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The purpose of IGNITESTORE.COM extends far beyond the clothing we design and sell. This is an enterprise whose ultimate purpose is to help people who desperately need help. Around the world we see organizations being raised up to address the needs of the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and those displaced by natural or man-made disasters. Some of these organizations are large and well financed; others enjoy celebrity sponsorship. Many are small and their work, while highly effective, goes largely unnoticed by the media. Some of these initiatives are faith-based, while others are not. It may be the work of a couple in Mozambique feeding 4,000 orphans every day, or a group trying to rescue children from sexual slavery in Southeast Asia. It could be an economic development initiative in Nigeria, or building new homes in a blighted inner city. Or it could be a workforce development program in an underserved rural community. There are countless such initiatives underway, and all are desperately needed by the people they serve. Our goal is to become a major sponsor providing financial support to various organizations and ministries operating on the front lines. While that goal is ambitious, we believe it is attainable.
The seeds for this venture were planted in 2002. At the time I was undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, and we were making frequent trips through blighted sections of Philadelphia in route to a major hospital downtown. Those trips broke my heart for the poor of the inner city and left a lasting impression – burned out buildings, overgrown lots, abandoned vehicles, schools with iron bars protecting windows and razor wire on top of chain-linked fencing. My children didn’t have to grow up in that environment, and every child deserves better. In 2006 my wife and I sponsored a group of inner city youth on a Missions trip to Brazil. We had seen the impact the trip had on our own son the year before. But even that hadn’t prepared for the life-changing impact of that experience on the group we sent from the inner city. We knew immediately that this was something we had to continue to do. At about the same time we began to encounter friends (old and new) who were launching various charitable initiatives to help those less fortunate around the world – Nigeria, Mozambique, Congo, Honduras, Costa Rico, Brazil, Thailand, India, and right here in the United States. My own trip overseas in 2007 opened my eyes to the incredible poverty that exists beyond our borders.
There is so much need and so many good works worthy of support. So, lacking the personal resources to fund such initiatives on a sustained basis, we created Revival Brands, LLC and launched IGNITESTORE.COM in September of 2008. As stated above, our goal is to become a major sponsor providing financial support to various organizations operating on the front lines. We will not be successful until we are able to do that on a sustained basis. Our dreams are big and our plans ambitious. But we can’t do it without you. So please - help us IGNITE HOPE in the lives of others.
UPDATE – December 2009: Perhaps to be expected, especially in difficult economic times, our first year has been a challenge. We have invested a great deal of our personal savings into IGNITESTORE.COM – savings that we hope to recover over time (or not). But we are keeping our eyes fixed on the goal. And even now, while still operating well in the red, we are beginning to make small gifts and pursuing creative ways in which we can help deserving groups raise funds (e.g., consignment sales). We do so much appreciate the many friends who have helped and supported us along the way. And we have great hope for the future. So stay tuned!
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