Crowdsourced campaign unites over 2,100 backers in first few days
Nashville, Tenn. (July 29, 2016) – Tackling issues such as cyclical poverty, unsafe water, human trafficking and more, The Purpose Hotel is fueling the life changing work of a dozen domestic and international organizations. With renowned photographer Jeremy Cowart (Pope Francis, Sting, Carrie Underwood) at the helm, The Purpose Hotel aspires to “change the world in your sleep” through fighting injustices championed by many nonprofit organizations working with the hotel. In the first 48 hours of The Purpose Hotel Kickstarter launch (July 19), thousands of backers united to support the project through pledging over 10% of the $2 million goal.
“For the last decade, I have been traveling around the world, shooting for, collaborating with, speaking with and meeting incredible nonprofits,” Cowart said. “Their founders and teams have become close friends, but I’ve never understood the bigger picture until now. My journey has led me to this moment, where I get the opportunity to help all of them through The Purpose Hotel. What a gift. I could not be more thrilled to move forward on this journey together.”
Charity: Water provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of all public donations go towards funding water projects, benefiting over 6.3 million people. The Purpose Hotel will provide a Charity: Water Well in the hotel lobby for guests and include experiences of their sustainable water work throughout the hotel. Guests will also be able to toss coins in the well, which will be used to build new Charity: Water wells in the future.
Compassion International dedicates itself to the long-term advancement of children living in poverty around the world. Compassion International has provided aid to over 1.8 million children in 26 countries. Each room in The Purpose Hotel is dedicated to a child through the Compassion International sponsorship program.
Dignify sells premium quality, ethically made, fair trade kantha quilts created by Bangladesh women in vulnerable, high-risk situations or in recovery from sexual oppression. The Purpose Hotel will work with Dignify to benefit the organization through using textiles created for the hotel.
Exile International works to empower child soldiers and children orphaned by war to become leaders for peace. Exile International offers spiritual care, mentoring, art therapy, medical care, education, psychological care, destigmatization and holistic, rehabilitative care programs. A portion of all the artwork used and sold in The Purpose Hotel will go towards helping children of war with art therapy in Uganda and Congo through Exile International.
Fashionable sells products made by women who have overcome poverty and strife. Globally based in Ethiopia and locally based in Nashville, TN, Fashionable works to alleviate poverty while developing functional business skills among employees. The Purpose Hotel will include in its operation high-end leather goods and textiles from Fashionable.
Food for the Hungry provides emergency relief and long-term development programs, seeking to end all forms of human poverty. Food for the Hungry contributes to community-owned transformations that empower children, families and communities to invest in their own development. Food for the Hungry will benefit from banquet and restaurant operations for The Purpose Hotel.
HOPE International seeks to transform its clients both physically and spiritually. In addition to providing loans and establishing savings groups, HOPE offers biblically based business training and discipleship to its clients. The Purpose Hotel will support HOPE’s efforts in providing micro-financing and connections with other producers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
International Justice Mission is a human rights organization whose mission is to protect the poor from violence by rescuing victims, bringing the criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. Currently the world’s largest anti-slavery organization, IJM is helping to protect 21 million people globally from violence in 17 communities around the world. The Purpose Hotel will reserve a portion of its internet fee to help combat human trafficking through IJM.
Legacy Building reclaims and repurposes old wood into handcrafted, heirloom-quality furniture while creating trade schools around the world to employ and provide jobs for the underprivileged. The Purpose Hotel will use Legacy Building for unique designs of hotel furniture in the lobby and rooms throughout the hotel.
Mission Lazarus sells handcrafted products, coffee and household items developed by local Hondurans and Haitians. Profits provide funding for vocational schools, agriculture social enterprise programs and the Mission Lazarus Refuge children’s home. The Purpose Hotel will provide Mission Lazarus textiles and leather goods in rooms throughout the hotel.
Preemptive Love Coalition is a global movement of peacemakers changing the way we engage the world’s most polarizing conflicts by confronting fear with acts of love. Preemptive Love has provided 1,350 lifesaving operation for children, 100,000 pounds of food aid delivered to ISIS victims, 100,000 hours of training medical teams in conflict-zones and much more. Preemptive Love will provide custom soaps for The Purpose Hotel guests.
