Thanks to JEDI for this story!
Sandy Patterson became active with JEDI in 2006. As the owner of Alternative Health Solutions, Sandy offers herbal consultations and supplements made by Nature’s Sunshine. In addition, she has served our communities for years in a number of volunteer capacities. She graduated from Making Your Money Work for You and became a Building Assets matched savings participant. She took numerous JEDI workshops to strengthen her business skills. Early in 2011, she met with JEDI counselor Renee Getreu to discuss her new vision, which she now calls New Humanity United. Sandy had a dream to establish a not-for-profit thrift store that would donate proceeds back to other worthy non-profits in the Mount Shasta area, while also serving the community in a variety of ways. As the discussions unfolded, Getreu became convinced that her idea was sound. Sandy was stepping out to practice one of the principles Getreu teaches in Making Your Money Work for You: to align your business with a greater purpose that will help to generate a sustaining trend toward success.
Sandy proceeded to launch the New 2 You project with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers who shared her vision. This team had already been involved twice before with successful thrift store efforts. They were experienced, and they knew they could do it. The New 2 You team began by holding a series of yard sales to generate enough cash to anchor their project in a store front location. Then they found support from another JEDI business owner, Atara Melo, owner of A Melo Place. Atara believed in their effort and generously offered to collaborate with the team so they could hold their sales in an ongoing location in her large back parking area during the summer. As fall drew on, Atara decided to move her business closer to downtown and Sandy was able to strike a deal with the building owner to take over the space Atara had been using. Now New 2 You is happily established at 412 South Mount Shasta Boulevard, and A Melo Place may be found at 417 Chestnut Street.
9 months ago, New 2 You was able to make the first of their planned quarterly donations. The three non-profits that the group decided to support included Meals on Wheels, Hospice and JEDI. At the first gifting, each organization received $1000 apiece. The following two quarters, each received $3000! With little more than a wing and a prayer, Sandy and the New 2 You team have turned the community’s donations into a delightful shop that supports the community, as well as the people who shop and work there. The team’s spirit of generosity and genuine caring lift the hearts of many who pass through their doors, and JEDI takes this moment to publicly acknowledge and thank Sandy and her crew for the many ways their effort is strengthening our communities.