December 23, 2022
Ryan Sneddon
|
Publisher
Naptown Scoop may be small but our impact is outsized. From day 1, giving back was always part of the plan. I considered pledging "One Percent for Annapolis"—inspired by One Percent for the Planet where organizations donate 1% of revenue (not profit) to environmental causes. But if we did that, this list would be a lot shorter. So without further ado, I'm stoked to share the amazing projects we've been part of this year.
- Ryan Sneddon | Publisher
Naptown Scoop is the most engaged audience in Annapolis. So the most powerful way we can help nonprofits do great work is mobilizing our readers. We do that by donating newsletter advertising and social media coverage. In 2022, we supported 6 nonprofits with donated advertising.
In 2021, attending Rock the Dock was a pivotal event in Naptown Scoop's history. Because of that, I vowed to sponsor in 2022. And that's exactly what we did. Click here to learn more about Rotaract.
NOCC hosted a walk to raise money for ovarian cancer research at Westfield Annapolis in October. Westfield is one of Naptown Scoop's biggest partners, so we wanted in on the action. We're happy to report the walk beat an ambitious goal of over $250,000!
For its size, Annapolis has a thriving arts community. And at the heart of it all is Maryland Hall. They asked me to emcee their annual fundraiser, Arts Alive, in September. I love a good time and trying new things. So I obviously said yes. But to stretch our impact even further, Naptown Scoop donated advertising to help sell tickets.
When board members Lex and Ernie Arizzi invited me to be their guest at Fish For a Cure 2021, I thought I was just going to another party. My job does require me to attend a lot. I couldn't have been more wrong. Fish For a Cure is one of the most fun, impactful, and fun fundraising events in town. I knew Naptown Scoop had to be formally involved.
Fun fact: Fish For a Cure 2021 was the public debut of my now iconic Scoop Blue Helly Hansen jacket.
Few organizations bring Annapolis together more than the Maritime Museum. Hundreds (sometimes over 1,000) crowd in every summer Thursday night for Tides and Tunes. Folks are always fishing off AMM's dock. The education programs introduce hundreds of kids each year to the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. And they provide low-cost water access on the historic skipjack Wilma Lee.
After a full year of watching and occasional support, I knew we had to formalize an agreement to support the museum.
Causes near and dear to our partners' hearts are causes near and dear to ours—see Westfield and NOCC above. So when Brad Kappel and his wife, Barb, asked Naptown Scoop to consider being a part of the DeCesaris/Prout Jingle Bell Run/Walk, it was an easy yes. The mission of the event is to raise awareness for lung and ovarian cancers. It was a miserable, rainy event in 2022, but that didn't affect morale!
Donating advertising is good. But sometimes we're in a position to fork over cold, hard cash.
It's no secret the Severna Park Fourth of July Parade is the best around. If you haven't been, add it to your list for 2023. As is becoming a theme on this list, we wanted to become an official part of the parade aftering seeing how amazing it was in 2021. I feel so blessed to have born in the United States of America, so Naptown Scoop sponsored the Most Patriotic Award at the parade.
CRAB is an organization working to increase public water access in Annapolis. They take people who would otherwise never be able to get on the water, and they get them on the water. I attended the CRAB Cup Regatta in 2021 and had to be a part of it in 2022. Sensing a theme?
I challenge you to find any first year parade and festival that pulled off the first year as well as the Juneteenth crew did in 2021. When I saw what Phyllis Tee Adams did in 2021, I wanted to see if we could help make 2022 even better.
I wrote a little about Rock the Dock above. To maximize our contribution to the effort, we gave a cash donation and an advertising donation.
I met Dale Clark, chair of the Seafarers Regatta, during a fateful lunch at Davis' Pub. The friends I was meeting invited him to join us on a whim. Less than 30 minutes after he sat down, Naptown Scoop was sponsoring the inaugural Seafarer's Regatta.
Since K&B True Value owner Jared Littman started Cash for Schools over 10 years ago, it's generated well over $100,000 of no strings attached, do what you want money. They use it for after-school programs, computer supplies, and even helping families pay for clothes.
From the beginning of the school year to October 31, K&B customers make donations when checking out. Cash for Schools partners (2022: K&B, Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits, Evolve Direct Primary Care, Ledo Pizza, and us) then match the funds. This year, the total donation was $30,417.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." -African Proverb.
Thanks to your generosity, we're going far. And our dollars are too.
Mutt Madness is March Madness. But instead of the best college basketball teams in the country playing each other, Naptown Scoop readers vote on their favorite dog until only one remains. In 2021, it was a fun game. In 2022, we turned it into a force for good.
To enter your dog in 2022, you made a minimum $10 donation to the SPCA. With 32 dogs participating, we only expected to raise $320. But some owners were more than generous and the total amount raised was $700.
Two weeks before Christmas, about 50 Scoop readers donned their best sweaters—from ugly to classy—and joined us at the CallTrackingMetrics in Millersville. We also teamed up with Peake Social for this one. There were some drinks, some icebreakers, some very intense ping pong, and we raised $2,000 for the Maryland Food Bank.
At the end of every year in business, Naptown Scoop throws a blowout party for our readers and fans. It's one of my favorite nights of the year. Each year, we pick a different nonprofit to be the beneficiary of the ticket sales and sponsorships. In 2022, we chose the Blue Ribbon Project. We were able to give $3,000. Double the donation from last year's party.
On June 8, 2022, my favorite place to hang out in Annapolis, Sailor Oyster Bar, caught on fire. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I remember being gutted. And I wasn't the only one that felt that way. Because of a piece of lucky timing, we were all geared up to start selling a brand new shirt design. It happened to be perfect for the occasion. So instead of making a profit, we made the shirts a limited Sailor edition and gave 100% of the profits to the employees.
I'd hoped to be able to chip in $1,000. You had other ideas. Hundreds of shirts later, we were able to give them $6,500.
Just a short while after we interviewed Michael and Jenny Waldon of Annapolis Candle/Candles Off Main on the Naptown Scoop Show, Michael had an idea... What if we made a special candle and sold them to benefit the Anne Arundel County Food Bank? I loved it (and he promised to do most of the work). So we did it.
We got Lee Snead to design us a beautiful piece of art for the jar featuring Hemlock Farm in Edgewater and got to selling. Just like the Sailor shirts, the candles sold like water bottles in the desert. Hundreds of candles later, Michael and I were presenting an $8,400 check to the food bank.
On top of all that, Naptown Scoop gave an additional $905 to things like GoFundMes, readers who were Polar Bear Plunging, the HACA pool opening, and more. We also ran a blood drive that put a dozen pints of blood into the AAMC Blood Bank, and one of our readers donated 2 kayaks to the Live Water Foundation.
In short, Naptown Scoop's positive economic impact on the Annapolis community was $41,855 in 2022. Not bad for a 2-year-old business. It is the privilege of my life to be part of this. Thank you for being a part of it. Here's to an amazing 2023.
-- Ryan Sneddon | Publisher
Share this story with your neighbors
We're that funny, deal finding, hip and relevant friend you wish you had. And we'll email you all the Annapolis news and events every weekday morning. For free.
© 2022 Waffle Cone LLC
All Rights Reserved