Spark Change & Stay Protected

This summer we were planning on hosting our 6th (newly) Bi-Annual Summer Celebration. Due to the global pandemic and wanting to ensure the safety of our guests and volunteers we chose to cancel the event. Our theme this year was “Spark Change.”

We can spark positive change now. Today. Tomorrow. And beyond.

Since we cannot be together, we thought we’d offer a way to celebrate virtually! Here’s our plan, if you’d like to be part of a 6th Bi-Annual Summer Celebration then send us a photo of yourself wearing a facemask. At the end of August, we will put together a fun animated montage of all your protected faces!

3B Spark Change Face Mask

To participate in our fundraiser, order a 3B face mask from Custom Ink here: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/braes-brown-bags

Thank you to all of our supporters, stay safe out there!

Time to start thinking about our 6th Bi-Annual Summer Celebration

As you know, we took a reprieve from the 3B Summer Celebration in 2019, because we hosted our 3rd Bi-Annual Kids’ Hunger Conference. So now it’s 2020 and it’s time to think about the next big celebration!

Our theme this year will be “Spark Change.”

The event will be held during the afternoon of Saturday, August 29, 2020.

If you are interested in sponsoring or helping out with the event please fill out this form and we will make sure to keep you posted as we iron out the details.

We would also like to share our 2019 Annual Report, which you can download and read at the following link.

2019- 3B Brae’s Brown Bags Annual Report (pdf)

Were you there, did you celebrate with us? #the3bway

On Saturday, August 19, 2017 at the Bear-Glasgow YMCA we held our 4th Annual 3B Summer Celebration.

Our theme was “Ohana” and while Braeden was giving his talk to all those in attendance he said, “Part of Hawaiian culture, ʻohana means family. In the movie Lilo says that Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

He continued, “Ohana means family. All of you are my family. Because if you needed something I would not leave you behind. I would not choose to forget about you. And this isn’t just about the people here for this very awesome event. This extends to any person. To all people.”

Running a non-profit is not easy. Planning a big event, also not easy, but when it all came together and everyone was celebrating, there was an ease about it, because EVERYONE helped, worked together, celebrated with each other. We had so many volunteers decorating, putting pieces of games together, hanging banners, organizing raffles, providing food and entertainment. I am so grateful to every single person. Drew Taylor with 93.7 WSTW was an amazing DJ for the event. He entertained our guests, got involved, came down off the stage and became a part of our 3B family. Jim Berman with the Grain on Main delivered a delicious menu using fresh produce from the University of Delaware farm (UD Fresh to You thank you Mike Popovich and all of your farm interns), complimented by fruit cut up and served by m parents and cookies made by my Aunt Bobbie. The YMCA let us use their outdoor space! All of these people gave their time, their service and their heart to helping make our event the best one yet!

To Laura Nash, Cathy Kinney, the Kim Family, Monica Moriak, the Cerasoli girls, my parents, my in-laws, and to my family who not only helped the day of but also had to put up with me while I planned and stressed and ran around for the last three months. I thank all of you, every single one of you. We couldn’t have done this without your support.

I’ll end with some of Brae’s final words.

“Take your hand and put it on your heart.

Okay. Now close your eyes. Breathe. And feeling it beating.

Maybe mine is beating faster than yours and maybe yours skips a beat sometimes. Now open your eyes. What I want you to do is to live your life in a way that let’s everyone else know that your heart is indeed beating.”

Please enjoy our full Flickr photo gallery, photos by the very awesome Monica Moriak!
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm6Won7g

And also, one last thanks to the event sponsors!

A huge shout out to our sponsors! Armstrong Relocation Company reached out to say they feel what Braeden is doing is amazing, they signed on at the Champion Sponsorship Level! So if you are going to be moving anytime soon please make sure you use their services! Terri, Todd and Kristin Stephan also sponsored the event at the Champion Sponsorship Level. Many, many thanks for their continued support!

Additionally, we would like to thank the National Liberty Museum, Bob and Rose Willey and Greg and Margie Mannering for signing on at the Supporter Level of sponsorship.

We can’t calm down, we’re too excited!

Our 4th Annual 3B Summer Celebration is now only a couple days away! We’re super excited by all the community support we have been receiving and are so happy to know we’ll be celebrating with all of you soon!

The theme of the event, ‘Ohana, is even more important now than ever before. I can’t wait to tell you more when I see you on Saturday. For those wondering about details, I’ll be taking the stage between 2:15pm and 2:30 pm most likely. At least that’s what my Mom tells me.

ohana

While it’s too late to register to ensure a 3B swag bag, we do want you to know we will not be turning anyone away. All are welcome! For those who did register using the Event Brite platform, we thank you and we have your names printed out and ready to go. For those of you who registered early and donated to the event we also have your t-shirts ready to go, you’ll be able to get them when you pass by our registration table.

