Info From The Vine- Sinterklaas & Saint Nicholas

The annual Winter Holiday Season, the month of December mainly, is the time of the year when nonprofit groups see a significant increase in giving.  On average, approximately 40% of the year’s donations are received in December, but that percentage can range as high as 80% depending on the nonprofit. For example, Teach for America recorded 80.2% of its donations in December (2012).

If you apply the 40% multiplier to the $500,000,000 nonprofits receive annually, December’s impact is $200,000,000. December is important not only to the nation’s economy but to the personal economy of nonprofits!

However you slice the Winter/ Christmas/ Hanukkah seasonal pie,  its enormous. Would it not be nice to know where at least one of the Holidays originated- our current Christmas?

It seems like the origin had much to do with a fellow named Nikolaos of Myra, aka “Saint Nicholas”, 270-343 AD, living in what is now modern day Turkey.  There are several stories of his giving, from helping poor women in need of a dowry to assisting with getting people fed during a famine.  Saint Nicholas was also known as the “Lord of the Sea”- a Christianized Poseidon.  He was widely celebrated and revered.

The “Feast of Saint Nicholas” is held on December 6th, and on the eve of his feast day a candle would be lit and meat would be abstained from. He is also credited as being the source of the popular “orange” citrus fruit being linked with our Christmas celebration in many areas of the world.

Are you seeing a tenuous link here, blurred somewhat by 1700 years, or so?

Along comes the Dutch Sinterklaas, a “traditional figure based on Saint Nicholas” according to Wikipedia.  He, along with his trusty sidekick and companion Zwarte Piet helped distribute gifts to support the Saint Nicholas holiday, December 6th.

Sinterklaas is the sterner, more rigid, predecessor to the jolly, modern-day, Santa Claus figure.

But Sinterklaas was no loner. Instead of an elf or two, he had Zwarte Piet. Piet was the younger assistant to Sinterklaas and the more able-bodied of the Christmas duo.

Presumably Piet was invented to overcome any objection regarding an aged, overweight man, being able to do as much work as he was credited with in just one night. As an interesting aside, Piet was frequently depicted as a black Moor (from Spain) and sometimes the bag he carried was said to not only be used to deliver presents but to take away the bad children to the back-reaches of Spain.

If you really want to “dig in” then you can also find a link between Sinterklaas and Odin, a familiar and powerful God of the Germanic people.

The Reformation in the 16-17th century changed the gift giver from Sinterklaas and Piet to the Christ Child and moved the date to the modern day December 25th.

But in the 1770s the inhabitants of New York City, re-invented Sinterklaas and celebrated with feast day of “St. a Claus” as part of their Dutch history.

I think everyone reading this can take it from there.  Sinterklaas was transformed into Santa Claus and a myriad of events occurred over a 150+ year period to create the popular holiday that we now know! Oh by the way, Kris Kringle- Miracle on 34th Street, a 1947 American movie, played by the actor Edmund Gwenn, and that's it!

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@si

Info From The Vine- The High School Scoreboard!

Whether it’s on the rural Montgomery, Alabama outskirts, the suburbs of Dallas, TX or in downtown Atlanta, GA, High School sporting events reveal the pride, the passion and the hope of communities. The heartbeat of the true America can be found here along with Mom, Apple Pie and the enduring spirit of its people. 

From the perfectly manicured turf of the High School Football Stadium to the glistening hardwoods of the Basketball Gymnasium floor, families share the drama, the achievement and the opportunity that athletic events deliver.  These events bring people together and unite families toward several common objectives:

•         Success
•      Community Unity
•         Pride, Passion, Achievement

Along with these athletic events, comes the need for a centralized information center- a state-of-the-art electronic scoreboard to share information, promote the school and advertise sponsors.

School budgets are not designed for this type of considerable expense so booster clubs and supporters turn to other sources of private  funding- creative fundraising campaigns, advertising cooperative arrangements, and involved benefactors  or alumni to provide the funding to purchase these gorgeous and necessary electronic displays.

