo integrated into the graphics.* We’re psyched!! But don’t take our word for how rad these decks are, check them out for yourself on his site and if you don’t ride home on one from the Woodshed, make sure to place your order soon! Losee Longboards
AMBER SCHIAVONE ROBISON – PORTRAIT SITTING
Amber Schiavone Robison is a third generation photographer who uses her camera to tell the intimate stories of life and capture the beautiful nature of the people she photographs. She has a talent for bringing a moment to life in the photographs so that the memories don’t end with the bouqet toss or the candles being blown out. Amber has donated a photography sitting for 3-7 people with an 8×10 print included. If you are the lucky recipient of this generous donation, you can join Amber in creating engagement photos, a family portrait, baby pictures or even a fabulous print of your beloved furkid! Have a look at her portfolio here: Schiavone Photography
TONY CAPUTO’S MARKET AND DELI – INTRO to FINE CHOCOLATE CLASS
Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli brings quality, authentic food products from Italy, Spain, France, Greece and other Southern European cities right here to Salt Lake City. Tony and his son Matt well known for their tasteful selection of European goodies. Also, in 2009 Caputo’s was the first recipient of Salt Lake Magazine’s “Best Food & Wine Educator.” So, in support of Project Wezesha, Matt Caputo has donated a gift certificate for their Intro to Fine Chocolate class – and he just told me that the world’s top chocolate bar this year is made with beans from TANZANIA! How fitting! Caputo’s Market and Deli has something for everyone – from an extraordinary deli menu to a cheese cave, a stacked chocolate bar selection and an in-house salame maker! Check out their website or even better – visit one of their three locations (downtown, 15th adn 15th or U of U): Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli
FLUID HEART YOGA – “RELAX” PACKAGE WITH EYE PILLOW, CLIFF SPA DAYPASS AND YOGA EXPERIENCE
Kristin Vance, owner of Fluid Heart Yoga has donated two packages that just whisper “relax” to me. Recipients of her packages will take home an eye pillow infused with lavendar for the ultimate in relaxation, plus a certificate for one yoga session as either a private or small group experience. In addition, since Kristin teaches at the Cliff Spa, among other places, you’ll recieve a one-day pass to the Cliff Spa, which gives you access to the pool and other facilities. (Thank you to the Cliff Spa for their support, too!) I really hope you are the winner of this delightful, rejuvenating package. Check out the website and learn more about Kristin and what she is offering: Fluid Heart Yoga
BREWVIES CINEMA PUB – MOVIE PASSES
Andy Murphy at Brewvies has generously donated several movie passes, which we’ll raffle off in two’s so that you and a friend can bike downtown for dinner and a movie. Brewvies always has a great selection of movies to choose from – often funny and usually ‘just the movie’ you wanted to see! If you haven’t been to Brewvies yet, you have to come out to the Woodshed, win some tickets and get on over there. Where else in Salt Lake can you eat a great meal, drink cold beers and watch a great movie on the big screen … nowhere! Gotta be Brewvies! Check out the website to scope the food and beer offerings and find out what movies are playing … like right now, it’s Brides Maids and Horrible Bosses … Hilarious! Brewvies Cinema Pub
THE ROSE ESTABLISHMENT – TEA AND COFFEE
Located in the historic wharehouse district of downtown Salt Lake City, the simple and welcoming Rose Establishment promises to provide you with the perfect space for the perfect tea and/or coffee experience. The feel of The Rose Establishment is soft and comforting with great lighting, a patio, a cool feel and an overall sense of ‘elsewhere’. It’s like a little escape for the mind and soul right on the fringes of downtown Salt Lake City. The Rose has a light menu of breakfast and lunch items, snacks and of course phenomenal Four Barrell Coffee from San Francisco and tea from various companies dedicated to the ‘purity and essence of tea’. The Rose Establishment has donated tea and coffee for our raffle, so make sure your mugs are clean for the morning after! Check out their equally pleasant website for more information: The Rose Establishment
KIM HALL – POTTERY
Talented local climber and skier, Kim Hall is perhaps best known for her great laugh, her sense of adventure and her amazing survival of a 1,000 foot fall in Little Cottonwood Canyon this winter! (KSL News Clip) She is less known for her amazing skills behind the wheel … in the pottery studio – but that’s soon to change! Kim has donated the most beautiful set of recently hand thrown pottery including two mugs, three bowls and large serving bowl. You could be taking this amazing collection home – but you’ll have to come out to win, so we’ll see you there!
