Small businesses are making a big difference for nonprofits and others in Bartholomew County.
And at least three of them locally who have been giving back in some form for five years or more feature company leaders who say caring from the bottom of their heart is just as important as their bottom line.
Family Chiropractic and Wellness has become so well known for its annual giving campaigns — sometimes of $25,000 or more — that some agencies in the past have asked ahead of time to be one of the practice’s designated charities for a half-year or year.
“My husband and I were really drawn here (to Columbus),” said Dr. Mandy Wyant, owner of the practice at 1405 Washington St. in Columbus. “And we just wanted to be ‘all in’ right from the beginning. And that is just one reason why I wanted to have a piece in place for giving back right from the beginning — because this place was so welcoming to us.”
Wyant and her office have donated $130,000 to local nonprofits in nine years, beginning with an initial $2,000 to the Bartholomew County Humane Society. That overall, cumulative total includes $15,000 from this year alone already given to the counseling nonprofit Family Service Inc. Money for the donations comes from the practice matching the new patient fee of $30 per person.
That $30 match gets set aside to be given away.
“Right now, I don’t have a lot of time to give (to nonprofits),” Wyant said. “But we can give in another way.”
Another way is the path chosen by those at Tri-State Artisans at 422 Washington St. in Columbus. The shop featuring a wide variety of local art from paintings to pottery has used a dedicated art studio in its downstairs to help area nonprofits raise a total of $120,000 for its causes over five-and-a-half years via group painting events for about 70 people per session.
At the group events, Tri-State Artisans simply breaks even with half-cost pricing in order to help the benefiting agency make as much money as possible.
“It benefits both of us,” said Jaime Mustaine, owner of Tri-State Artisans. “It exposes more and people to art, and it also gets people in our doors to let them know that we’re even here.”
The challenging part of the business — one that opened in 2014 — continuing its giving ways is the fact that it may be forced by mid-summer to relinquish its studio space used for the painting fundraisers to lower its monthly rent to make ends meet after the recent two-month closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the business organized and hosted several online painting events.
“We could now use the support of the community after the pandemic,” said Melissa Reardon, a local potter who teaches classes at Tri-State and also sells her pieces there.
Reardon is passionate about the business, its role in community involvement and the fact that it has featured a rarity — a full-time, hands-on art studio open for the public’s use. For now, Mustaine hopes to host future group painting sessions offsite throughout the city, as she already has done on occasion.
The Columbus-based Turning Point Domestic Violence Services has been among nonprofits raising as much as $1,000 per event held at Tri-State Artisans. Elisabeth Jones, Turning Point’s vice president of resource development, praised Mustaine as “an advocate for modeling self-worth and personal strength.”
Jones mentioned that the painting events unfold as more than team-building or fun.
“We not only raise funds for our programming, but share awareness of the issues in our community through this partnership,” Jones said.
At Heritage Automotive Sales at 5150 N. Indianapolis Road in Columbus, owners Keith and Erica White give a percentage of every car they sell to a Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. school teacher (chosen by the buyer) to be used however the instructor sees fit. The total averages to about $200 donated per vehicle.
“That teacher should be able to use the money to take the family to dinner, if that’s what they choose,” Erica White said.
The small automotive firm has donated a total of $60,000 in five years, according to the owners. And, even amid the COVID-19 downturn, they plan on sticking to their plan of generosity.
It seems fitting that giving runs in the family. Daughter Keirsten White, many may recall, is the then-high school senior who launched a Go Fund Me account for former basketball star Josh Speidel’s medical expenses after his car accident — and raised $78,000.
“For us, giving back is simply a pre-decided goal connected to each vehicle we sell,” Erica White said. “We feel that teachers are among those helping to raise our kids. And we feel that maybe they are not appreciated at times as well as they should be.”