SignVine is an online crowdfunding organization specializing in helping deserving non-profits by creating a marketing campaign and promoting it online in a process called “crowdfunding”.  Utilizing the power of the local community and the High School’s supporters, necessary funding is raised to purchase the scoreboard. The scoreboard campaign lives on the SignVine website and is a 24/7 sentinel and promoterof the fundraising effort- always available to share the story and accept a donation

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org.

Deserving Cause Spotlight- Feeding America

If you’re an “average” American you may worry about consuming somewhere between 3500-4500 calories on your Thanksgiving 2014 meal, and the 7 hours of running on the treadmill  you’re going to do to zero those calories out. But about 48 million other Americans will struggle with putting food on the table, and that includes 15.9 million children.

That’s right… right here in a Linkedin America there will be American kids going hungry on Thanksgiving. That’s more than 1 in 5 children and among other groups in America the number can jump to 1 in 3 children.

Remembering that the effectiveness of a country is no greater than that of their most needy, this is a real issue.

There are many reasons for this condition in a country of abundance. It’s not that we don’t have food, we do. The issue is poverty and the lack of money to buy it combined with distribution issues to get the over-supply to the people who need it. Also, regional issues create hardship that catches a lot of people in a “Catch-22” of sorts.

Take Central Valley, California for example, where a 3-yr drought has put pressure on feeding people. The drought shortens the growing season in this highly agricultural area, and a shorter growing season means less work, and less money to buy food. In some areas of this region unemployment is as high as 40 percent.  Less money means less food, going back to the initial assertion above.

In a country of over 300,000,000 people, spanning a huge geographic area from “sea to shining sea”, countless issues can conspire to put pressure on food banks and charitable food distribution efforts. Despite the local efforts to keep our Pensacola Manna Food Bank stocked, via USPS' annual “mail box pickup drives” to local TV stations food collections, the food bank is always behind and always in need.

What you can do- participate in food drives, put those cans in a bag out by the mailbox if your community has a food collection effort, donate time to a food bank, or donate MONEY!

Here are a two links to get you started if you are interested in helping:

Find a food bank in your area:  http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/.

More on how you can help: http://www.bread.org/help/.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org.

Info From The Vine: Saint Mark UMC in Birmingham, AL Plans Launch of Campaign For LED Message Sign

"We need the sign because our church has too many events going on to advertise with banners, as the City is becoming more strict on its sign ordinances."

SignVine will announce this week a new campaign for Saint Mark United Methodist Church, located in Birmingham, AL, and will urge all those interested in supporting this effort to visit the SignVine.org website, watch their video, and make a donation...but more importantly, share it with everyone. The campaign should be live by the end of this week on the signvine.org website.

“The church offers an outstanding Vacation Bible School, music ministries, drama, Bible lessons and crafts, and seasonal programs for preschool through elementary ages. Our nursery workers are known for their smiles and loving attention to the little ones,” Ron Gonia, a Senior Pastor, said.

Currently, the church has so many activities and so many events that trying to produce and string up a series of outside banners to communicate with the congregation is impossible. Also, the city has tightened up on their sign regulations trying to improve the appearance of the community by disallowing free-standing banners.

Saint Mark UMC has been at its Columbiana Road address for over 50 years that has served as a base for operations that are far-reaching.

SignVine is pleased to be of service to Saint Mark UMC and happy that they selected SignVine to help fund their campaign for a new LED message sign, and with a local grassroots effort to encourage their congregation and community to become involved, they will succeed.

Total project cost is over $47,000 which makes this a substantial campaign and they will have to stay focused, but the effectiveness and efficiency of their new LED sign will make life easier and more productive for them and their community.

This comprehensive sign project features a 3’x6', double-sided, full-color, remotely programmed LED sign installed in a monument along with the traditional Saint Mark United Methodist Church sign graphic, permitting, and installation. It is a handsome project that will contribute not only to the management and operation of the church but also to its branding and perception within the community.  

“Saint Mark United Methodist is located on a heavily trafficked road right outside Birmingham, AL” Justin Holland, Vice President of Sales for the sign builder, Complete Signs, said, “They serve a large community and are trying to share their love and hope with as many people as possible.”

