Ever since cannabis businesses began establishing themselves in state-regulated programs, charitable donations and philanthropy have been a priority for strengthening community ties and removing negative stigmas that have for decades been attached to the industry. But despite the restrictions placed on cannabis organizations when it comes to charitable donations, businesses within our community have continued to provide services to those in need in almost every segment of society. Indeed, by 2020, the cannabis industry as a whole is forecast to donate almost $1 billion to various humanitarian causes, with this figure based partly on the estimated growth of the industry, and despite Section 280E of the IRS tax code, regulations that disallow the charitable tax write-offs enjoyed by non-cannabis businesses.
Enter Jinxproof Genetics, who combines 30-plus years of cannabis cultivation experience and innovation with an unsatiated desire to inspire others to create unique cannabis hybrids for a myriad of medicinal and recreational demands. With philanthropy and acts of charity at the forefront of their mission, the eponymous Jinxproof and his wife Miss Rose, based in the Pacific Northwest, established Northwest Families for Autism (NWFFA) and immediately joined forces with the Seattle Children’s Autism Center (SCAC) and the University of Washington (UW). Working together, these organizations provide communication devices to hundreds of children with autism and nonverbal disorders, giving them the platform to successfully interact with the world around them.
Explaining the beneficial impact of the devices they help provide, Miss Rose says, “This is empowering to these individuals as it enables them to easily communicate with the world around them by giving them a means to express their thoughts, feelings, needs and desires. They gain a voice, something most of us take for granted. This brings us one step closer to inclusion.”
Jinxproof inspects the plants being cultivated at his grow site, located in the Pacific Northwest. (Image courtesy of Miss Rose @missroseiam)
It started as a grassroots movement. As Jinxproof Genetics began working with the SCAC and UW, they personally met with families who all had very diverse requirements. Assessing their commitments and distributing resources accordingly helped Jinxproof and Miss Rose realize how much needed to be done and specifically how others within the wider community could help.
Now recognized worldwide, Jinxproof Genetics designed its compassionate care programs, particularly the NWFFA, with a formal structure to better service the community. Through creative fundraising campaigns and philanthropic endeavors, so far, the NWFFA has contributed more than $125,000 to families in need.
Inspired by the people they’ve met, whether disadvantaged or those with a desire to help, Jinxproof and Miss Rose — who both come across as instantly approachable and relatable — found that most people in the cannabis community have a strong desire to be of service, but they are unsure how to help. So, Jinxproof began deploying volunteers to help collect donations — like wood for building projects, class materials and reading books — and set about organizing to build adaptive furniture for people with special needs.
When asked about the most helpful tools in one’s arsenal for reaching people in the spirit of altruism, Miss Rose explains, “Having a social media platform is an important tool to reach families in need, as well as those willing to donate. This has enabled NW Families for Autism to provide an effective communication system to so many individuals on the autism spectrum.”
As its network grew, Jinxproof Genetics began employing creative campaign strategies to help as many families and individuals as possible.
One such endeavor is School of Dank, an educational seminar series serving medical marijuana patients who want to grow their own medicine, with all proceeds going back into the cannabis community. School of Dank provides a platform in which vendors offer one-on-one consultation in a smaller setting, so patients with very little to no cultivation experience can get the best out of the professional advice offered. The first two School of Dank events raised more than $45,000 for autism.
In addition to the team at Jinxproof Genetics successfully collecting donations through sponsorships of other charitable events, both within and outside their cannabis community, they’ve also collectively raised more than $15,000 through revenue and donor-directed gifts auctioned online via their social media accounts and at such gatherings as Frenchie Cannoli’s 2nd Annual Holiday Benefit Party in San Francisco, Good Vibes San Diego, and the efforts of 22TooMany, an organization that holds get-togethers to raise awareness and money in support of veterans.
Jinxproof and Miss Rose also travel extensively for in-person events, where their collection boxes gather blankets, food, socks and personal care items from local communities to distributed to homeless shelters, tent cities and youth shelters. Further, the duo donates marijuana seeds to veterans and any patient who wants to grow their own medicine.
(Image courtesy of Miss Rose @missroseiam)
With community efforts extending beyond nonprofit and charitable contributions, Jinxproof and Miss Rose recognize the need for more positivity in the world, and so have designed counseling programs centered around daily affirmations as a way to improve one’s quality of life.
The Young Ladies Positive Affirmation club was one such effort that helped to build confidence and develop healthy self-esteem in its young participants through the practice of writing and sharing daily declarations of empowerment. Plus, Jinxproof filters daily “be positive” messages through his social media and offers one-on-one counseling services. These strengthening messages encourage people to get involved in their community through acts of service.
Speaks on his personal inspiration, Jinxproof says, “We are blessed to have the overwhelming support of the worldwide cannabis community.
“My favorite part of being involved in charity work is making physical contact with the families and individuals challenged with learning disabilities,” he continues. “Our family strives to connect on a personal level with these families, as we well understand the challenges of autism and want these families to know that they are not alone on this path. Because of the generosity of donations, we continue to help families facing autism and a variety of learning disabilities on a one-on-one basis.”
In establishing a formal structure for their charitable efforts, Jinxproof and Miss Rose have created a civic-minded foundation ripe for expansion. Rather than just making donations to nonprofits, Jinxproof Genetics is able to optimize the distribution of humanitarian funds to those needing services the most.
But the twosome acknowledge that they couldn’t do any of it without the help of others within the cannabis community: “We want to say thank you to all those who donate as you make this all possible. You rock!”
The next School of Dank event is projected for later in July in Denver. Details still to be announced. For more information about getting involved in local communities, making a donation, or on Jinxproof Genetics in general, head to jinxproofsdankbank.com
