The fourth annual Nest Fest is set for 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Bossier Civic Center.
Presented by Renesting Project Inc., the Nest Fest fundraiser was created to raise money and awareness in the fight against homelessness. Renesting Project Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that provides gently used furniture and household items to clients of registered social service agencies as they transition from homelessness.
This year’s Nest Fest will feature both a live and silent auction with items ranging from donated artwork to jewelry to sports and autographed memorabilia.
Food and drinks will be provided by Good Eats, while Winston Hall and headliner band Ambush take the stage. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting www.renestingprojectinc.org, but they will also be available at the door.
“The event is like a great party for a great cause,” said Director Kip Holloway.
Nest Fest is held in memory of Lauren Leigh Colvin, who was one of Executive Director Noel Haacker’s best friend’s daughter. Colvin had a passion for helping others and her community.
“Susan Colvin and her husband, Jay, lost their daughter [Lauren], and they started Nest Fest as a nonprofit foundation to raise money for Renesting [Project Inc.] to become a broader organization. The Renesting part relates to a group called Lauren’s Nest,” Holloway said.
“[Renesting Project Inc.] was created in 2009 and started out of Asbury [United Methodist Church]. It’s now its own 501(c)(3), and they used to have a warehouse out on Texas Street, but now it’s on 1303 Driftwood Drive.”
The event plays a significant role in maintaining Renesting Project Inc., which since its inception, has expanded and been able to serve hundreds of households and many social service agencies including the Fuller Center, Volunteers of America, Hope for the Homeless and Easter Seals.
“There’s a lot of reference to the need for all of us to have a ‘nest’ that belongs to us.”
The warehouse, also called the “nest,” runs like a well-oiled machine and does so to better serve the organizaton’s clients and service agencies.
“It’s a very detailed operation and is very well organized,” Holloway said.
“It accomplishes what needs to be done in a very efficient manner. And everything there is done by volunteers, except for Noel who is the executive director.”
Donated items are taken in and divided up into categories after being cleaned and packaged. They also do repairs for any furniture that may need it. Volunteers maintain inventory in order to be able to efficiently provide furniture and household items to clients and agencies.
“We work through social service agencies,” Holloway said.
“If an agency like the VOA [Volunteers of America] or VA [Veteran’s Affairs] finds a home for someone who was in a homelessness situation, and they think they can transition them into a new home, they’ll come to us. We’ll take care of the furnishings what it takes for someone to really start off. They’ll have everything to a week’s worth of food.”
Holloway said the organization hopes to give people a fighting chance to succeed and give them more than just an empty space.
“We try to make it so that they really have a chance,” he said.
“You can imagine if you’re in a situation where the only thing you have is a space that’s 100 percent empty. You can’t pull out a checkbook or a credit card. The chance of you remaining on a positive path like that is greatly reduced. If we can come in and do nothing but give you a bed with a mattress, cover and sheets, towels to bathe with and a table to eat off of, all of a sudden you start being in more of a home environment, and it gives you a better sense of yourself. It really helps people, especially families, get on their feet.”
For more information on tickets and the Renesting Project Inc. organization, visit their website at www.renestingprojectinc.org.– Katie Ho
