Hello friends, family and supporters of US military special operations. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Laura Crow and for the past 16+ years I've been tattooing the SOF community, mostly Naval Special Warfare, in my hometown of San Diego as well as Virginia Beach. When I began my career I had no idea that I'd find myself here, as a member of that community, deeply committed to supporting those who I now consider family. 2 years ago I leased a commercial space in Virginia Beach, intending for it to replace my tattoo studio in San Diego, which I closed upon relocating to the east coast. But once I began my buildout, I saw a different picture. Over the past year or so, I've been creating a community space meant to provide special operators and their families, including Gold Star families, a place to foster well-being through visual art. Currently, I'm in the process of establishing a non-profit charitable organization to offer multi-medium art therapy to the SOF community, called Last Room. All of us on the board of directors are either active duty or former special operators, spouses, Gold Star family members or trusted allies (that's me.) The purpose of this fundraising campaign is to get this project off the ground. While I've managed to navigate much of these unfamiliar waters with my own research and cash, the time has come for a real professional to take over. In order for Last Room to get going, and to be eligible to receive larger grants that are already waiting for us, I need to hire a CPA to establish state and federal non-profit status (around $2000.) In addition, while awaiting final approval which will provide funding for big-cost investments like efficient climate control, we plan to use any surplus monies raised through this campaign to finish constructing work stations and to purchase art-making supplies. The interest and enthusiasm I've received from everyone for Last Room has been tremendously inspiring. Lots of folks want to help, and together we are a formidable force. Thank you for supporting this enormous endeavor that I hope will provide hope and healing to the community I love, long after I am gone.
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