BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A Baton Rouge artist with a mission to do more has been impacting the local community of Baton Rouge with Presence Fest, a local nonprofit that gives to those who give.
“We use our resources that we get whether it is from our donors or from our events and we just give it to organizations that are in need to further what they have going on,” said the founder of Presence Fest nonprofit Ashli Ognelodh. “We’re able to provide something more immediate.”
According to Ognelodh, local nonprofits are not the only ones who can receive funding. There’s a necessity to help anyone in need, and that’s a big mission of Presence Fest.
“It could be something as basic as I’m at the grocery store and someone needs help with something and we just swipe our presence fest card. That’s what that card is for so no need is too small,” she said.
Funding is raised by creative events such as art exhibits and painting activities, allowing those who want to donate to not just give but get an experience out of it.
She said the mindset behind this is to enhance those who are already giving back with hopes to make Baton Rouge a better place and then eventually impact nationally.
“You take care of your community. You don’t have to take care of the rest of the world because you’re elevating people in the community who will elevate others to elevate the world,” Ognelodh said.
The nonprofit plans to host their next big event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 7, at the Arts Council of Baton Rouge, where local artists and creatives will receive a platform to showcase their work.
Go to the Presence Fest website for more information on how to donate and find out about the nonprofit’s impact.
