Teafly Peterson was the winner of the April 19 Awesome Bend Pitch Night with her proposal to give people a feel-good experience by issuing various positive and humorous official documents.
With the $1,000 grant, she will offer Joy Permits, Certificates of Recognition, OK Parent Awards, Forgiver’s Licenses, Open Carry Permits for Musical Instruments, True Friend Diplomas, Apology Decrees, Free Play Tickets, Happiness Insurance cards and Refurbished Report Cards (which are especially popular as the school year winds down).
Peterson plans to build a bicycle-pulled cart and offer positive paperwork at various events around Bend throughout the summer. The services are free and all donations will go to nonprofit causes. In her pitch, Peterson’s stated goals included:
• Raise people’s Joy Quotient by a minimum of 224 percent
• Lower people’s Resentment Rate by 76 percent
• Strengthen the overall Happiness Index in Bend by 46 percent annually
At Pitch Night, five finalists vied for the $1,000 which comes from ten trustees who each donate $100. In addition, an audience favorite prize of $256 was awarded to Melissa Parker for a proposal called Breaking the Grass Ceiling. She plans to mentor at-risk girls at an
organic hop farm.
Awesome Bend is now accepting applications for proposals that will make Bend an even better place to live, work or play for its next quarterly grant at www.awesomebend.org. The application deadline is July 1. Finalists will be notified and invited to present three-minute pitches at the next Awesome Bend Pitch Night which will be held July 19, 6-8:30pm at the Deschutes Brewery Tap Room, 1044 NW Bond Street in downtown Bend. The event is free and open to the public.
(Photo above: Teafly Peterson holding her Awesome Bend check with fans Allison Murphey and her children Arora Restani and Sailor Funtanellas | Photo Courtesy of Awesome Bend)
