By Vicki Prichard
NKyTribune reporter
Braxton Brewing Company has received the Brewers Philanthropy Award by Cincinnati ToolBank, a nonprofit lending program that provides charitable organizations with tools to initiate projects such as planting trees, repairing seniors’ roofs, landscaping public trees, among other public service projects.
“We’ve loved getting to know the ToolBank team,” says Jonathan Gandolf, head of marketing at Braxton. “Being a brewery, we have a bunch of mechanically inclined brewers who are in love with the cause.”
ToolBank maintains a 15,000 square foot warehouse on Cincinnati’s Central Avenue, and boasts an inventory of more than 160 types of tools and equipment. The volume is large enough to equip thousands of volunteer projects for not-for profit organizations, schools, faith-based civic organizations, neighborhood associations, and government agencies.
Access to ToolBank tools eliminates the need for agencies to incur the expense of purchasing, repairing, and storing tools, reducing the costs associated with service projects and allowing these agencies to focus more of their resources on their mission.
Braxton received the award at the Third Annual Hammers & Ales event at Cincinnati’s Bockfest Hall, where more than 300 guests attended.
Three other breweries were finalists for the Brewers Philanthropy Award – MadTree Brewing Company, Old Firehouse Brewery, and Paradise Brewing.
Gandolf says Braxton has been fortunate to be honored by several different organizations for philanthropic efforts.
“When we launched Braxton, we wanted to be a resource for the community that we live, work and play in. This award confirms that we are on that path and we look forward to using it as a launching pad to do even more.”
From its earliest beginnings, which took place in a garage, giving back to the community has been a key tenet for Braxton. Whether through its Trophy Pale Ale, considered the brewery’s “giveback beer,” or Braxton for Braxton, which was a party for a six-year-old boy diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which raised $20,000 in four hours, or the Curveball Classic, the brewery has remained true to its commitment to philanthropy.
Braxton’s philanthropic pillars are comprised of entrepreneurship, community, and education.
“We try to bring this together in everything we do, our space, our beer, our team and ultimately, our donation strategy,” says Gandolf. “A large component of this is our Trophy Grant program. This beer is our Kentucky Giveback Pale Ale. We donate five percent of all proceeds back to the Covington Community. The first grant went to Brewhaus Dog Bones who we felt was an advocate in all three of our philanthropic pillars.”