The Grain on Main‘s executive chef has sent over a menu for us to see and my Mom’s stomach immediately started growling. Seriously! And a couple of the dishes will be using fresh produce donated by the UD Fresh to You garden located on south campus at the University of Delaware. Many thanks again to 93.7 WSTW we’re so happy they will be attending our event for the fourth year in a row!

Another HUGE thanks to our sponsors! Armstrong Relocation Company,  the National Liberty Museum, Greg and Margie Mannering, Terri, Todd and Kristin Stephan, Bob and Rose Willey! We couldn’t make this happen without you! To Mcvey Elementary School PTA, Michele Fidance and Love What You Boo, Bobbie Willey Stump for the cookies, we appreciate all of your support as well!

To all who have said they would like to volunteer during our event. THANK YOU! We can’t wait to see you at the Bear-Glasgow YMCA on Saturday.

Kids are encouraged to wear clothes they don’t mind getting wet since we will have a water slide. We will have plenty to drink (non-alcoholic) to keep you hydrated! And don’t forget the Kona Ice Snow Cones!

For those of you excited about our raffles, as you should be, you’ll be able to buy raffle tickets between 1pm and 3pm, we’ll start calling out winning numbers after 3. We’ll be able to take cash and credit.

Thank you doesn’t seem like enough #the3bway

DSC_0933The 2nd Annual 3B Summer Celebration was perfect. I wanted to say thank you on Facebook but then the post got longer and longer and longer and so then I thought I’ll write a blog post.

Thanks to our sponsors who contributed $1,900 to the event it was awesome! Thanks to companies, sports teams and organizations who donated raffle and silent auction items. From donations through the auction, raffles, t-shirt sales and other generous contributions during the event we raised over $1,750 for Brae’s Brown Bags. Many thanks to all our guests who packed 3B bags, we estimate that 225 bags were packed. Three boxes of bags left with friends who planned to give them to folks in need. Many guests took a bag they packed so they could have it on hand in their cars if they see someone who could use the bag on the street. We brought some home, too and we hope to give them to the Sunday Breakfast Mission. We reached out to them last night.

Braeden announced the next 3B project which he has named 3B Ripples – Student Chapters. We will launch applications in the next week allowing schools to sign up to become 3B chapters. It’s an exciting new phase of 3B to get youth involved in service and to help them learn about food insecurity. Together we can make big changes!

To our platinum sponsor The Clemens Family Foundation for your generous donation to help support this celebration. We thank you so much! For all our friends, the Clemens Family companies are Hatfield, Country Family View Farms and Nick’s Sausage Company. They are a great organization with a strong emphasis on philanthropy.

Our gold sponsors, Holman Moving Systems in New Castle, Willey Farms, Margie and Greg Mannering (my gram and pop pop), Terri and Todd Stephan (my grandmom and grandpop), Greg Mannering (my uncle). We couldn’t have made this event possible, especially the t-shirts without your support. Safeway in People’s Plaza for your help with providing food for all our guests!

To Love What You Boo for your raffle items, promo code cards AND silver sponsorship for the event. We cannot thank you enough. Grandom and Grandpop Willey for your support as silver sponsors for this event. We can’t thank you enough.

To the Bear-Glasgow YMCA, Christy’s Confections, Kona Ice in Elkton/Newark, Inflatable R’ Us and 93.7 WSTW for providing the location on a perfect blue sky day, the sweet (sugar free cupcakes never tasted so good), the refreshing snow cones so yummy and WSTW for letting us use your sound system, listen to your music and win prizes at the prize wheel. Thank you so much!

To my family, friends, neighbors who came out in support of 3B. You guys are the best. For everyone who helped set up and clean up. Mrs. Delaware America Alina Pfiefer for coming out on your birthday with your husband to support 3B. You are so nice and you have a big heart and we really like you, we have your autograph on our fridge now. Laura Nash, volunteer extraordinaire, thank you, this event was really so fun and really the best because of your help. Kohl’s on Kirkwood Highway for your two volunteers who came to help!

Our auction and raffle items from University of Delaware Blue Hens Athletics, Wilmington Blue Rocks, Philadelphia Eagles, Big Fish Grill in Glen Mills, PA, UDairy Creamery, Michael’s Craft Store (via Terri Stephan), Starbucks (via Greg Mannering), Portrait Innovations, Adventure Aquarium, Love What You Boo, Camelback Resorts, Splitrock Water Park, Deerfield Golf Club, Panera Bread, Applebees, R T Graham Handmade Jewelry and Senator Tom Carper’s Office. Wow! We don’t know how to express our thanks for all of your support!

Please share your photos on social media #the3bway