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We Buy Nearby ‘shop local’ event generates $1,300 in charity donations

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We Buy Nearby-Shop for a Cause presented donation checks from the downtown merchants who participated in the promotion, to representatives of four non-profit organizations that benefitted from donations generated by different percentages of customer sales Nov. 9-11. Pictured (from left) are Crossing Rivers Health Foundation Director Sasha Dull, Crossing Rivers Health Hospice Patient Care Coordinator Emily Hagensick, Prairie du Chien Board of Education President Christine Panka, Rivers and Bluffs Animal Shelter Vice-President Bev Pozega, new RABAS Director Staci Roth, The Pickett Fence Owner Lou Davis, Rockweiler’s Manager Brian Seymour and The Local Oven Owner Greg Cerven. (Photo by Correne Martin)

By Correne Martin

Thirteen downtown Prairie du Chien merchants participated in a We Buy Nearby-Shop for a Cause promotion Nov. 9-11, which encouraged shoppers of those establishments to not only come out for a visit to local businesses but also to designate a portion of their sales as a charitable donation.

Each participating merchant could choose the percentage of sales from those three days that would be gifted, and the consumers could choose which of four different non-profit organizations would benefit from contribution. The four Prairie du Chien charities and the overall amount received included Rivers and Bluffs Animal Shelter, $586.96; Crossing Rivers Hospice, $479.13; Prairie du Chien Public Library, $170.30; and Prairie du Chien Public Schools $134.72. A total of $1,377.43 was collected via the promotion.

“Some stores did very well, some not so much. But we had a good response from all the stores; they felt it was for a good cause,” said Lou Davis, event co-organizer and owner of The Pickett Fence. “Overall, it was a good event and they want to do it again next year.”

In 2018, the intent of We Shop Nearby is to involve the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce in spreading the word and getting other businesses from the whole community to participate.

For a first-year event, Davis said she and fellow planner Greg Cerven, The Local Oven owner, were very pleased with what was accomplished this year.

“Thank you for participating and doing your part getting people into the businesses,” Davis said to representatives from the four charity organizations.

Cerven added, “We found that the more specific you can be about what the funds are going toward, the more likely people will be to want to select your organization to benefit.”

In 2018, Davis and Cerven would like to see four different non-profits benefit, perhaps.

“We think we can help a lot of people with this,” Davis said.

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