NOTE:
Per the security considerations that are summarized below, until the time for the proper public announcement of the CAC initiative, please keep this page CONFIDENTIAL.
Cars, etc., Art, Care (CAC) Initiative:
Transforming "Trash" Into Treasured Art -- Creatively,
Collaboratively, Caringly
Initial Draft Mission Statement
Cars, etc., Art, Care (CAC) Initiative is [i.e., will be] a women-led not-for-profit caring community service initiative, founded and run by a few enterprising and creative [would be] immigrants to the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada.
These highly experienced and educated talented professionals are four siblings in one Iranian family, their spouses--and young sons and daughters. Their "Bio and Skills Capsules" are below.
The core mission of CAC is to creatively turn ordinary recyclable "garage and attic junk" into treasured works of art, in collaboration with and especially in the service (direct and indirect) of the communities which will become the new home of these eventual Canadian citizens.
Thus, while CAC will be a co-creative Canadian not-for-profit enterprise, we hope that it would become an initiative (a collaborative potential "pilot project" for community empowerment) that would be adopted by the Justice components of socially caring open-minded congregations on both sides of the border between the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the American State of Washington.
OUR COLLABORATIVE VISION
The below-listed Founders of the Cars, etc., Art, Care (CAC) Initiative--which is currently in the process of taking shape--hope that CAC's imaginative vision will become (in due time, but as soon as possible) a genuinely collaborative and deeply caring community-benefiting project.
Thus, we also hope that CAC, as an independently functioning initiative (headquartered in British Columbia, Canada) would become, as soon as feasible, a project that is based at or affiliated (as appropriate) with the "Justice" components of interested congregations (and through them, their local non-profit in-need-of funding community partners) on both sides of the border between British Columbia and the Washington State. Hence, we hope that CAC (especially as a potential "pilot project") would eventually help foster further mutuality and collaboration among Canadian and American UUs, perhaps through JUUstice Washington -- please see HERE -- for example.
FUNDING METHODOLOGY
The heart of the envisioned (completely transparent) funding of this collaborative project is widely publicized not-for-private-profit raffling drawings (and occasional sales -- per below) of the works art that Cars, etc., Art, Care (CAC) would produce.
Namely, the project and its collaborative congregations would equitably split the carefully monitored tax-exempt revenues (under all applicable Canadian and American laws and regulations) that such art raffle drawings -- and occasional sales -- would produce. The details of this meticulously controlled funding mechanism will be developed in time.
Practical Implementation of Cars, etc., Art, Care (CAC)
Who are CAC's partners?
Some Preliminary Ideas:
I) Among the caring participants of CAC are the following collaboration-minded community-caring actors:
1- The generous participants in CAC's raffle drawings--and celebrations.
2- The generous donors to CAC of the needed raw materials and especially work tools--that could be loaned to (or shared with) our artist workers, in the case of expensive equipments or machines.
3- Artist workers who partner with CAC, offering their creative ingenuity and caring effort. Such persons may work either voluntarily or be compensated with a reasonable hourly wage--as independent contractors. Thus, CAC will gradually become a job-creating member of the community.
4- Homeowners or renters who would offer, hopefully voluntarily, the "garage/attic/basement" space of their homes for the (distributed within the community) work spaces in which CAC would create its cars, etc. works of art.
5- Caring persons (or companies / organizations) within the community who are financially secure enough to be able to afford purchasing certain works of art that CAC would produce (or be donated to); and thus, these "for sale" (relatively expensive) mainly recycled works of art would directly produce tax-exempt revenue for CAC, hence such items would not be raffled.
II) Preliminary (suggested) Revenue Formula
Per above, the tax-exempt revenues (after expenses) that would result mainly from CAC's raffle drawings, and from the occasional sales of its (more expensive) works of art, could be distributed based on this (preliminarily suggested) revenue formula:
- 40% of the revenues go to CAC -- mainly for staff salaries and basic operational expenses.
- 30% of the revenues go to participating congregations--and their partner community non-profits.
- 20% of the revenues would go to pay the hourly wages of CAC's Artist Workers -- who choose not to be volunteers.
