We would like to take a moment to thank prAna, a very generous partner of ours. They have been incredibly supportive of our efforts since 2008, and their partnership has helped us expand our mission over the past several years.
At its heart, prAna is a company that brings together different communities under the umbrella of one philosophy: to be conscious. It began with the yoga and climbing communities, whose members share common activities that are born from the experience – activities that focus on being present and living in the moment.
Founded in 1992 by Beaver Theodosakis and his wife Pam, prAna began in a garage where they cut and sewed clothing and used recycled household items to create shipping material. The clothing emphasized freedom of movement and targeted the “young consumer looking for something different.” prAna has since grown tremendously, reaching out to the climbing and yoga community on a global scale.
“prAna is an ancient Sanskrit word for breath, life, and vitality of the spirit.”
This simple word encompasses considerable meaning, and the company wants to bring that meaning to its products, customers, and community outreach. Beyond the yoga and climbing communities, prAna has grown to incorporate the entire outdoors community and other related lifestyles – including people concerned about health, wellness, and sustainability – in their vision of conscious living.
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prAna 'Art That Feeds' poster by Chris Huang[/caption]
To reach these people, prAna asked themselves how they could be more than just a business and how could they use their company as a vehicle for positive change. They began the prAna Natural Power Initiative, a wind energy program, which led to the company earning a Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA.
As part of their outreach efforts, prAna partners with local organizations in their store location areas. This is where Conscious Alliance entered the picture. In 2008, prAna’s Boulder location wanted to host a food drive and discovered Conscious Alliance and our efforts. prAna admired our ‘Art That Feeds’ program and asked if we would like to partner with them. Of course, we were thrilled!
We have since teamed up with prAna for various projects, including three fashion shows. prAna selected us as the beneficiary for these shows, with proceeds from silent auctions and raffle tickets benefiting our hunger relief and youth empowerment efforts.
In 2009 we hosted an ‘Art That Feeds’ Food Drive with prAna. Patrons who brought nonperishable food items received a free commemorative poster designed by artist
Chris Huang. In addition, prAna has been generous enough to donate products such as clothing and yoga mats, which we deliver to community members on the
Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
We want to thank prAna for all their charitable contributions to our efforts. Their mindful company values and generosity have directly supported our mission to bring food and nourishment to those in need and empower them to bring positive change to their lives. Such partnerships help spread the philosophy of living consciously and enables us to grow and truly become a Conscious Alliance.
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Yoga class at the Boulder prAna store[/caption]