Philanthropic t-shirt and apparel company Project 615 aims to help restore those who are on the path of recovery from homelessness, addiction and mental illness. Project 615 hires men from Set Free ministries, trains them and gives them the skill of t-shirt making/screen printing. Project 615’s handcrafted apparel and prints, custom designed by The Purpose Hotel Team, will be sold in The Purpose Hotel store.
Project 7 is dedicated to creating gum and mints with great flavor, while giving back in 7 areas of need. Project 7 has given 3.7 million trees, 3.1 million meals, 1.1 million hours of education, housing for 1.2 million hours, 1.2 million months of clean water, 100,000 malaria treatments and assisted 33,000 students through anti-bullying programs. The Purpose Hotel guests will have access to Project 7’s gum, snacks and mints.
Raven + Lily provides beautiful and unique modern minimalist products while working to alleviate poverty among women. Raven + Lily employ over 1,500 marginalized women at fair trade wages, giving them access to a safe job, sustainable income, health care, education and a real chance to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. Raven + Lily products will be featured and provided in The Purpose Hotel.
People of the Second Chance work to help individuals fight the forces of judgment, hatred and shame in society. People of the Second Chance provides free resources and rescue training along with equipping churches with necessary tools to help hundreds of thousands of people find a redemptive purpose in their not-so-perfect stories. Merchandise for People of the Second Chance will be available in The Purpose Hotel Store.
Los Angeles-based jewelry company The Giving Keys repurposes old and new keys into modern jewelry, engraving inspiring words onto the keys in hopes that recipients are encouraged to one day give their key away to someone who needs the message more than they do. The Giving Keys employs those transitioning out of homelessness to create the wearable accessories. Guests staying at The Purpose Hotel will be able to hear the stories of The Giving Key makers, who will provide keys specifically designed for The Purpose Hotel.
Thistle Farms employs female survivors of prostitution, trafficking and addiction for their bath and body care company and more. All proceeds support Thistle Farms and Magdalene, their residential program for up to 700 women yearly. The Purpose Hotel will provide custom sourced Thistle Farms’ bath and body care products in all rooms for guest use during their stay.
To Write Love on Her Arms aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide while also investing in treatment and recovery. To Write Love on Her Arms connects individuals to treatment centers, websites, books and support groups. Merchandise for To Write Love On Her Arms will be available in The Purpose Hotel Store.
Zenith Cleaners offers organic, nontoxic cleaning services, while developing transferable skills among employees. Zenith Cleaners looks to change the face of the cleaning industry by removing condescension, disrespect and abuse typically experienced by workers through offering leadership, organizational and educational development. The Purpose Hotel will use Zenith Cleaner’s services for routine hotel cleaning and maintenance.
About The Purpose Hotel™
The first hotel of its kind, celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart (Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Tim Tebow, The Kardashians, Sting, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heidi Klum, Emma Stone, Ryan Seacrest and more) created humanitarian relief project The Purpose Hotel™ that aims to fight against injustices of war, hunger, poverty, global warming, racial tension, unclean water, addictions and natural disasters. Every aspect of the global chain will directly contribute to those in need through strategic sourcing and procurement. The project is launching with a large campaign designed and developed by The Purpose Hotel™. Through the project’s Kickstarter, individuals have the opportunity to become co-founders as backers of the project.
Get Connected With The Purpose Hotel™
thepurposehotel.com
Hashtag // #ThePurposeHotel
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About Jeremy Cowart
Named one of the most influential photographers on the web (Huffington Post), Jeremy Cowart has photographed the likenesses of Sting and Emma Stone to The Kardashians and Taylor Swift. Capturing images in over 25 countries, his work has been seen on the pages of Rolling Stone and USA Today, reaching the channels of A&E and ESPN. An earnest desire to do more has led the notable photographer to focus on Help-Portrait, See University and now, The Purpose Hotel.
Get Connected With Jeremy Cowart
jeremycowart.com
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Media Contact
the media collective
Velvet Kelm, Courtney Hyder, Kirsten Grenier & Brooke Huppenthal
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615.591.7989
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