I love it when Starbucks gets involved with good-cause organizations and finds ways to support them. I had the chance to go to this event, take photos, and learn more about the partnership.
The artist, Michael Tolleson, attributes his Asperger’s as the gift that allows him to paint quickly and fluidly, creating gallery-worthy oil paintings without formal training. Michael Tolleson did a live painting inside this store and then donated the final artwork to the Autism Society of Washington, which will ultimately auction it during an annual silent auction event later this year. A representative of the Autism Society of Washington (Kevin Hinton) was on hand to receive the donations.
The evening began with live music sung by Susanna Fuller – I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her! She sang everything from the famous My Heart Will Go On (Titanic song) to classic soft pop songs:
I don’t always mention this, but keeping up on this blog is work. It can, at times, be a bit wearing. On top of it all, I’m working on writing a book right now, so it’s been a little bit draining doing both this and the book draft. I treat this blog like a newspaper, updating frequently. Going to this event reminded of many things that are right with Starbucks and why I’m quite engaged with them: I met partners who were genuinely passionate about their stores and coffee and who reached out to their community to make great things happen. I love that.