Meraki Wellness, Incfaki Wellness, Inc.
Beaches WellFest - March 7, 2020 at Johansen Park
Funding amount requested: $3000 Dates of event/program start -end: March 7 2020
Board of Directors:
Tracy Marko - President / Director
Thomas Marko - Vice President / Director
Jena Pugh - Director
Elizabeth Brown - Director
Budget:
Our non-profit was established to support the start and growth of the WellFest events. The
organization's budget below shows the cost of starting our non-profit along with some items
needed for the first event that we will be able to use for future events as well.
Organization Budget / Start -Ur Cost - Meraki Wellness, Inc.
InoorporatiourStart
Slate Mow
PillOnsotiand YAri :
Erect Needs:
ShiftS
SikkEri
I4papbarre Wireless
Headset Microphone
41.866,0:1'
Our event budget below shows the sponsorships collected and the cost we incurred to run our
first event for the day (March 2, 2019). We anticipate the needs for our Beaches 2020 event to
be more costly as we hope to purchase a tent for our stage area in case of rain, increase our
advertising, add a for -charity run prior to the start of the event, and establish an on-line pre
registration for small -group education sessions.
Event Budget - Beaches WellFest 2019
Sponsorships Coleciled 1113511
Fording
Advertising:
Day at Needs:
Donna Expo Booth
FacebookAdverisernerg
Beachside Buggies
Polies flash ski
Chairs
Iamb
Tent
Food
Insurance
4400
4100
4300
40480
45429
4100
t4121,I
43.01854
amino_ $130.36'
Fd
FLORIDA
0000019 33/08/19
111
FLORIDA
85-8017720747C-8
Certificate Number
This certifies that
Consumer's Certificate of Exemption
Issued Pursuant to Chapter 212, Florida Statutes
DR -14
R. 01/18
MERAKI WELLNESS INC
1939 BRISTA DE MAR CIR
ATLANTIC BEACH FL 32233-4525
03/07/2019
Effective Date
03/31/2024
Expiration Date
501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION
Exemption Category
is exempt from the payment of Florida sales and use tax on real property rented, transient rental property rented, tangible
personal property purchased or rented, or services purchased.
Important Information for Exempt Organizations 1
DR -14
R. 01/18
1. You must provide all vendors and suppliers with an exemption certificate before making tax-exempt purchases.
See Rule 12A-1.038, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).
2. Your Consumer's Certificate of Exemption is to be used solely by your organization for your organization's
customary nonprofit activities.
3. Purchases made by an individual on behalf of the organization are taxable, even if the individual will be
reimbursed by the organization.
4. This exemption applies only to purchases your organization makes. The sale or lease to others of tangible
personal property, sleeping accommodations, or other real property is taxable. Your organization must register,
and collect and remit sales and use tax on such taxable transactions. Note: Churches are exempt from this
requirement except when they are the lessor of real property (Rule 12A-1.070, F.A.C.).
5. It is a criminal offense to fraudulently present this certificate to evade the payment of sales tax. Under no
circumstances should this certificate be used for the personal benefit of any individual. Violators will be liable for
payment of the sales tax plus a penalty of 200% of the tax, and may be subject to conviction of a third-degree
felony. Any violation will require the revocation of this certificate.
6. If you have questions about your exemption certificate, please call Taxpayer Services at 850-488-6800. The
mailing address is PO Box 6480, Tallahassee, FL 32314-6480.
Iraki V llness, Inc.
Beaches WeIlFest - March 7, 2020 at Johansen Park
Funding amount requested: $3000 Dates of event/program start -end: March 7 2020
Yes/No Conditions:
A. Fair and justifiable costs (Program/Event Budget required) Yes
B. Serves Atlantic Beach residents Yes
C. Program/event pertains to cultural, arts, recreation Yes
D. Program/event activities completed by September 30, 2020 Yes
E. Program/event is non-discriminatory Yes
F. Is the event free from inherently religious activities? Yes
Application Questions:
1. Participants
Location: Johansen Park
Estimated Participants: 500 people
AB Residents: 300 / 60% estimated
Participant Engagement: Full 6hours of the event
Frequency / Duration: 1 day event for 6hours - 10am to 4pm
Open to all AB residents: Yes
Event to occur in AB: Yes
2. Need
The goal of WeIlFest is to provide education to the beaches communities on the
importance of a healthy lifestyle and the various options in which to achieve success in
self and family wellness.
