The Stardust-Startup Factory NEWS & UPDATES

Published: Mon, 06/13/16

 
 
Thanks to all of you for your continued interest in and support of The Stardust-Startup Factory!
13 June 2016
NEWS & UPDATES
Dance Under The Stars June 2016
+ Our very first fundraiser was a success!
On a very breezy evening in Atlantic Beach, NC, you might have spotted four women frantically trying to set up 10 x 10 event tents for the 7 - 11 PM Dance Under The Stars. Undaunted by the 14 knot wind, they and other helpful volunteers worked together at The Circle beach park to prepare for a night of fun!  With lights strung around the event tent poles and the gazebo, the awesome DJ played music to get everyone dancing.
Dance Under The Stars June 2016
We had an abundance of food, drinks, and door prizes to give out for the evening. People danced, relaxed, and conversed, and most importantly, radiated nothing but positive energy. 
Dance Under The Stars June 2016
With the generous support of local sponsors and attendees, we raised $2,505. We are happy to announce that we met our goal of generating enough the money to support a microgrant award. Huge thank you to all who showed up to dance and to learn more about our organization, as well as to our amazing volunteers! We hope to continue this tradition annually so stay tuned.
HUGE THANKS TO OUR LOCAL SPONSORS for the night:

Carteret Community College Foundation
Food Lion
Harris Teeter
Subway
Southern Bread Bakery
Abe's Way Popcorn
Smithfield's Restaurant
Crab's Claw
Marsh's Surf Shop
AB Surf Shop
Davis Beachwear
Ernie's Gift World
Paradise Beach Shop
The Friendly Market
Staples

And many thank to the Town of Atlantic Beach, NC for permitting the event!
 
Around 30 t-shirts are still available in all sizes; if you're interested please visit our blog post here or contact us directly!
 
+ ​​​​​​​Fourth Microgrant Recipient Selected
Tami Thomas, owner of The Miriam's Treasures, is our latest microgrant recipient! Find out more about her new detox and rehabilitation center for women here and on her website.  Jean and Camille met with Tami on Friday to video a quick interview and visit the future facility location. We had heartfelt conversations about how Tami (shown in the center of the picture) understands and relates to the goals and values of The Stardust-Startup Factory and how they parallel her own. It feels wonderful to have the opportunity to get to know Stardust award recipients one-on-one and to build long-lasting connections. The Stardust community is quickly growing.  Wanda Bennett (shown on the left) is the director of the Carteret Community College Small Business Center. She has been a huge help connecting us to the existing Eastern North Carolina network. Have you visited our Facebook page recently? It will update you on this and other Stardust news.
Who are these people we keep mentioning? Check out our "Team" page on the website to get a sense of who is behind The Stardust-Startup Factory.
 
Spectacular results for Memorial Day 
Donations
M. Sgt Scott Pruitt was killed by an IED while serving alongside Jean in Afghanistan in 2012. The Stardust-Startup Factory Memorial Day donation opportunity in Scott's honor was created in collaboration with his mom and his fiancée, Lydia Hobson and Trish Lane, respectively. It brought together the energy, optimism, and love of life that defined both Scott and Angus.

The donation page campaign raised almost $800 in just a few days! 
 
Creative Ways To Give
  • Think outside the box: if you're hosting a party or event, consider displaying a raffle basket or door prizes to raise money for a Stardust microgrant! Contact us to receive a media package including brochures, postcards, images, and more.
  • Use Amazon Smile every time you shop on Amazon to donate at no cost.
  • Host your own fundraising event! It could be a dance (like ours), a karaoke night, a fun run, an outing, a sports tournament, or simply a backyard party. The Stardust Community is very geographically dispersed! Let's take advantage of what each of our locations have to offer.
Dance Under The Stars June 2016
 
Rethinking and Resetting Upcoming Events in 2016

September 2016 is the first anniversary of Angus’s passing. If not for this event, the Stardust-Startup Factory would not exist.​​​​​​​

The Promotion Team working in concert with us (the co-creators—Jean, Camille, and Jim) planned to mark the date by hosting two activities in Boulder: the Flatirons Climbing Festival and the Angus Moloney Memorial Golf Tournament. This sounded like a grand idea in December…but as the event date draws closer we realize that we need rethink and reset our plans. ​​​​​​​

This year we will gain strength from the love and support of friends, family, and the greater Stardust Community. We encourage you all to join us as we turn our attention to reflection and renewal, seeing climbing—in Angus’s life as in our own—as a metaphor for aspirations to overcome the very real uphill obstacles in life that we all face. 
 
"The more you know and understand about each other, the easier it is to keep connected as life swings around you."
    -  Angus Moloney, from his notes on relationships
 
Laura Jean Palmer-Moloney
Sincerely,
Laura Jean Palmer-Moloney & Camille Babingon
​​​​​​​starduststartupfactory.org