October 4, 2019 – I love October. I love fall, and I enjoy the month that fully transitions us to crisper weather—perfect for hot tubbing of course!

It’s also one of my favorite months because it’s one of the two months of the year we highlight giving back to the communities in which we do business. Our 3^rd Annual Founder’s Event, which I created to honor Blair Osborn and Alice Cunningham, Olympics co-founders, runs the month of October. Blair and Alice always had a passion for doing what we could to help those less fortunate. Homelessness, hunger and education are three areas both they and I understood can always use a helping hand and money to support their efforts.

This month Olympic will be donating a portion of every hot tub sale towards the newly created Olympic Hot Tub Scholarship. GSBA, the Greater Seattle Business Association, has been a wonderful chamber organization we’ve been a member of for nearly 25 years. While it’s a terrific way to network with other LGBTQ owned or friendly small businesses and corporations, it’s also the home of the GSBA Scholarship Fund. This amazing program was founded in 1991. The fund bestows thousands upon thousands of dollars each year to college-bound youth who may otherwise be prevented from pursuing their dreams of higher education because they can’t afford it. In fact, since its inception the GSBA Scholarship Fund has given over $3 million in scholarships to LGBQT and allied students!

At Olympic, our focus is on doing what we can to further the health and wellness of our customers through hot water. But as a company, our goal is to take that health and wellness effort to the communities in which we have a presence in greater Puget Sound. Hunger and homelessness are obvious issues that impact the health and well-being of so many in our world. But for me, being able to get a good education that sets you up for success in this ever-changing competitive world is also vital to health and well-being. Knowledge is nourishment for the brain, much in the same way our bodies need food and water to survive and thrive. A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body.

This is the inaugural year for our newly created Olympic Hot Tub Scholarship, which is awarded through the GSBA Scholarship Fund. A selection committee interviews prospective scholarship recipients and identifies those best suited to receive our $5,000 scholarship. We focus on students looking to pursue a career in either health and wellness or retail.

The original plan was to award our first scholarship in 2020. But those folks at GSBA, knowing our longevity and stability as a GSBA member for so many years, just couldn’t wait! We were thrilled to be part of this year’s awards presentation and bestow our first scholarship to a student pursuing a career in mental health counseling. It was a special evening. Meeting and spending time with Olympic’s scholarship recipient was emotional and gratifying. It more that solidified our commitment to support bright youth who have risen above struggles and are striving to make themselves fabulous contributing individuals to our community and society.

Louise Chernin, the undeniably amazing Executive Director of the GSBA, was very excited that Olympic chose to participate in GSBA’s Scholarship Fund this year. She said, “Olympic Hot Tub understands the importance of education in changing lives, especially for those who may not have traditional means of support. By creating an Olympic Hot Tub scholarship, Don Riling is demonstrating the power of business to use their resources to make a difference. Thank you to Don and Olympic Hot Tub for investing in the next generation of leaders and providing hope and a better future to an LGBTQ student.”

Our goal this month is to raise $12,000-$15,000 to add to our new scholarship fund, creating a reserve to insure we can be part of GSBA’s Scholarship Fund for years to come.

If you’ve been thinking of getting a hot tub to take your health and well-being to the next level, I hope you’ll consider making that purchase this month! You’ll not only make a commitment to your own wellness, you’ll also help us support very worthy youth gain the education they need to be a success and use their knowledge, skills and talent to better our communities. I’d be grateful for your business and for the support.

Special thanks to Hot Spring Spas for again partnering with us on our Founder’s Event effort!

If you’d like to learn more about the GSBA’s Scholarship Fund, you can read about it on their website.