Colorado Leads member LivWell Enlightened Health found that just a few cents goes a long way to making change. In August, LivWell asked its customers to “round up” their purchase to the nearest dollar with the difference going to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund. The company has already raised more than $30,000 through nearly 69,000 transactions/donations.
The relief fund supports Colorado communities and organizations affected by the recent outbreak of COVID-19.
Colorado cannabis companies have sponsored more highways for clean up than any other industry. In fact, 51 cannabis companies sponsor 66 percent of roads, or 198 miles, covered by the state’s Clean Colorado program.
“It presents marijuana stores in a positive light,” Harsha Gangadharbatla, an advertising professor, told The Denver Post. “The money made from marijuana is put to something good, like keeping up roads and transportation that everyone uses.”
Native Roots’ commitment to giving back highlightedThe Colorado marijuana dispensary chain donated more than $25,000 to Chanda Plan Foundation, which provides healthcare services for people with disabilities that are not covered by insurance.
The donation came from a June Wellness Month promotion that dedicated a portion of sales of three different marijuana strains high in CBD, which is typically used to manage pain and reduce inflammation.
“We are so honored that Native Roots picked Chanda Plan Foundation for this opportunity,” said Chanda Hinton Leichtle, Executive Director of Chanda Plan Foundation. “This donation is far more than what we imagined, and we will be able to impact many individuals because of it.”
There’s no question the cannabis industry is impacting energy use as it goes mainstream. And no one is probably more aware of that than the city of Denver and the growers themselves, who have been working together to improve energy efficiency and lower waste output.
This month, the industry leaders are also throwing a benefit for the Colorado Carbon Fund and pushing for sustainable practices with the first Annual Green Industry Affair, which will include talks and entertainment July 24 at Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom.
All ticket and raffle proceeds will benefit the Colorado Carbon Fund.
Colorado’s success in implementing a successful legal recreational marijuana industry is in part due to the commitment by small business owners to give back to their communities.
Native Roots, for instance, which has nearly two dozen medical and recreational dispensaries across the state, proved last year that being a strong corporate citizen is more than just a phrase on a wall. Its staff committed more than 450 hours of community service around the state, the company donated more than $15,750 to hurricane relief and workers participated in a variety of communities to plant trees, held clothing and food drives, and participated in neighborhood cleanups and voter registration drives.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/CoVillageCo/
The Colorado Village Collaborative has opened Denver’s first “tiny home village” for the homeless, thanks in part to funding from LivWell Cares, the philanthropic and community engagement arm of the national cannabis company, which provided the final donation needed to help close out funding for the project and ensure it was completed debt-free.
“We are extremely grateful to LivWell Cares for stepping up to give us the finances to complete this much-needed project,” said Cole Chandler, organizer for Colorado Village Collaborative. “We need a solution to homelessness beyond shelters, emergency rooms, and jails, and thanks to LivWell Cares, our Beloved Community Village residents can now take back their lives and their dignity.”
Colorado’s Native Roots jumped into the national fundraising effort aimed at helping the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, contributing supplies and donating $15,750. Calling Sept. 15th “5 percent Donation Day,” the company earmarked the percentage of revenue from all 19 of its retail locations across Colorado for hurricane relief. Read more in The Denver Post.