SHELLEY MARSHALL – ICE SKATING CLASSES
Shelley is a remarkable woman who’s out there trying to shake up the Salt Lake scene with a whole lotta ‘Get ‘er Done’ for our great community. Most notably, Shelley is the Executive Director of Sustain Utah – a nonprofit organization devoted to supporting other Utah nonprofits that are committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship. When she’s not saving the world in her ‘green’ cape, she’s bringing smiles to aspiring skaters of all ages in the ice rink! Shelley has donated a certificate for two private lessons – for any age and any ability level. She has been teaching ice skating for 14 years! If you’ve been thinking of getting out of the sun and putting your buns on ice, I think this is the perfect package for you! Read more about Shelley and the SLC Sports Complex where she teaches here: Shelley Marshall
THE FRONT CLIMBING CLUB – DAY PASSES
The Front Climbing Club is the hub for the hardcores and newbies alike who love to boulder! You check your ropes at the door and just pull on your shoes and you’re good to go. The route setting at The Front is stellar with some of the best climbers in Salt Lake City setting the problems that will progressively warm you up, push your limits and then stump you all together. In addition to great indoor climbing, The Front has yoga & pilates classes, ping pong, weights and cardio equipment – something for everyone! The Front donated a stack of day passes for our raffle – so come out and win, then pedal on over and spend the day getting psyched and strong! Learn more about The Front here: The Front Climbing Club
MOMENTUM CLIMBING – CLASSES AND PASSES
Momentum Indoor Climbing gym is a choice spot to go if you love love LOVE route climbing! The walls are so beautiful with obvious inspiration from our beloved desert red rock. The route setting is quality and diverse with something for the techy sport climber, the steep jug hauler, the all-traddy daddy and the straight-outta-intro-class climbers alike! They even have desert cracks – steep and vertical. The lead walls are vast so the crowding is limited and there are tons of top roping options, too! And … in the back room, you can get your ‘strong’ on with a big bouldering area, a woody and hangboards. In addition to the great climbing and training, Momentum has child care, yoga, pilates and climbing classes, weights and cardio equipment. Mo-Town has donated day passes and two Explore Climbing packages which offer intro classes, a 2-week membership and shoe/harness rental for that time frame. Sweet! Check out this indoor climbing mecca: Momentum Indoor Climbing
ROCKREATION – KIDS CLIMBING CAMP
Rockreation Climbing Center is dear to my heart as I worked there for over a decade!! This gym has been around for a while and has top-rope and lead climbing options for those who like to rope up as well as a bouldering cave with lots of potential for exciting throws and body contortions. One of the strongest points of Rockreation is their education – for the novice and advanced climbers, they offer a wide range of classes and personal coaching. They also have some great options for kids – including weekly Kids Time classes, birthday parties and seasonal camps for kids. For this event, Rockreation has donated a Summer Kids Camp certificate – so space and time permitting, you could put your child in climbing camp for a week this August or save it for next summer and consider yourself covered for at least one week of fun! Check out their site and more information about the camps here: Rockreation Indoor Climbing
CHRISTINE McDONOUGH – PHOTOGRAPHY
Christine McDonough, a fellow Irish lass is a gifted photographer and graphic designer. We first met when she came out to support Girls Education International at a screening of A Small Act, a documentary set in Kenya about how one small act really can have a huge impact. I found out that after seeing A Small Act originally at the Sundance Film Festival, Christine became penpals with a student at the school in Kenya. She’s a kindred soul who wants to see positive change in the world – at all levels. In this spirit, she has donated one of her beautiful photographs for this event. See more of her work here: The Copper Shamrock
RED BUTTE GARDEN – MEMBERSHIP TO THE GARDEN
Red Butte Garden is a little oasis in Salt Lake City with impeccably maintained botanical gardens. When you open the map for your stroll through the gardens you’ll see that you have so much to look forward to – a rose garden, a waterfall garden, an herb garden, the children’s garden, a medicinal garden, a fragrance garden, a wildflower meadow, trails into a protected natural area with local flora and fauna … ah, I think I need to go for a walk!! In addition to the garden, Red Butte has incredible educational opportunities with classes on everything from Plein-Air Landscape painting to Cooking Indian Cuisine (to name only two of many)! In addition, they offer summer camps for kids, family nights, fitness in the garden and of course – the ever popular Concert Series which brings in an amazing line-up every summer! Red Butte is a tremendous asset to Salt Lake City and they have donated a membership certificate to our event, which includes free admission to Red Butte Garden year-round, discounts on concerts, classes, workshops and tours, a discount in the Gift Shop and more!! Check out Red Butte Garden here: Red Butte Garden
Misc. BOUTIQUE – VINTAGE CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES
