Gratitude Building Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Hey there! Folks call me Kat. I own/operate a small corner joint called Gratitude in old Bethanytown with a lot of heart. We're part bakery, part music venue, part fair trade retailer and all community with a little vegetarian food on the side (sourcing organic ingredients from local farmers.)
In 2016 it became apparent that our home (the historical First Bank of Bethany) needed a little help. Throughout most of 2017 we quietly embarked on researching, correcting and more importantly maintaining her for the future of not only Gratitude as a business but for the neighborhood and it's historical importance.
As the facts began to pile up around me I made the tough decision to make this public. After years of working 70+ hrs a week I knew I just couldn't work any harder to make all the financial pieces fit. I have the most amazing regulars and the greatest musicians on the planet. I lean on them for their constant support and wisdom. After much urging GoFundMe along with several other community fundraising avenues have become the answer to heartbreaking decisions.
Gratitude has become a safe haven for live music and the arts for folks of all ages on a Friday and Saturday evening. It's a quiet, nostalgic spot in the mornings for a round of cribbage or for a chat around a table of regulars that have become family. It's a place to order a cake your grandmother would recognize. We're a throwback, a place you can buy homemade jam and have a heart-to-heart with the owner anytime you want! Gratitude is something special. My customers and musicians are what make me come in every day!
This is a list of current and near future (within 2018) projects and how you can help and what your support means to me -
Projects:
- Replace and correct sidewalk around building
- Correct and add new masonry in basement of attached structure
- Add several I-Beams in basement of attached structure
- Correct front basement wall
- Correct electrical damage
- Replace several broken pipes (plumbing)
- Add protective installation in basement to create a water barrier
- Redirect water flow outside with landscaping
- Replace (1) north facing picture window (due to BB shot in 2017)
- Strip and replace roof!
With your support we would be able to fully correct and continue to operate. A very heavy load would lessen! It's been such a long, sometimes hard and challenging journey. Our first 15 months included renovations and a long path of red tape to follow. This was followed by over 5 years of creating a personal space that is warm, inviting and full of heart. It's been a wild ride! There's been great joy, laughter, tears- as well as some pretty amazing moments. I have given but received even more.
I believe in making things better than when I came. It is also evident that things needed to get done yesterday (not tomorrow.) Waiting wasn't an option. So without fanfare, we've been chipping away at projects, paying out of pocket and do what we can as quietly as we can. We're a small place. I don't have a staff other than my mother. I keep it simple. I believe in community and in being the reason someone still believes in good things. I will conitue to come in everyday and provide a space that is wam and love filled. A business with honest pratices and locally-sourced food who's main concern in the person who just walked through the door.
I thank you. If you are unable to give- I do understand and ask you to pass it along. Together we create miracles. Love & Light.
Building's Historical Relevance
npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/86001936
Gratitude Cafe Bakery Website
www.gratitudecafebakery.com
In 2016 it became apparent that our home (the historical First Bank of Bethany) needed a little help. Throughout most of 2017 we quietly embarked on researching, correcting and more importantly maintaining her for the future of not only Gratitude as a business but for the neighborhood and it's historical importance.
As the facts began to pile up around me I made the tough decision to make this public. After years of working 70+ hrs a week I knew I just couldn't work any harder to make all the financial pieces fit. I have the most amazing regulars and the greatest musicians on the planet. I lean on them for their constant support and wisdom. After much urging GoFundMe along with several other community fundraising avenues have become the answer to heartbreaking decisions.
Gratitude has become a safe haven for live music and the arts for folks of all ages on a Friday and Saturday evening. It's a quiet, nostalgic spot in the mornings for a round of cribbage or for a chat around a table of regulars that have become family. It's a place to order a cake your grandmother would recognize. We're a throwback, a place you can buy homemade jam and have a heart-to-heart with the owner anytime you want! Gratitude is something special. My customers and musicians are what make me come in every day!
This is a list of current and near future (within 2018) projects and how you can help and what your support means to me -
Projects:
- Replace and correct sidewalk around building
- Correct and add new masonry in basement of attached structure
- Add several I-Beams in basement of attached structure
- Correct front basement wall
- Correct electrical damage
- Replace several broken pipes (plumbing)
- Add protective installation in basement to create a water barrier
- Redirect water flow outside with landscaping
- Replace (1) north facing picture window (due to BB shot in 2017)
- Strip and replace roof!
With your support we would be able to fully correct and continue to operate. A very heavy load would lessen! It's been such a long, sometimes hard and challenging journey. Our first 15 months included renovations and a long path of red tape to follow. This was followed by over 5 years of creating a personal space that is warm, inviting and full of heart. It's been a wild ride! There's been great joy, laughter, tears- as well as some pretty amazing moments. I have given but received even more.
I believe in making things better than when I came. It is also evident that things needed to get done yesterday (not tomorrow.) Waiting wasn't an option. So without fanfare, we've been chipping away at projects, paying out of pocket and do what we can as quietly as we can. We're a small place. I don't have a staff other than my mother. I keep it simple. I believe in community and in being the reason someone still believes in good things. I will conitue to come in everyday and provide a space that is wam and love filled. A business with honest pratices and locally-sourced food who's main concern in the person who just walked through the door.
I thank you. If you are unable to give- I do understand and ask you to pass it along. Together we create miracles. Love & Light.
Building's Historical Relevance
npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/86001936
Gratitude Cafe Bakery Website
www.gratitudecafebakery.com
Organizer
Kat Cloran
Organizer
Lincoln, NE