OUR TOWN

ON DUTY

Our

“We reflect the values of our community, and never want to let Raleigh down.”

—Philip Freeman, founder, Murphy’s Naturals

Five years ago, Philip Freeman set out to solve a problem. He hoped to combat summer’s pesky mosquitoes, and founded Murphy’s Naturals to create a natural repellent, from candles and spray to incense sticks. The products are free of harmful chemicals, and utilize natural ingredients like eucalyptus oil. Murphy’s Naturals can now be purchased locally at spots like NOFO @ The Pig, or nationwide at Target and on Amazon.com. “For years and years, I wrote down business plans, one after another,” says Freeman. Murphy’s Naturals was the idea he finally executed. It started as a hobby in a garage and grew into a storage unit before upgrading to a 2,000-square-foot space. Freeman began working full-time over three years ago, and the company has since expanded to 12 employees. When the company outgrew its location, Freeman wanted to find enough space that would last Murphy’s Naturals several years. He says he wanted to surround his employees with other people who would inspire and challenge them to grow and excel. Freeman helped form Loading Dock Raleigh, a coworking space on Whitaker Mill Road. The space now holds over 180 members, including individual entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits. He remembers the challenges of starting a business and says he’s excited for the opportunity to support new businesses while simultaneously strengthening his own. “A lot of collaboration and community goes on here,” says Freeman. “It’s just rewarding. When you can surround your company and your employees with that much excitement, it’s going to rub off.” In 2015, the company became a Certified B Corporation, a testament to its commitment to transparency in production and sustainability. Freeman says that Murphy’s Naturals strives to be the best it can be, both in the world and for the world. “You can’t fake being a B corporation. You have to earn it. The certification and recertification constantly challenges us to be a better company,” says Freeman. As part of that initiative, Freeman says Murphy’s Naturals gives two percent of its gross revenue to like-minded, local nonprofits, such as Bee Downtown and Triangle Land Conservancy. “The values of our community and the members of our community help shape our business.” —Samantha Gratton

OUR TOWN SHOP LOCAL

From left to right: shop buyer Frances Fontaine and shop co-chair Lucelia Selden

“During my career with WCPSS, I experienced first hand the impact local charities and individuals make in the lives of students and families.”

—Lucelia Selden, retired school principal and current co-chair of The Canterbury Shop

Tucked into a corner at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is The Canterbury Shop: It’s the only in-parish retail space in the Raleigh area, which offers an appealing array of merchandise. You can purchase home decor, apparel, items for entertaining, kids toys and apparel, seasonal decor, greeting cards and stationery, as well as a curated selection of religious gifts, bibles, and faith-based books. Shop co-chair Lucelia Selden says there is something for everyone, even the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. Selden became co-chair after years spent working in the Wake County Public School System. “It seemed like a natural fit for me to work in a shop which contributed directly to charities working with students and their families.” The inviting and cozy space welcomes not only church members, but the entire community. While only open during morning hours, it is a convenient stop when running errands or grabbing a bite for lunch. Here, visitors will be sure to find a gift that keeps on giving. The sentiment may be cliché, but the shop’s singular mission is community outreach. 100 percent of the shop’s earnings are donated to Wake County nonprofits, including Alliance Medical Ministry, Family Promise of Wake County, Green Chair Project, InterAct, Raleigh Rescue Mission, StepUp Ministry, and Triangle Family Services. Grants to nonprofits in 2017 amounted to $21,000, bringing total funds donated since the shop’s inception in 1997 to $100,000. The shop’s reach is far and wide, especially for a space that measures only 200 square feet, is open less than 20 hours per week, and is run entirely by a staff of unpaid volunteers. It is the army of volunteers that make The Canterbury Shop a success. The shop is run by 35 women: They are welcoming, gracious, hard-working, and deeply passionate about their mission. So dedicated, in fact, that shop buyer Frances Fontaine says, “not a single volunteer has failed to show up for her shift.” In July, the shop received a facelift. With a fresh coat of paint and boutique style upgrades, The Canterbury Shop hopes to entice new customers to, as their new slogan suggests, go forth and give. —Katherine Poole

1520 Canterbury Rd.; holymichael.org/canterbury-shop

OUR TOWN GAME PLAN

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then music must be more than that because it has so many layers.”