- 10% of the revenues would go to pay the (minimal stipend) rent of the work-space "garages, etc." that are not made available to CAC voluntarily.
FOUNDING TEAM
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The below-listed names of the CAC Directors are abbreviated, due to the confidential security considerations sensitivity of this matter, given that all of them are currently still inside Iran. And also, due to the fact that this page is visible through online searches, the "bio and skills capsules" of the Directors of CAC are purposefully vague, given these confidential security considerations.
Full details will be shared with concerned individuals and organizations at appropriate times, and on a need-to-know basis.
We thank you for your understanding.
Initial Team (and start date)
We anticipate that of the CAC's Founding Team (see below) the first handful would be entering Canada--directly from Iran--in early May of 2024.
Thus, the project's Initial Team (also see below) is expected to begin the initial implementation phase of CAC's creative and caring vision soon after they arrive.
Project Directors
a) Initial Team
No. A. (Mrs.) -- Project Chair / Health and Safety Supervisor
(part-time paid staff)
- Besides being CAC's Chairperson, she is a senior leader of its Initial Team.
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Microbiology; MA, Environmental Planning; 25 years of increasingly responsible laboratory-based professional research and quality control supervisory experience, especially in water management and food production; Married mother of 3 children: 17 (F), and 8 (M & F) twin.
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Environmental Health; MA, Environmental Planning; 27 years of increasingly responsible professional management experience, laboratory-based research--with expertise in the quality control of systems, especially of water safety, conservation, and consumption; Married father of 3 children: 17 (F), and 8 (M & F) twin.
Youth Team Leader (part-time intern)
- A junior member of CAC's Initial Team, she will earn a reasonable stipend for her work.
Do. M. (Ms.) -- Youth Art and Communications Coordinator
Bio and Skills Capsule: Do. is a 17-year-old thoughtful and energetic young lady who lives with her parents and the 8-year-old (twin) brother and sister, who are both also interested in art. Enrolled in her 11th year of education in a semi-private ART and GRAPHICS high school, Do's noticeable English-language and leadership skills are fast developing, along with her age-appropriate interests in Western pop music and yoga. Her notable artistic explorations include sketch drawing, oil and color painting, photography, videography, and handicrafts--such as working with fabrics and making decorative jewelry.
Project Advisor: Moji Agha (Mr.)
- He is a CAC volunteer who will serve as-needed.
Bio and Skills Capsule: HERE
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b) Later Expected Arrivals to British Columbia (date is unclear at this point)
Na. A. (Ms.) -- Artistic Director and Communications Supervisor
(full-time paid staff)
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Agriculture; MA, Environmental Planning; Ten years of professional and supervisory communications experience, especially in water management and conservation; University training certificate in patina art; Extensive artistic experience in creating glazed ceramics and handmade pottery, and in artistic digital camera photography.
L. De. (Mrs.) -- Administrative Manager and Recycling Supervisor
(full-time paid staff)
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Natural Resources Engineering; MA, Environmental Management; Professional Certificates in Systems Quality Control and Primary Accounting; Eight years of professional experience in environmental education and in "green management" -- and in researching the water quality of rivers in Iran; Married mother of two little boys (2 and 4).
Ya. A. (Mr.) -- Financial Manager and Community Ecology Supervisor
(full-time paid staff)
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Civil Engineering; MA, Ecological Management; 13 years of professional experience in ecology-minded civil engineering and contract (including financial) supervision, and in technical quality control of water and sewer services; Extensive experience in evaluating the feasibility (and supervision) of many real estate transactions, and especially in assessing the accuracy, verifiability, and fairness of the financial terms of their contracts.
Bio and Skills Capsule: BS, Electrical Engineering; MBA--Technology Orientation; 23 years of management-level engineering and multi-system technical experience; Married father of two little boys (2 and 4).
NOTE: The original idea of this initiative came in an initial LITERAL dream of Moji Agha, in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 9, 2023. In the next 3 weeks this "seed dream" was joined (from inside Iran) by the "dreams" of the imaginative (above-listed) founders of CAC.
