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John Makely / msnbc.com
A local company creates t-shirts emblazoned with the words Elkhart -- My choice for the Future. The proceeds go to a local charity of the buyer's choice. Stephanie Patka, left, and Lisa Rhinesmith of Burston Marketing, Inc.
Elkhart is nothing if not proud -- and proudly entrepreneurial. So perhaps it was inevitable that an enterprising local would eventually monetize that trait -- the one commodity that does not appear to be in short supply.
This month, a local company started printing shirts declaring: "Elkhart: My Choice for the Future," and plans to funnel the profits into overburdened nonprofit groups in the community.
"What it symbolizes is that we are not down and out," Lisa Rhinesmith, a spokesperson for Elkhart-based Burston Marketing says of the shirt. "We have a lot of entrepreneurs here and a lot of creative thinkers, and this is a way to boost that again."
As Burston Marketing considered ways to help in its recession-stricken community, the T-shirt project emerged as a natural fit; the company already makes logo wear and promotional products. So the Elkhart shirt was designed, and Rhinesmith started knocking on doors at charities to promote the fundraising idea. Nine groups, from the Red Cross to the Humane Society, have begun taking orders, and the project remains open to others groups.
Many local nonprofits have been stretched thin, with demand for services soaring and fundraising floundering, as reported in the Elkhart Project on June 5.
Customers can order the $13.50 shirts through participating charities, which would then receive $2.70 per shirt ordered, or by ordering online through Burston , which will pass $1.50 per shirt to nonprofits chosen by the company. (Rhinesmith says the company is not profiting from the shirts, which are made by a U.S. manufacturer.)
"What we really want people to do is contact the charities, because it benefits (the charity) more. And which possibly gets them more involved in that charity," says Rhinesmith. "But for convenience, they can order through our Web site or they can walk in here."
Ideally, if the project is to gain momentum, the Elkhart tees will not merely collect dust at the bottom of a drawer with freebies from past company picnics.
"We want people to wear them," says Rhinesmith. "We want them to express that this community is important to them. By them buying the shirt, financially it will help the charities that help the residents, but by wearing it, they are making a statement."
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