Currently the only events within the entire county that are listed as `health and wellness'
events focus primarily on the sales and promotion of products and services. Other health
festivals may include nutritional specific events, however currently there is no event like
what was held this past March and what we plan to provide to Atlantic Beach this coming
March 2020
The goal of WeIlFest is to provide lifestyle information and screenings to help build
awareness of health risks and provide information on how an individual can make
behavioral changes to enhance his or her health, as well as the health of their families.
In our community the pieces we need to make this happen are right in front of us - and
this is how we put them all together. This is our chance to educate our community.
Although we continue to be flooded with information for business and services claiming
to be about health, obesity percentages continue to grow throughout Duval County and
the State of Florida. In Florida, approximately 29% of the population is categorized as
obese; and in Duval County the statistics show closer to 30% are obese. Information is
available on health and wellness, but it's overwhelming for most and our community is
suffering. Focus should be on what is needed, what is effective, and what is available to
support a lifestyle change that provides a connection between the resource and the
target audience. That is where WeIlFest will bridge the gap; allowing attendees to
discover health and connect local. With 93.7% of our City having access to exercise and
26% continuing to be inactive, there is a reason we're missing the connection; and it's
time to make changes.
3. Description of Program / Event
3.1 Goals and Objectives
WeIlFest was built on the foundation of providing education to communities and
empowering individuals to take control of the health of themselves and their families.
To do that we need to build a strong network of local businesses that want to work
together for the greater good of their community. This network will allow for
individuals to be supported on their health journeys.
Outside of our big picture goal of building networks and educating the community, we
set a goal from our last event in March to have every person who walked through our
festival leave with one piece of information they can immediately put into practice to
improve their health. After our event we sent out a survey through Facebook and
every single response confirmed that we had met our goal and that our beaches
community wanted a WeIlFest 2020. We hope that for this next event we can provide
attendees with a survey card to return at the end of the event (perhaps with a raffle
incentive) to allow us to collect more data on the needs, wants, and success of our
event.
Our main proposed goals from the beginning of the concept of WeIlFest are listed
below, and we believe our first event met these goals and as we grow we will
continue to focus on these and create the community impact needed to make a
change.
• Educating our community on impactful and immediate ways to improve health
and well-being: Every attendee of the event will have their own personal
understanding and background into what health and wellness means to them.
The overall goal of the event and the selected sponsor representation is to
expose the attendees to every facet of a healthy lifestyle, including those that
may not have been a previous focus. With the event, we aim to have each
attendee walk away having learned at least one new thing they can change
immediately to improve their overall health. Specifically, something that doesn't
require a product or membership.
• Raising community awareness through local small businesses: By focusing on
local businesses as sponsors for the event, attendees will have the opportunity to
be face-to-face with companies in our neighborhood. The availability of local
resources allows for reinforcement of the convenience and accessibility of health
and wellness providers.
• Partnering with health professionals and local resources to promote a healthy
and mindful lifestyle: Opportunities for sponsorship will include a range of
fitness, physical health, mental health, nutritional health, and environmental
sustainability organizations. By having representation from various health and
wellness resources, attendees will be exposed to the ecosystem of health that
includes a holistic approach to a healthier lifestyle.
3.2 Activities
We strive to make WeIlFest as hands-on as possible, meaning that not only do we
allow our sponsors to set up their space as they see fit, but we encourage
demonstrations and interactive activities throughout the day to enhance the
educational opportunities at the event. We also had a stage set up last year allowing
for presentations and classes throughout the day. Our 2019 event had a small
platform stage but we would like to upgrade to a full trailer stage as our event grows
to allow for more visual presentations from our gold -level sponsors. This past year,
for example, we had a yoga class, bootcamp class, guided mindful meditation,
cooking demonstrations, and interactive education on the physical therapy approach
to back pain.
