How Our Community Amplifies ESP’s Mission
By Anna Lopez
At ESP, we put an extra special emphasis on our core values. Through them, we find the motivation to be unrelenting champions, focused on bringing our mission to life with celebration, integrity, and compassion. Our values act as a compass, guiding us toward the right people who deeply align with our organization, from talented team members to community and corporate partners.
Riding The Waves of Change
Tidal Wave Auto Spa also decided a long time ago that their organization would put an extra special emphasis on their values. Their team realized their success presented an opportunity to practice generosity and compassion and find ways to impact their surrounding communities positively. 15 years ago, the team at Tidal Wave turned their values into action when they organized the first annual Charity Day car wash.
At the time, their young staff would excitedly wave signs on major roadways to bring in customers, and each Charity Day required securing a local business’s parking lot to hold the event. Now, there are Tidal Wave locations in 23 states. The organization now has its own lots and can offer local exposure, resources, support staff, and a 100% donation of Charity Day proceeds to benefit the non-profit organizations they choose.
How Tidal Wave Pours Into Non-Profits
As a non-profit, ESP needs partners like Tidal Wave Auto Spa in our community. As an organization, we resolve to never turn away participants due to financial limitations and not to charge over 25% of the cost of programs to our families. We believe universally accessible resources are a foundational right and the key to a transformative future for all.
As a result, we have established a scholarship fund that, in 2022, supplied families with over $88,000 in financial assistance and championed connecting the unconnected. We could not have done this without the help of partners like Tidal Wave Auto Spa, who generously offer resources and financial support to keep our mission alive.
Through corporate and community partnerships, we maintain and grow our 360 programming while investing in employment opportunities and training for people of all abilities through Java Joy. Additionally, all donations help fund the creation of universally accessible spaces at Camp Hooray, our in-progress overnight campus! All fundraising also empowers us to continually train and grow our team to serve our participants, their families, and the collective ESP community.
Our Community Partnerships Create Waves
These partnerships allow ESP to create and maintain a strong community where individuals with disabilities feel belonging, acceptance, and unmatched joy. If you or your organization is interested in partnering with ESP, we are happy to elaborate on ways to offer support, brand alignment, and fulfill volunteer needs.
For Athens-area and general ESP partnerships, please get in touch with Alex Perry. For the Atlanta area, contact Hadden Fulgham; for the Rome area, contact Devon Smyth. For all other donation and sponsorship information, visit our Donation Page.
Visit Tidal Wave Auto Spa now for the best car wash service, and sign up for their Unlimited Clean Club, which allows you to wash your car once a day for one flat rate a month! ESP expresses our sincere gratitude to the following locations of Tidal Wave Auto Spa for donating proceeds from their Charity Day car wash to ESP:
3201 Atlanta Highway, Athens, Georgia
4425 Lexington Road in Athens, Georgia
3144 Canton Rd in Marietta, Georgia
2745 Powder Springs Rd in Marietta, Georgia
1505 Roswell Rd in Marietta, Georgia
