Ferndale Pride is partnering with four local businesses this Valentine's season to raise funds for its 2021 festival, which was canceled last year due to concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic. The businesses, Blumz by JRDesigns, The Candle Wick Shoppe, Elaine B. Jewelry and LIV Ferndale, have stepped up as the first group of small businesses to help raise funds for this year's Pride.
"The companies that sponsor Ferndale Pride have made it free to the public and allowed us to create fundraisers that give back to local LGBTQ charities," said Julia Music, Ferndale Pride executive director. "We have donated more than $225,000 since we started Pride, and we want to be able to continue to give."
At Blumz by JRDesigns supporters of Pride can buy special Rainbow Roses or a vase of assorted roses from blumz.com. A portion of all sales will go to Ferndale Pride and purchasers will have the option, via a drop-down box on the order page, to make an additional donation to Ferndale Pride.
"We know that all the organizations that rely on generous contributions from fundraisers are struggling and we thought this was a perfect fit for us during Valentine's week," said Jerome Raska of Blumz. "We plan to feature different organizations monthly moving forward so people can send flowers and plants and support an organization at the same time."
The Candle Wick Shoppe has been a supporter of Ferndale Pride since its inception and it has been the single largest business contributor to the group. The Shoppe will donate 30 percent of the sales of every Mercury in Retrograde candle. This candle, which can be purchased in person at 175 North Nine Mile Road or from candlewickshoppe.com, is designed to help folks regain balance in their lives as Mercury goes into Retrograde and, supposedly, wreak havoc with communication.
Elaine B. Jewelry will feature an 18-inch necklace with a large rose-cut bead in peridot (green), citrine (orange) or aquamarine (blue). It can be added to a silver, oxidized silver or gold fill chain. This piece is a featured part of the Elaine B. Jewelry Rise Collection. A whopping 100 percent of the proceeds from The Rise Collection go to charities the company supports. It can be purchased in-person at 22961 Woodward Ave. or from elainebjewelry.com.
Finally, LIV Ferndale, located at 2625 Hilton Road, has a variety of products that will help raise funds for Ferndale Pride. These include MKX Cherry and Grapefruit Gummies, Platinum Vape cartridges, Runtz strain Medical, Cornbread strain Recreational and Treetown Vanilla Rice Crispy Squares. Items may be purchased in-store or online at LIVFerndale.com.
Ferndale Pride is a family-friendly street fair that draws thousands to downtown Ferndale each year. Organizers are working with local officials to schedule a date for this year's festival to meet health and safety needs in light of COVID-19.
Learn more about Ferndale Pride online at ferndalepride.com or by visiting its Facebook page.
