It’s Time to Support #MedinaStrong
It’s incredible what a hashtag and a heartfelt sentiment can do to awaken the entire Medina community, both near and far. The message is beyond one of hope – it is the embodiment of an entire movement that supports all of the people enduring challenging times during this unprecedented situation.
For us, #MedinaStrong is a rallying cry that has moved mountains over the last month, and now we hope that it can continue to do good work by supporting a cause that is near and dear to our hearts…
As we closed up the Factory on March 21st, ready to head home and go Facebook Live for the first virtual cocktail party, Scott, Chris, Mandy and I began to ruminate about the success of the #MedinaStrong truck’s maiden voyage, and the popularity of Scott’s #MedinaStrong bottled cocktail. It wasn’t about monetary success, but rather the flood of support we received through Instagram stories, photos, Facebook posts, emails, and messages all bearing the same hashtag. There it was, in print, a full reflection of the sense of community that we have here in Medina, a sense of pride that Scott argues is the strongest of its kind anywhere in the world. We started tossing around ideas, ways that the movement could take on some sense of philanthropic purpose.
It popped up everywhere we looked – Chief Matt Jackson of the Medina Fire Department created a #MedinaStrong wallpaper for Facebook, Shawn Ramsey began using the term as a profile photo, and signatures on emails started echoing the message. Why not on a t-shirt? And not only that – but why not direct all proceeds to a cause that could use our acknowledgment now more than ever? During difficult times we shouldn’t call others to act, we should rise up and do it ourselves, and just hope that others climb on board.
In an act of pure kismet, Shawn Ramsey (Owner of Canalside Tattoo Company) reached out to us with a similar sentiment, offering the connections, design, and expertise to have the shirts created expeditiously. Stars aligned and the opportunity to work with our friend and talented creative mind was the icing on the cake.
Today is the start of Nurses Week and no better time to announce the shirts are now live for purchase on MedinaStrong.com. As stated, the idea of this hashtag has to be about taking action to better the community, therefore we unanimously agreed that the proceeds from the shirt sales will be donated to the Orleans Community Health Foundation. Additionally, all four of us will be helping the foundation with an upcoming fundraiser to help support our local healthcare providers – please visit the foundation’s Facebook Event page for more details.
The shirts are limited but are now available for purchase. For all the nurses and other healthcare workers, we will be forever indebted to you and your selfless service; you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.
**A special thank you to Grey Havens Tattoo in Buffalo, NY for assistance with printing**
FOR ANYONE ORDERING FROM THE FACTORY THIS WEEKEND, WE WILL INCLUDE YOUR SHIRT IN YOUR PICK UP OR DELIVERY ORDER – PLEASE SELECT “PICKUP” WHEN YOU ORDER YOUR SHIRT FROM CANALSIDE, AND THEN IN YOUR COCKTAIL/FOOD ORDER AT THE FACTORY, LET US KNOW THAT YOU PLACED A SHIRT ORDER AND WE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST!
