Tag Archives: donations

*Monthly Nauti Straps Donation Program – September 2017, Eagle Creek Columbia River Gorge Fire

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Image shared via Oregon Live

I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1993 as a teenager and quickly connected to a place that has become such an amazing part of who I am.  I spent much of my youth outdoors, hiking, camping, snowboarding and enjoying the majesty of this beautiful part of the world.  

It is with a heavy heart that I write this, watching an amazingly devastating fire rip through one of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience.  Wildfires are something that we north westerners have unfortunately come to expect this time of year, but this one feels different.  Started by a horribly negligent act by a group of young teenagers throwing fireworks into a ravine of dry undergrowth that has quickly become a horrendous forrest fire, claiming over 31,000 acres as of the time of writing, with little containment achieved.  Hundreds of volunteer firefighters and rescue workers have been tirelessly working and fighting to save lives, homes and the beautiful landscape that will take generations to recover from this tragedy.

Please take time to discuss how decisions like these made by these kids, can horribly affect so many others.  My rage toward these stupid actions have subsided as I’ve tried to gain perspective as a parent, knowing that we’ve all made stupid decisions throughout our lives, and have chosen to try and turn it into a chance to educate as opposed to wallow in anger.  We have talked with our kids about this as a teaching opportunity, letting them know that even little events and decisions that we choose to engage in throughout our lives, can have such a devastating effect on this planet, and so many other families, kids, animals and the areas we often take for granted.  I am saddened that so many of the experiences, the beautiful locations and hikes that I wanted to share with my kids, will no longer be possible to share in our lifetimes, because of the poor choices and actions of a few kids.

We’ve decided that because this is such a near and dear cause, we want to try and help the volunteers who’re putting their lives on the line to fight this fire, by donating 10% of all sales of Nauti Straps this month, to the Hood River County search and rescue efforts.  The American Red Cross is also taking monetary donations and are scheduling blood drives for both this as well as the hurricanes ripping through the American south east.

If you have the ability to, any direct donations are always appreciated.  And if you, or anyone you know need a handbuilt camera strap, we’re going to be donating 10% of sales, and matching all donations ourselves, through any and all sales of our camera straps over at Nautistraps.com this month to the rescue and fire fighting efforts of the brave women and men of the Hood River Search and Rescue.

Be safe, be well and please share these types of stories with our younger folk so that they too can start to understand how our decisions in life can affect others.

All our best,

Team Nauti (Tyson and Rachael)

 

*Monthly Nauti Straps Donation Program – May 2017 – @RainbowRailroad

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If you’ve been overwhelmed by global news or light shed on the huge variety of conflict and injustice being inflicted globally,  I can understand as it has been taxing to wake to a seeming constant flow of issues ranging from bizarre to horrific, daily.  This month, we wanted to focus our effort on the horrific Chechnyan anti-gay purge seeing people of the LGBTQ community in that country, literally put into what are being called “torture camps” with the Chechnyan government hunting anyone even rumored to be gay or transgendered with families being urged to kill their children, or face having it done within these torture camps.  Chechnya’s police call it ‘Cleaning your honour with blood.’ 

I know that I have subscribers and readers from all over the world.  I’ve used my blog as a way to converse with many of you, I continue to follow many of you as well, and I have greatly enjoyed doing so.  As it has progressed, my new camera strap business has naturally worked its way into the site here, and I appreciate all who have helped support me in that venture.  With the state of the world, and the country that I live in, it’s role in the global community and the affects our policy have for many planet wide, I’ve made a conscious effort to try and use Nauti Straps to help in ways I was unable to before.  If you live in a place that affords you freedoms enabling a relatively safe and secure lifestyle, appreciate that and we’d urge anyone willing to listen, to do what they can to support those in greater need that are living in places where they’re not afforded similar freedoms.  It is difficult for many of us to singlehandedly, financially support causes, but if we circle the wagons, band together, we can help spread that burden out so that we create a chorus of voices as opposed to feeling as if we are trying to tackle any injustice we’re troubled by, alone.

