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Community Corner

Encinitas Mother Offers Way for Online Shoppers to Help Nonprofits

Do your online shopping through this portal and you'll be supporting charities dedicated to animals, children and breast cancer.

Last fall, Encinitas resident Kelly Price created ConsciousConsumerConnection.com, a shopping portal that makes it convenient for consumers to quickly access popular online stores such as Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Drugstore.com, JacksonandPerkins.com, JustFlowers.com, PetMountain.com, RoadRunnerSports.com, Sees.com, Shoes.com, StarbucksStore.com, VitaminWorld.com, Walmart.com, WilliamsSonoma.com and Zulily.com.

What’s more, 25 percent of sales go directly to charity. Over the next six months ConsciousConsumerConnection.com will be raising money for nonprofits benefitting causes relating to animals, children and breast cancer. 

Price is a single mother, and ICSC senior certified marketing director, who has spent her career in shopping center development and marketing.  

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“Creating ConsciousConsumerConnection.com is something that's been on my mind since the recession hit hard in 2008,” she explained. “As consumers faced difficult times paying for their own expenses, non-profits saw their donor base diminish. This was a way to help non-profits while not impacting a consumer's wallet as the site does not advocate increasing purchase patterns – just using the bridge so charities can catch a slice of the revenue.” 

Price remarked that this is not the first time she’s incorporated fundraising into her work.

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“As director of marketing for Seaport Village, I raised $25,000 for the New York Firefighters in less than two weeks following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,” she said.

“We believe that people can have a significant positive impact on the world through the purchasing decisions they make and where they make them.  Each day, whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re constantly ‘voting’ with your cash.”  

Danielle Livolsi is an Encinitas resident and owner of Nuttzo, an organic nut butter made popular by Dr. Oz.  She has been a ConsciousConsumerConnection.com shopper from the beginning.

"What better way to shop online at retailers, from Amazon to Williams Sonoma, and know proceeds are going to a nonprofit because you first logged onto ConsciousConsumerConnection.com,” she said. “It doesn't get much easier to ‘pay it forward’ and give back." 

From now until March 19,  ConsciousConsumerConnection.com's designated beneficiary is Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). The nonprofit rescues and finds new homes for dogs and cats who would otherwise be euthanized in public shelters. 

“ARF is a big part of our family’s life and we’ve been donors for a long time and have a relationship with them,” Price explained. 

Bobbe Bartlett is development director of ARF.

“We are thrilled that ConsciousConsumerConnection.com chose Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation as their inaugural charity partner,” she said. “Their site provides a great opportunity for consumers to help non-profit organizations like ARF, while doing what they normally do – making purchases online. In our 21 years, ARF has found new homes for more than 23,000 animals, and thousands of people in need are reached every year through programs like ARF's ‘Pet Hug Pack’ therapy animals, visiting hospitals, hospice, assisted living and schools.”

She added, “ARF relies solely on donations to fund our life-saving programs, and the extra support from our friends at ConsciousConsumerConnection.com will help us save many more abandoned dogs and cats.” 

Price says she’s equally excited about the next designated charity that will benefit from ConsciousConsumerConnection.com, Friends of Tanzanian Orphans which promotes children’s health and education in the Olasiti Village. 

“A friend volunteered there and said they needed help,” she said. 

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