Twin Cities Nonprofit Launches Campaign to Fund Sustainability Center
The Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab will be a destination for youth empowerment through hands-on education and job opportunities.
Minneapolis, MN, November 21, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Spark-Y, a Twin Cities-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth through hands-on education rooted in sustainability and entrepreneurship, today announced their plans to publicly fund an expansion to their Minneapolis location. The updated space will serve as a destination for Twin Cities youth to explore concepts of urban agriculture and sustainability, giving them the opportunity to create business models by growing and distributing produce to a rapidly expanding network of community partnerships.
In addition to being an open-to-the-public learning center, the Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab will create several jobs for community youth and serve as a full-scale agricultural production facility. Produce grown by Spark-Y is distributed to Twin Cities restaurants, grocers, co-ops, and through year-round Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares (available through inquiries at info@spark-y.org). All proceeds from produce sales serve the organization’s mission of working with local schools to impact young lives by educating them on harnessing sustainable practices to drive entrepreneurial empowerment.
The crowdsourced-funding campaign, hosted through Generosity.com, aims to raise $150,000 with all proceeds going entirely to supporting the production facility. Renovation plans will nearly double the size of their current headquarters, the Kirk K. Marschel Sustainability Center, located at 4600 Chicago Ave S. If the funding goal is reached or exceeded, Spark-Y plans to purchase or lease additional space to create more agricultural systems, add more jobs for youth and grow more produce.
“The Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab is an exciting expansion to our rapidly growing organization,” commented Zach Robinson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Spark-Y. “We currently partner with 12 Twin Cities schools and reach over 600 students each year. This facility gives us the chance to not only reach more students, but it provides an opportunity for youth-inspired innovation. The more funds we can raise, the more innovative and bigger our systems can become — everything we create is scalable — the possibilities are limitless.”
For more information on how to donate to the Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab, visit https://www.generosity.com/fundraisers/spark-y-urban-ag-Twinlab/x/12753803. To learn more about Spark-Y, visit www.spark-y.org or like them on Facebook.
About Spark-Y (pronounced Spark-WHY)
Spark-Y is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that empowers youth through action-oriented labs focused on sustainability and entrepreneurship. We integrate interdisciplinary curriculum with hands-on agriculture systems, such as aquaponics, mushroom growing, and vermiculture into high school and K-8 classrooms throughout the Twin Cities metro. We serve over 600 youth annually at 12 schools, and offers a summer internship program during which up to 30 high school and college students are given the chance to become stakeholders in hyper focused, results-driven projects. A select few of these youth have gone on to become staff members of our organization. For more information, visit www.spark-y.org.
In addition to being an open-to-the-public learning center, the Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab will create several jobs for community youth and serve as a full-scale agricultural production facility. Produce grown by Spark-Y is distributed to Twin Cities restaurants, grocers, co-ops, and through year-round Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares (available through inquiries at info@spark-y.org). All proceeds from produce sales serve the organization’s mission of working with local schools to impact young lives by educating them on harnessing sustainable practices to drive entrepreneurial empowerment.
The crowdsourced-funding campaign, hosted through Generosity.com, aims to raise $150,000 with all proceeds going entirely to supporting the production facility. Renovation plans will nearly double the size of their current headquarters, the Kirk K. Marschel Sustainability Center, located at 4600 Chicago Ave S. If the funding goal is reached or exceeded, Spark-Y plans to purchase or lease additional space to create more agricultural systems, add more jobs for youth and grow more produce.
“The Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab is an exciting expansion to our rapidly growing organization,” commented Zach Robinson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Spark-Y. “We currently partner with 12 Twin Cities schools and reach over 600 students each year. This facility gives us the chance to not only reach more students, but it provides an opportunity for youth-inspired innovation. The more funds we can raise, the more innovative and bigger our systems can become — everything we create is scalable — the possibilities are limitless.”
For more information on how to donate to the Spark-Y Urban Ag Lab, visit https://www.generosity.com/fundraisers/spark-y-urban-ag-Twinlab/x/12753803. To learn more about Spark-Y, visit www.spark-y.org or like them on Facebook.
About Spark-Y (pronounced Spark-WHY)
Spark-Y is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that empowers youth through action-oriented labs focused on sustainability and entrepreneurship. We integrate interdisciplinary curriculum with hands-on agriculture systems, such as aquaponics, mushroom growing, and vermiculture into high school and K-8 classrooms throughout the Twin Cities metro. We serve over 600 youth annually at 12 schools, and offers a summer internship program during which up to 30 high school and college students are given the chance to become stakeholders in hyper focused, results-driven projects. A select few of these youth have gone on to become staff members of our organization. For more information, visit www.spark-y.org.
Contact
Spark-Y
Zach Robinson
612-821-6390
spark-y.org
zach@spark-y.org
Zach Robinson
612-821-6390
spark-y.org
zach@spark-y.org
Contact
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