This month, Nauti Straps will donate 10% of all sales of our camera straps to the Rainbow Railroad, an organization focused on advocating and directly aiding LGBTQ people all over the world.  Currently, much of their need and effort resides in the horror happening in Chechnya.  You can see more about Rainbow Railroad and what they do HERE.  From the Rainbow Railroad’s website:

In countries all over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people still live in basic fear for their freedom, their safety and their lives.  They often have nowhere to turn because their government and police not only tolerate but encourage this brutality. Rainbow Railroad exists to help these people get out of danger to somewhere safe. In the spirit of and with homage to the Underground Railroad, the mission of the Rainbow Railroad is to help LGBT people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. Through funds collected by people like you, we’re able to support, provide information, and help to arrange safe transportation for these LGBT people to somewhere in the world where they can live their lives in safety.

We’ve decided to say the hell with being politically and ethically neutral at Nauti Straps (just in case you haven’t yet noticed) through our monthly donation program where we choose a cause we feel is in immediate need, to donate a 10% portion of all our sales to.  While we fully support every person’s right as a human to have differing views, opinions and framework for your lives and the lives of those you love, we respect EVERYONE’s ability to live life as who they are, as long as that life in no way inflicts direct harm or oppresses anyone else’s ability to have the freedom to do the same, and hope you feel similarly.  

If you, or anyone you know would like a hand built camera strap, while helping the Rainbow Railroad you can see what I make at Nautistraps.com HERE.  If you feel you are in a position to financially help, and don’t necessarily need a camera strap, you can donate to Rainbow Railroad directly through their website HERE.

Thank you and as always, any help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.

Team Nauti

You can find Nauti Straps on Instagram HERE

*we will return to our semi-regularly scheduled photo review blogging shortly.  Thank you for your support.

 

*Monthly Nauti Straps donation program, March 2017 – SPLC

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aboutus

Mrs Squeeze and I have been going back and forth about what to do, and how we can implement ways to both help others while alleviating the feeling of depressing hopelessness that seems to have crept into our collective consciousness.  With a young family and ever increasing cost of living, we don’t have unlimited funds, nor, often time to dedicate to those who are on the front lines.  Months back, we did a special sale code which led to us donating to Standing Rock this last Fall (thank you guys for helping out on that!), and now we have decided to eliminate a specific code, and just donate 10% of any and all sales through NautiStraps.com to a particular cause each month.  It’s not going to change the world on its own, but it will help us feel as if we’re able to do a little something.

This month, we will be donating 10% of all sales of camera straps, to the Southern Poverty Law Center.  The SPLC functions as a non-profit group which observes and tracks known hate groups throughout the United States.  It provides legal and on the ground support to individuals as well as local law enforcement in cases where individuals and communities are threatened by these hate groups.

We recognize the danger behind marrying business with a political stance, but we’re at a point in our lives that we feel we should be trying to do whatever we can to push back against hatred in any form, and this is a small way we’ve chosen to do this.  Over the years, I’ve worked hard to build relationships through this blog over the many years I’ve been writing it, and hope to continue to do so.  If this offends you, I apologize, respect your difference of opinion, but feel you can now choose to continue to read my ramblings, or use this as an excuse to unfollow me.  Of course, any and all help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.  I’m not going to lie, I don’t give these camera straps away (not often anyway) and have always looked to build this as it’s own standalone business, but we’re choosing to use this new business to provide a little financial support to causes we support moving forward. 

You can see more about the SPLC and what they do HERE.

If you or anyone you know is in the market for a new, hand built camera strap, we’d be honored to make you one, and donate 10% of that to the SPLC.  We will continue this monthly donation program through the year, while keeping an eye on areas that we feel are going to be in need of financial help.  Many of us are very privileged in ways we may not even see or know.  I am certainly guilty of taking many of my privileges for granted, and want to try to use these privileges to do something positive for those who may not have the same privileges.

Thank you all for the continued support, the read and the friendship.   Let’s try to be good to and for each other.

You can find my hand built camera straps at Nautistraps.com

Happy Shooting!

Tyson