—Shane Dittmar, music composer and teacher

Whether he’s composing, playing, or directing, Shane Dittmar often gets lost in the music. It’s his passion, his art form, and his job. Born with a rare genetic eye condition, leber congenital amaurosis, Dittmar is legally blind. Considered a setback by many, Dittmar has barely skipped a beat. One of his earliest memories is receiving a keyboard for Christmas, and his love of music has only grown since. He sang in church choir, joined the middle school band, and later performed in choir and theater at Sanderson High School. Dittmar began composing songs when he played in a band with his brother and friends. Now, his compositions have been performed by choral groups around the world—from his own high school and the N.C. Chorale Chamber to a choir in Nairobi, Kenya. “It’s an art form that’s entirely accessible to me,” Dittmar says of experiencing and performing music. While his challenge may be reading sheet music, he recognizes that others must overcome their own challenges in order to perform at a level of professionalism. “No one gets to the point I did without working hard,” he says. Dittmar graduated last spring from UNC-Greensboro with a degree in music education. He immediately got to work, as the musical director for Raleigh Little Theatre’s Teens on Stage production of Into the Woods. This fall, he will begin working full-time as a music teacher at the Washington State School for the Blind. Dittmar says he hopes to use the challenges he faced to help his students become successful faster. “I’m an educator and an advocate for people with disabilities. I want everyone to have the chance to have the thing that has been so fulfilling to me.” —Samantha Gratton

OUR TOWN THE USUAL

From left to right: Poker Face Girls Club board members Annette Anderson, Anne Underwood, Winnie Stephens, and Jane Jordan

“No one is good at poker, but they have a wonderful time.”

—Anne Underwood, charter member, The Poker Face Girls Club

Meet the group of women raising the stakes on charitable giving in Raleigh: the Poker Face Girls Club. These fun-loving ladies gather throughout the year to play poker benefitting charitable organizations in our community. The club was founded in 2014 on a gamble, but charter member Anne Underwood says she knew it would pay off. “I served for many years on various boards and love nonprofit work, but I wanted to create something for women where we give to the community, but really have fun.” Underwood settled on poker as the money making method, a game she had long wanted to learn. It was not to be all fun and games, however. She set up the club as a 501(c)(3) public charity and signed on friends Annette Anderson, Winnie Stephens, and Jane Jordan. They formed a governing board, and from there, the group has since grown to 35 members. The club rules are simple: Poker Face Girls meet nine times a year to play poker at the home of Annette Anderson. No experience is required—Anderson’s daughter and son-in-law serve as in-house tutors. Every game night has a $35 ante, collected in a lump sum at the beginning of playing season. The money is divided equally into ‘pots’ of $1,200 for each of the nine meetings. The women gather for dinner and drinks, a brief meeting, and then break into groups of 6-8 to play rounds of Texas hold ‘em. At the end of the evening, whoever has the most chips wins, and that winner selects an accredited charity of her choice to receive that night’s pot. The list of recipients include: Backpack Buddies, Boys & Girls Club, Dress for Success, Green Chair Project, Interact, Transitions Life Care, and the YMCA. To date, the club has donated over $19,000. Underwood says her vision for the club was to multiply in numbers, which seemed logistically impractical, until her friend Virginia Parker asked if she could start a Poker Face Girls Club in North Raleigh. Parker’s club, the Queens, became a DBA sister organization. Today, there are at least three clubs in the works as the Poker Face Girls Club continues betting on our community. Underwood says that the group’s motto is what drives the group. “We like to have fun and give back. —Katherine Poole

Interested in starting your own club? Contact Anne Underwood at pokerfacegirlsclub.com