One of our missions from the very start of Blue Aster Studio was to find ways to give back to the nature community. We are happy to report that our contributions to nature organizations have been consistently growing year after year thanks to your support and purchases from the shop! So, here it is, the report of where those contributions have gone this year.
In 2022, all of our monarch themed art and product purchases benefited Monarch Joint Venture. Thanks to your purchases, we donated $393 to support the joint venture's efforts at protecting monarch butterflies and their habitat.
We're happy to continue supporting The Alongside Wildlife Foundation with a $200 donation to help fund their research grants that find science-based solutions for living alongside wildlife. And since we have a soft spot for animals that need a little help in the PR department, we donated $100 to Advocates for Snake Preservation. This wonderful group educates and advocates for our charming slithery friends.
We also donated $50 to Wildlife Rehabilitation MD which is a free medical database designed to help wildlife rescue centers collect data as well as help monitor their patients.
This year we established a $300 annual scholarship to help wildlife rehabilitators attend the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Annual Symposium. We are so excited to be able to help new wildlife rehabilitators defray some of the costs of furthering their education and help them connect and network with others in their field.
We're also happy to report we increased our contributions to land conservation causes close to home by donating $1030 to Sycamore Land Trust. We have loved seeing the amount of habitat they have been able to preserve in our county and throughout Southern Indiana this year. Their preserves are some of our favorite places to visit and experience nature.
This year we're thrilled to be able to support MC-IRIS (Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species) with a donation of $204. We appreciate their efforts to remove the invasive plants that are taking over our local parks and natural areas. Beyond their work to reduce the invasive plants in our county, they also put on a wonderful native plant sale that offers affordable plants for the community and help residents identify the invasive and native plants on their land.
Additionally, we donated artwork and other products to fundraisers for the following organizations:
- Wildlife Center of VA
- Indiana Wildlife Federation
- NWRA
- INPS
- Back to the Wild
- Monarch Joint Venture
- Sprinkles for Wrinkles
- Uplands Peak
While sometimes the world can feel a little overwhelming, contributing to organizations that are always working to change things for the better, brings us hope. And our goal is to grow both our donations and hope in the future. We are so thankful for all of you who support Blue Aster Studio, allowing us to live our art making dreams and giving us the ability to donate to these important causes.
You can also check out our roundup of charitable giving in 2019, our charitable giving in 2020, and our charitable giving in 2021. We hope that with your help, we can continue growing these contributions year after year!