Misc. (pronounced ‘Missy’) is a vintage clothing and accessory boutique located in downtown Salt Lake City in a beautiful space shared by The Green Ant. Missy, the owner has a unique eye for quality vintage clothing, belts, purses, shoes, swimwear and jewelry. The majority of her shop caters to women, but she does have a small selection of vintage western shirts for men. I have yet to pop into Misc. without leaving with a little extra something for my wardrobe – even when my intention was just to catch up with Missy. It’s impossible … just try it! I dare you. 😀 Missy has donated a gift certificate to her boutique for our event and it’s generous enough to afford you a whole outfit, with accessories if you shop wisely!! You want this, ladies! Misc. doesn’t have a website, but you can check out her style on her Facebook page here: Misc. Botique
THE GREEN ANT – BLENKO VASE
Who doesn’t know and love Ron Green of The Green Ant! Located in historic downtown Salt Lake City, The Green Ant buys and sells mid-century modern vintage furniture and if you walk in the door on the right day, you might walk out with that perfect piece to complete your space. Mid-century modern is the minimalist style that is the ultimate in ‘less is more’ in terms of design. Ron has donated a classic Blenko vase for our event. Come check it out and maybe you’ll be taking it home! Visit the website to learn more and get a sense of what was going on in the minds of furniture designers between the 40s and 70s: The Green Ant
NO BROW COFFEE AND TEA COMPANY – GIFT CERTIFICATES
Joe, the owner of No Brow has created a space where Salt Lakers can just come and be themselves while enjoying some of the finest coffee and tea available in SLC. They make a point at No Brow to offer coffees that are brewed with quality and the ultimate java moment in mind. They serve coffees from Salt Lake Roasting Co, Intellegentsia, Coava, Barefoot and more. And – well, the coolest thing about No Brow is that they have a skate team! What? That’s pretty awesome, so get your raffle ticket in hand, win something from No Brow and then roll on down to sip some quality coffee in downtown SLC – take in the art, dig the chill atmosphere and maybe spot a bad ass sk8r. ha! Check it out here: No Brow Coffee and Tea Company
IME UTAH – MOUNTAIN SPORTS STORE
International Mountain Equipment, Inc. (IME) is a great little mountain sports shop tucked around the corner from REI on 3300 South in SLC. The guys that work in IME are lifers and know pretty much everyone that walks in the door. If you go there, and they don’t know you – make sure you plan a little extra time to get to know them! You won’t regret it! IME is the quintessential local shop which thrives on the climbing and snow-riding community. They carry everything from climbing, camping and skiing gear to maps, books and videos to keep you safe and make you rad! They’ve very kindly donated a sweet gift certificate, so someone’s going home a little richer in the gear department after this raffle! Check out what IME has to offer here: IME Utah
NATURAL SMILES DENTISTRY – TEETH WHITENING KITS
Once upon an overdue teeth cleaning I posted a query on Facebook to see who my friends would recommend that I see. I had several recommendations, but only one name came up over and over and over again from friends that I knew well and trusted immensely. That name was Dr. Tom Brickey of Natural Smiles Dentistry. I knew I would be safe when he walked in with his handlebar mustache and sat to talk about my teeth while sipping his coffee! Coffee! I thought I would have to lie about drinking red wine and coffee, but finally I found a dentist and dental staff that was nonjudgmental and just downright hip! Dr. Brickey is wonderul and I don’t think I can say enough about his practice – other than … Go there! Dr. Brickey has recently had his own tragedy – his young daughter MiaBella recently and unexpectedly had to have heart replacement surgery! The transplant was a success and the recovery has been slow but steady – and now the Brickey’s are struggling to keep up with medical bills. And still, Dr. Brickey reached out and offered to make a donation to this event for Project Wezesha. Do you see what I mean? Awesome!! Check out Dr. Brickey and his practice here: Natural Smiles Dentistry
GREAT BASIN CHIROPRACTIC – COMPLETE WELLNESS ASSESSMENT
Dr. Mark, as he’s known by his patients, offers integrated chiropractic care inspired by his love of the natural world. The aim of his practice is to promote spinal health by enhancing overall health. He was contacted about this event by one of his patients – a friend of mine – who would likely not be standing upright if it weren’t for Dr. Mark. If you’ve ever wanted a complete evaluation with a focus on your spine’s health and how it affects your nervous system and more, then this is the ticket item for you! He has donated a complete wellness assessment, including report findings and a plan for moving forward. Read more about Dr. Mark and his practice here: Great Basin Chiropractic
NATIVE SONS – T-SHIRTS
Although not so local to you, Native Sons is very local to me. They are based in my hometown – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – and they are inspired by the beach lifestyle. They’ve grown from a small company promoting the beach – surfing, palm trees, cruisers and more – to a nationally recognized custom apparel company. My longtime high school friend, Richard Knott, very graciously donated t-shirts with the Project Wezesha logo for this fundraiser. We’ll have some shirts for the raffle and some for me to take over to Tanzania this summer. If you have any apparel needs – screen printing and embroidery, garment and product decoration, corporate apparel, and creative services – give Native Sons a shot. Check out their website to see the range of what they’re able to do with your ideas: Native Sons
There are so many more – and I’ll update very soon!
Thank you everyone for your support! ~Asante Sana!~