We also plan to expand into smaller breakout sessions to allow for small -group
learning and education to encourage interaction with our sponsors and attendees.
We would like to invest in the capability to allow for on-line registration to allow
attendees to set up their own schedule for the day as well, which is something we
hope to use our grant funds for.
3.3 Advertised
We plan to advertise this upcoming event as we did for our 2019 event. We had
posters and flyers placed around the beaches, not just at the locations of our
sponsors but at other businesses as well. We ran a press release in the Beaches
Leader and Parents Magazine. We distributed over 2000 flyers to the local schools to
be sent home with students. We also had event listings online and/or print with Void,
Jax Moms Blog, and Natural Awakenings Magazine. Lastly, we had a booth set up at
the Donna Marathon Expo and distributed another 2000+ flyers throughout the
weekend as well as placed seven yard signs and three banners along the race
course. A website, facebook page, and instagram page was also established for the
event.
4. Facilitated Access
At our 2019 event we offered bike valet with The Bike Bus as well as transportation with
Beachside Buggies from City Hall to Johansen Park. We believe this gave alternatives to
accessing Johansen Park for those either unable to drive and those with difficulty
parking close to the event. The City Hall lot provided overflow parking and closer access
for those needing city bus transportation as it is closer to the Plaza Road bus stop. We
also believe that promoting the bike valet encouraged attendees to be active.
We did contact Fleet Landing about using their transportation for their residents that
wished to attend but were unable to confirm for last March, but we fully intend on
attempting to secure that contact for the 2020 event.
5. Evidence Based
Statistics on the increase of preventable health-related chronic illness with behavior risk
factors, as pulled from the Department of Health, show the need for this type of event.
For example, in Florida, approximately 29% of the population is categorized as obese;
and in Duval County the statistics show closer to 30% are obese. In 2016, only 21.7% of
adults aged 18 and older in the state of Florida met the physical activity guidelines for
both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. Diabetes, the nation's seventh -leading
cause of death, has had a steady increase in death rates in Duval County since 2014.
Although we are aware that there are varying factors to chronic illness, consistent
lifestyle changes in regards to physical activity and nutrition are documented to have
positive effects and improved wellbeing.
These statistics only touch the physical and nutritional side of what WellFest is all about.
We also include mental health and environmental sustainability as two other focus areas
at our events and truly believe that research backs the need for education and
accessibility to resources for improving individuals, families, and communities.
The success of our Beaches 2019 event lead to the partnership with the City of
Jacksonville for the growth of WellFest into Riverside (scheduled for October 5th, 2019).
We also have the majority of our Beaches sponsors signed on to return to Atlantic Beach
in 2020.
6. Fee or Cost
There is no cost or fee to attend the program or participate in any of the activities
provided throughout the day by our sponsors. We also offer free participation to other
501c3 companies wishing to participate.
7. Evaluating Success
As with our previous event we plan to send out surveys through social media following
the 2020 event (as well as our upcoming Riverside event). We also hope to do survey
cards at the event with potential raffle opportunities for cards submitted the day -of. We
also truly believe the success of the event is shown not just in the returning of our
sponsors/vendors, but also the increased number of sponsors and vendors and the
community attendance and participation. Our inaugural 2019 event had consistent rain
throughout the day and we still had 30+ attendees on their mats, in the rain, for our
10am kick-off yoga class.
We have mentioned our survey for attendees, but we did also send satisfaction and
feedback surveys to our sponsors to ensure that their specific goals and expectations for
the event were met and we plan to continue to do so, improving in any areas needed as
we grow.
Volunteers for our first event included our Board of Directors and family members and
friends, however as we grow we plan to extend invitations for community service hours
to area schools and community groups. We truly believe in building community
connections and networks and will keep that at the core of every event.
8. Resourcing
Our volunteer plans include reaching out to local schools and community groups to
provide community service hours. In terms of other funding and donations, we currently
have not looked into opportunities as our first event, with our sponsorships, allowed us to
cover the cost of the event. No payments were made to any of our members of the
Board of Directors. In-kind donations allowed us advertising in multiple outlets as well as
all of our graphics, and we plan to explore those options for future events as well.