Care is a recently emerged independent non-profit organization that is a direct evolution of the former volunteer-based program Conscious Crew. With over 1500 members we are the largest harm reduction focussed organization in the pacific northwest. Care is a volunteer, peer-led, community-based harm reduction initiative. On-site we work directly with emergency services, event security, venue coordinators, and patrons to curate safer event spaces with a focus on creating a better overall experience and positive outcomes for everyone involved. We believe that pragmatically speaking, the war on drugs has failed and that outdated prohibition laws, and ‘abstinence only’ based education programs create more problems than they solve. Regardless of legal status, recreational substance use is inherently risky, and while we do not officially condone or condemn said substance use; we are, however, strong advocates for human rights, personal freedoms, as well as responsible, educated decision making. We put forth the proposition that compassion, logic, and facts should govern policy above all else. We feel strongly that profits should never be put before people and as such safety standards should not be set by those who stand to profit the most from doing the least, and that is the very basis Care’s foundation is built on.
We propose that a program for the people, by the people, should also be funded by the people. That is why we are here asking for your support! We are attempting to collect $250,000 a year in public donations to cover our annual operating expenses (We believe in honesty and transparency. For a more detailed explanation of how we plan to allocate the funding that we collect please review our organization's financial plan in its entirety here. After speaking with marketing specialists we estimate the EDM community in the Pacific Northwest to be approximately 250,000 people strong. Furthermore, in any one given year, there are approximately 50,000-100,000 people actively attending events. These figures are important because it shows us if the entire community set up a recurring donation of just $1 a year the program could run indefinitely at its target annual budget of $250,000. That being said, it's unrealistic to think we can get literally everybody to donate; but what if instead we managed to get just the low estimate of 50,000 people actively attending shows to donate $5 (the price of a cup of coffee) a year towards the cause? Again we easily hit our goal. When you really stop to consider how much money we as a community collectively spend attending these events it becomes incredibly clear that we can afford to fund this program as well as the creation of many other public services and outreach programs ourselves. We just have to care enough to do so. Will you dare to care?