Help Astrella

Astrella is a relatively new vegan, approximately 7&1/2 years (except for cross contamination). She has been serving the community for almost 4 years - since January 2020. Here's a brief list of her work:

1. Hosted almost 200 meetup events to bring the vegan community together
2. Supported over 50 vegan businesses through connecting the vegan community to them
3. Created a safe space for vegans & non vegans to connect with each other & continue on their own personal journeys of finding veganism without judgment
4. Pursued through COVID lockdowns & personal turmoil to be there for others
5. As an event host, she has been blessed & humbled to care for an incredibly loving, supportive & authentic community. A minute fraction of meetup organisers can say the same. (Yes of course, there are a few bad apples, but Astrella doesn't hesitate to stand up to them & protect the safety & comfort of the wider community)
6. In August 2022 Astrella launched a social enterprise to promote the work of organisations that fight against animals cruelty - to help people understand that veganism is our responsibility, not a passing trend
7. This initiative involved giving people the tools to support their vegan journey but introducing them to vegan wine, cheese & dessert business
8. Over the last 12-14 months she has raised more than $6,000 for various animal welfare organisations by creating many lively & engaging event
9. She is a consultant for small, vegan businesses; slowly building her portfolio before she formally launches 'Small B, Big I' consulting (Small Businesses, Big Impacts)
10. Astrella is also a part-time student studying in the interest of increasing the success of vegans businesses & animal charities
11. Astrella has spent most of 2023 trying to the merge the influences of 2 pivotal movements - Veganism & Effective Altruism in Melbourne

The last 5 years have been personally & financially unstable. Persisting through several challenges Astrella has chosen to prioritise the needs of the community over her own. Because the needs of many are indeed greater than the needs of one.

Yesterday, October 7, Astrella hosted another roaringly successful event to raise money for Galahad's sanctuary. After the event as she was packing up her car that was parked in a backstreet in Melbourne CBD, she discovered that her car had been broken into. Her MacBook Pro & cash raised at the event were taken. This was all caught on tape. The most humiliating part was that there was 1-2 seconds between when the thief left & we stepped out the door. So the thief was actually a few feet away while were realising what had happened.

If this isn't humiliating & devastating enough, Astrella is now in a position to ask for handouts for herself.

The life & income of a fundraiser is not particularly financially stable as they give away most of the money than they keep for themselves. They are not foolish with money - the business model is very intentional. This is the only way to change the world - by supporting, promoting & enabling those who are doing the hard work of caring for & fighting for the voiceless.

5 years ago, Astrella's house was broken into and her computer was stolen as well. The contents insurance covered the cost of a new computer at that time. But life has not been stable enough to afford most forms of insurance since then.

If you have met Astrella in person your impression might be that money is not a concern to her. And that's true! As long as she can fulfill the bottom tier of Maslow's hierarchy of needs for herself & her 2 dogs, lack of personal cash flow & cash reserves are not source of stress.

But a computer & her car are her main tools for accessing the world & doing her work. So she asks for donations of any amount (as little as $1) to help fund her new computer & car window repair. Collectively it will add up to enough to buy one. If you are in a position to help, please do. She will be endlessly grateful for your support.

You are welcome to checkout the Facebook group for the video of the theft and the most humiliating discovery that followed. Astrella & her friends drove around Melbourne CBD for hours trying to track down the movements of her computer on the 'Find My' app. Until eventually it's location stopped updating & they were forced to give up their search.

Alternatively, Astrella is more than willing to work rather than accept free handouts. You are encouraged to contact her to hire the following services:

1. Small business consulting - specialising in marketing & operations optimisation
2. Social media consulting
3. Design & graphics
4. Events management
5. Charity fundraising
6. Photography & photo editing on Affinity (oh wait...might need a computer for that)
7. Sewing & garment alterations
8. Knitting & crochet ( currently making a few witches hats for clients for Halloween)
9. Teaching knitting, crochet, macramé & weaving on little looms with plant-based yarn
10. Selling eucalyptus & cotton yarn (with bulk discounts)
11. Jewellery design & fabrication
12. Head chef/private chef/event catering
13. Astrella is a professionally trained hairdresser & is experienced in haircuts for all genders & types of hair. Starting at $20. Home visits available.

Funds needed for:

A new computer

A new car window

(yes the car was locked, no she hasn't needed or been able to afford comprehensive car insurance or contents insurance in 4 years)

There will be a video update on October 31st about funds received & progress of repair.

Thank you indebtedly for your support 🌱