15 vendors will set up wares in Old Town Fort Collins to offer holiday shoppers a chance to purchase gifts that have positive impacts on people around the globe. Market with a Mission is a collaborative effort between Everyday Joe’s Coffee House, Dining for Women, Colorado State University’s Environmental Learning Center, students in Colorado State University’s non-profit management course, and the Global Village Museum of Art and Culture.
But this Market has an even bigger mission.
“The idea initially started as just a sales event, but after more discussion, we realized we can use this to achieve something bigger,” said Brett Bruyere, director of CSU’s Conservation Leadership graduate program in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Warner College of Natural Resources. “The event can influence how people see their ability to make a difference in this world through simple shifts in behavior and choices.”
Market with A Mission
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday, December 2
Everyday Joe’s Coffee House
144 S. Mason Street, Fort Collins
Open to public
Free parking at 200 West Oak Street
Youth activities
Food and drink for purchase
A springboard for positive impacts
Students in CSU’s non-proft management course assisted with event planning, observed the partner organizations, and have seen first-hand the work non-profits do and the impact they can have in communities.
“The people of Fort Collins are very involved in their community and this is a fantastic opportunity to engage them in globally focused organizations,” said Jacob Austin, a student in the non-profit management course. “As a student in the HDNR program, this event creates an opportunity for us to learn in real world, hands-on situations, while at the same time contributing to important conservation work.”
Market with a Mission hopes to affect change. Bruyere looks to a future where this annual Market is part of a bigger effort that includes speakers, forums, and other ways for people to engage and think globally.
“These early efforts are a pilot project,” he said. “But one that will have indeed made a difference to individuals that are literally thousands of miles from Fort Collins.”
To learn more about Market with a Mission, contact Sarah Walker sewalker@colostate.edu