Holland continued, “By incorporating a digital message center into their new monument sign, they are excited to see how much more effective their communication will become with both their congregation and the entire community.”

Complete Signs of Dothan, AL (www.completesigns.net) participates in the SignVine builder network.

SignVine.org is a specialized crowdfunding website that provides churches, civic groups, and other deserving nonprofit organizations their own unique webpage for fundraising online from the local and national community towards the purchase of an outdoor message sign. They can tell their story or cause, show pictures and inspirational videos, and share updates to their online community.

SignVine is a nonprofit organization started by message sign industry professionals with the mission to empower nonprofits by helping them raise money towards an outdoor message sign for outreach in their community. For more information on SignVine, please visit their Website at http://www.signvine.org or call toll-free 844-807-9720, to speak with Mike.

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org.

Info From the Vine: iBox Printers Nailed Their Kickstarter Campaign

"When a Kickstarter campaign promises a 3D printer that is small, portable, high resolution and even battery operated for less than one tenth the cost of the next available system based on a comparable technology it is going to be a success. In fact, 3D printing campaigns on Kickstarter have been a success when promising much less. The iBox Nano is a tiny high-resolution resin-based 3D printer that promises great innovations in terms of pricing, portability, accessibility and technology and these do not seem to be empty promises either," says the website 3dprintingindustry.com.

For me, I get to hear my friend and former colleague Michael Carter talk about how his brother's company, iBox Printers, over-funded their Kickstarter campaign. As of 11/10/14 the campaign has raised $377,832 versus a goal of $300,000.

Trent Carter, founder and President of the Melbourne, FL corporation told SignVine that, "The biggest challenge we faced with kickstarting our iBox Nano printer was getting press coverage. Look at press coverage as free-advertising, and with the benefit of having a third party review of the product. A press release will not guarantee you any coverage."

Trent continued to suggest that the list of press email addresses need to be assembled before the campaign kicks off as well as having a solid press release resource in place.

Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to do things bigger and better, that is their nature. But this was a successful Kickstarter campaign. Regardless, over 433 hardware startups have successfully funded on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. 

That is pretty impressive! The next step for many now, is Venture Capital funding, and a "rule of thumb" is that company valuation is somewhere around 10X of the Kickstarter funding amount! That's not a bad way to boostrap a new company or promote a new idea.

Congratulations Trent and iBox Printers- we'll be watching you.

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org.

Nonprofit Spotlight: Just Cut the House in Half!

Few people would argue with the fact that nonprofit organizations support our nation and our communities.  But many  people fail to grasp just how big of a role nonprofits play. From the Red Cross, to National Public Radio to UNICEF to your church, the reach of nonprofit organizations is extensive.

A friend of mine once said “you gotta bet big to win big.” I think he then lost $100 on a roulette table bet! This story is about a big bet that created a win-win situation for all parties involved.

As the news cycle so often delivers- another story of new development threatening a historic home. This time it was the new owners of the lot that the historic Capen-Showalter home sat on, on the banks of the Osceola Lake in the Winter Park, Florida.  In stepped a collaboration of preservation advocates, engineers, grassroots “community” folks, and a team of nonprofits to implement a simple solution-

“Let’s cut the 200 ton house in half, load it onto several barges strapped together and move it across the Lake Osceola and put it back together to preserve it!”

While those were not their exact words that is exactly what they did. The historical house once belonged to James Capen (1852-1931) one of the founding fathers of Winter Park.  Christine Madrid French was the project director for this effort and represented Preservation Capen, Albin Polasek Miseum & Sculpture Garden and also graciously allowed SignVine to use her photographs.

“In an unprecedented partnership, three separate Winter Park nonprofit cultural and arts organizations came forward as a team with an unusual proposal. Operating as Preservation Capen, the Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, the Winter Park History Museum, and the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens moved full steam ahead to get the house out of the way,” stated  the Preservation Nation blog that served as inspiration for this post.

