A little over a year ago, The Nest Coffee House, a program of A Little Compassion, Inc., opened in downtown Deep River. From the beginning, our goal has been to create employment opportunities and social connections that nurture growth in an atmosphere that embraces our employees and participants for who they are and what they bring to our community. The Nest has grown to a staff of 23 with a wide menu of breakfast and lunch offerings, coffees, and delicious ice cream, But it’s not just about the growth of our menu, number of employees, and growing number of fans and customers. It’s also about the lifelong benefits to the young adults in our community. Through their work at The Nest, they develop the skills they will need to overcome the daunting barriers they face in finding and keeping meaningful work.

Now more than ever our non-profit needs your help. On Saturday, October 3, 2020, A Little Compassion, Inc (ALC), will host our 2nd Annual Water Lantern Celebration in Deep River to benefit ALC and The Nest Coffee House. Last year, we hosted 300 participants at Platwood Park, each of whom launched a hand-decorated floating lantern inscribed with inspiring words dedicated to friends and loved ones. Life looks a little different this year, but we are determined to bring our community together to celebrate the lives of individuals of all abilities. While we will not gather physically this year, we will come together via live stream to witness the reflective beauty of hundreds of floating lanterns as they are launched at Plattwood Park. *

You can help us make a difference! Through support from community businesses like you, we can continue to offer employment and social opportunities for young people with disabilities living in Deep River and surrounding communities. With this goal in mind, we are seeking sponsors for the Water Lantern Celebration. In addition to knowing that your sponsorship will allow A Little Compassion to continue the programs and services for young adults with disabilities, our sponsorship benefits provide advertising and social media exposure and let your community know that you have reached back to our little nonprofit with a big mission.

Sponsorship levels, benefits, and deadlines are described in the attached materials.

We look forward to your support and invite you to visit The Nest where opportunity brews confidence and everyone is welcome to our soft place to land.

*This year, due to COVID-19 and EEE safety concerns, all lanterns will picked up from The Nest for decorating starting on September 5th. This will give folks plenty of time to decorate their lantern to send a positive message to all, lift up and honor an individual in our community who bravely face and overcome challenges due to disability every day, or as a tribute to a loved one. The lanterns will be dropped off at our Plattwood Park Drive Through on the day of the event by participants beginning at 5:00 PM. The launch will start at dusk by a crew of volunteers live streamed for the entire event. All lanterns will be retrieved from the pond following the event and recycled. Thank you!

Thank You To Our 2020 Water Lantern Sponsors!

 

Northern Lights Sponsor $5,000

 

SPARK at Yale

 

Blaze Sponsor $1,000

Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller and Shah

Norm Needleman and Jacqui Hubbard

Gil and Dale L’Italien

Melissa Symonds

Hugh Taylor

Beacon Sponsor $500

Sound Rigging Services

Sarah Smalley

Yoga & Pilates for Health

Tailgater’s Pub

Salon 154

Chapco

Planning Across The Spectrum

Shoreline Aerial Photography

Hugh Taylor

Adams IGA

Flame Sponsor $250

Lisa Tiezzi, Realtor, William Pitt Sothebys

Tiezzi Construction

Greenwald Industries

Deep River Safe Harbor Marina

Surface Elements

Michael L’Italien

Essex Yacht Sales

Lantern Sponsor $100

Deep River Garden Club

Essex Savings Bank

Paul Foundation Inc.

John Zanardi Oil Company

Teen Zone

Carol Lewitt

The Perfect Pup

Essex Hardware

Celebrations

Kristen Olson

Karen & Andy Abercrombie-Scott

Iron House Fitness

Beacon Home Inspection

Lee Company

Sydney Williams

Janet Lustig

Gale & Patrick Dilger

Edward Jones

Liberty Bank

Marybeth Ellison

Ann & Lee Alexander

Shore Discount Liquor

The Moen Family

Spark Sponsor $50

Hally Jo’s Corner Café

Attwood’s Auto Appearance

East Coast Precision Manufacturing

Sue Sbrolla & Ed Alger Jr.

Debra Millspaugh

Deep River Hardware

Atwood’s Auto Appearance

Maura Carver

Riverwind Inn

Jordan Manning and Beth Johnson

Pet’s Choice

Sydney Williams

Jane Moen

Stacie & Mike DiNello

Deep River Roasters

Ann Riley

Sue Sbrolla

Rotary Club of Deep River