Oskar Blues CAN’d Aid Foundation to raise funds for Colorado flooding victims

The horrific flooding — which National Weather Service in Denver referred to as “biblical” — that swept through Colorado impacted people from all walks of life. To help the Coloradans that have supported the Oskar Blues Brewery, the brewery plans to raise money to give back to the people impacted by this tragedy.

With Executive Director Diana Ralston at the helm, several Oskar Blues fundraising opportunities are in place to support flood relief efforts at the local level.

This past September, Oskar Blues’ owner/founder Dale Katechis created the “Oskar Blues CAN’d Aid Foundation” to allow that engagement to expand at a local and national level. “It’s been a 15 year mission for me to organize a way to give back to the communities that helped build our businesses,” Katechis said.

Although the “CAN’d Aid Foundation” will develop national partnerships in a variety of focus areas including outdoor recreation, arts and music, and environmental sustainability, the foundation’s immediate focus will be on maximizing fundraising efforts for the expedited distribution of monies to the communities of Lyons and Longmont, Colo. — two areas that recently experienced massive devastation during severe flooding that struck the Front Range of Colorado. Many Oskar Blues employees, friends and family of the company were severely impacted by the floods, and Katechis’ main goal is to support immediate recovery efforts for those affected in both communities.

Diana Ralston, the executive director of the “CAN’d Aid Foundation” echoed Katechis’ sentiments about flood relief efforts, stating, “At Oskar Blues, our community is our family, and the recent massive flooding along the Front Range left a lot of our Colorado family members without homes, without towns, and in desperate need of help getting back on their feet. Fast-tracking our 501(c)(3) allows us to be a part of a long-term strategy to provide help to areas damaged by the flooding.”

Monetary donations can be made in the form of a check or online at www.foundation.oskarblues.com or sent to:

Oskar Blues CAN’d Aid Foundation
Attn: Oskar Blues Flood Relief Fund
1800 Pike Road
Longmont, CO 80501

Through the week of the Great American Beer Festival (Sept. 22 through Oct. 13), all Oskar Blues locations including Homemade Liquids and Solids, CHUBurger, and the Tasty Weasel tap rooms (Colorado and North Carolina) are donating $1 from every Oskar Blues brew purchased. REEB Cycles, Oskar Blues’ bike company, is donating $200 from every frame or complete bike sold during the month of October.

Oskar Blues will also hype up flood relief fundraising efforts during the week of the Great American Beer Festival by donating a portion of the proceeds from the FBAG- Beer and Guitars, two-day festival in Sculpture Park in downtown Denver to the Oskar Blues Flood Relief Fund. The festival thrown in collaboration with the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation, will feature live music by 18 bands including The White Buffalo, The Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Bonnie and the Clyde’s, The Congress and many more.

Since its inception in 1997, the folks at Oskar Blues have been committed to giving back to the communities in which their businesses grow and thrive. Over the years, the Oskar Blues Brewery and restaurants have provided support to those in need by organizing a variety of solutions like canned food and clothing drives at each of their locations during the holidays, to making monetary donations to local organizations.

“With just one point-in-time donation to our organization, Oskar Blues fed 5,000 people. Successful businesses can make a huge difference to the communities they live in,” said Edwina Salazar, executive director of the OUR Center.