First, the house was cut into two sections using hand tools- one half of the house was dubbed “Fred” and the other “Ginger”.

A semi-truck moves ½ of the house to the shore after the separation.

Second, the house was put onto barges and moved.

Project Director Christine Madrid French, with "Ginger" floating on the lake.

Third, the house was relocated and reassembled.

“Mission accomplished” within the 6-month window of opportunity the new owners of the lot had extended.

Clearly this story has nothing to do about the Sign Industry, but it does demonstrate the importance of a nonprofit organization to the community. So, if you are a Sign Company perhaps you should look at supporting nonprofits so they can continue their mission- whatever it may be. There are so many of them, doing so much, as they fly under our "awareness radar",that we lose count!

Many nonprofits don’t have `a building or an office, much less have any need for an outdoor message sign- but many do. What about that school, church, or VFW? They can’t afford it, you think. But maybe you’re just not thinking far enough outside the proverbial box. 

Maybe you need a new tool in your tool chest to help them. Maybe that is SignVine. Maybe!

 This video shows the Capen-Showalter house loaded onto the barges.

This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org. I am an Alumni of the University of Central Florida and this article was inspired by yet another story found in their direct mailing entitled "Pegasus".

Photographs were generously provide by Christine Madrid French, and you can read more about this epic undertaking at http://preservationcapen.org/ and at http://blog.preservationnation.org/2014/02/04/local-group-floats-winter-parks-historic-capen-showalter-house-to-safety/.

Hero Spotlight- UCF Engineering Team 3-D Prints a New Arm For Alex Pring!

Just “getting through the day” can be a struggle and on some days more than tough for any kid. Certainly no one deserves to do it with only one arm!

No one can predict the randomness of biology or genetics and such a birth defect could have happened to anyone, but the truth is it did happen to six-year old Alex Pring, from the Central Florida area.  With one arm, you have to adapt and Alex did that for many years, but as he matured and became more active, the prospect of another 75 years without that arm became a problem!

Enter the student Scientists and Engineers from the University of Central Florida (UCF), Orlando, FL. They rode a proverbial “shining white horse” to the rescue proudly displaying the colors of altruism, technology and hope after being contacted by Alyson Pring, Alex’s Mom.

Helping people and doing “good” is not reserved for any particular industry, nationality, or faith. There are big-hearted people who make it an imperative to live their life trying to help others. One such person is Robert Manero, a Ph.D. student in Engineering at UCF and a Fullbright Scholar. 

Robert already belonged to the group e-Nable, an online group that finds solutions for prosthetic hand requirements. 

The solution- a team and a 3-D printer that was able to produce a $40,000 bionic prosthetic for around $350. Manero and his team figured out a way to build the prosthetic arm structure and make it a “Smart Arm” with sensor technology and enough battery life to make it through a typical day in Alex’s life.

Not only did they deliver this life-changing “Bionic Kid” electro-mechanical missing arm substitute but they made the design free to the public online, to be replicated by anyone with some technical ability. It does not get much better than these guys! Checkout the design at:  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:408641.

This remarkable design and production team from UCF also established the Limbitless Endowed Scholorship to assist future student's with similar disabilities like Alex's.

You may have heard this story few months ago as it hit the national news cycle, but it deserves an encore mention as it clearly demonstrates the power of what can happen when smart people work towards a common goal!

How can such personal efforts change individual lives and, in turn, the world? People out there are doing the right thing thanks to technological advances but also to just taking the initiative to help.

What have you done today? You can change the world too. It all starts with the first step.

This article is provided to you by SignVine, a nonprofit that specializes in helping churches, schools, clubs and other deserving nonprofits obtain message signs through online crowdfunding. Visit our Website at www.signvine.org.

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This blog represents my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion, practices, or values of SignVine or any other organization or person. If you have feedback, please email michael@signvine.org. I am an Alumni of the University of Central Florida and this article was inspired by a story found in their direct mailing entitled "Pegasus" that featured this awesome story.

Photographs were generously provide by Kt Crabb Photography and their website can be found at ktcrabbphotography.com.