Somehow, we have already arrived at Thanksgiving, and with it the start of the holiday shopping and gift-giving season. I am pretty sure we skipped August and September, since I don’t remember having that many days since the end of summer.
As we gather together to be with family and argue over politics while eating turkey (or tofurkey, if you are vegetarian), we must remember that this time of year is about more than just how many pieces of pie you can get into your body on Thursday. It is also about giving. (and getting some sweet deals on Friday!)
While you are in the giving spirit, let me invite you to do something which keeps on giving, and will help the Fab Lab to grow and do more of the community works that we are made to do. I am talking about Amazon Smile. With Amazon Smile, you can set up every amazon purchase to donate to your favorite non-profit (Hint: That is us.). If you do not already do Amazon Smile, the process is easy. Head over to smile.amazon.com, and login (if you are not already). Then choose your nonprofit of choice by searching by name (STEAM Fab Lab) or by putting in the EIN number (the tax ID which gives us our nonprofit status), which is 46-3650303. After you have submitted, 0.4% of every purchase you make is donated to the Fab Lab, allowing us to support our community in more ways! That point four percent does not seem like much, but 0.4% is the percentage of US citizens who live in New York City, so it can build up. If you would consider taking the 30 seconds to go there now and set up Smile to support us, it can translate to hundreds of dollars from everyone working together, just like our community does every day!
Speaking of community, I am happy to announce a new addition to our membership options! We are setting up a small business membership, which will include a full Fab Lab membership along with extras, including guaranteed internet, extra firewall protection, office co-working space, conference/meeting room reservation, print/fax/copy area, coffee/iced coffee bar, lounge area, secure document storage, Business address, free parking, and business phone services! This package makes your small business a turnkey access point, allowing you to skip past all the setup details and get right to what you want to do: Run your established business or startup. Our website will be updated soon with the new option and all the details. At $150 per month, it saves you hundreds of dollars every month in rent, utilities, internet, and all of the other headaches which make a new business a challenge to start.
Enough about money, though. This is also a time of giving, and we are doing our best to make sure that all of you have the access you need to create the best holiday you have ever had! Whether it is a membership for a maker in your life, a class which helps you to make a gift to give, a new skill which you use to create amazing things, or a kit or finished project which you buy directly from us, we give you as many ways to create something special for your special ones. I know, that still sounded like talking about money, but it is really about the thing on the other side; the feeling that you get when you give a thoughtful, beautiful gift to a loved one.
Seeing the light in their eyes as they open the package in anticipation. Seeing the joy as they behold their new special something, and the happiness you both feel when they realize that this is not just a consumer good that was bought from a store, but a gift made from your own hands, with love, for the ones you love. The look on their face when they find out you made them something one-of-a-kind is something that I hope everyone gets to experience, and it starts here at the Fab Lab. We want to help you on your journey, so that this holiday season becomes the one that people talk about for years (beyond your current unofficial title of ‘Most pieces of pie eaten in one sitting champion’).
Stop by the website and sign up today, or come in and get a start on all of those projects! The time is moving quickly, and before you know it, we will be celebrating the new year. We will be closed on Thanksgiving day, so we can celebrate with our families. Have a wonderful week, eat an extra piece of pie for me, and I Hope to see you all at the Fab Lab.
-Kirk