Tomorrow October 10th, 2012 the Free Clinic will honor Dr. Gus Manacchia for being an extremely dedicated volunteer since 2005, having contributed more than 400 hours of his time to care for patience and also serving as a member of the Medical Advisory Committee. He has been a tireless advocate for the Clinic and the working poor in Rhode island.

Artist Gail Ahlers, created this custom award from assorted materials including reclaimed lumber, and recycled materials using caps from pill containers from CVS. Each CVS cap signifies the many ways he has helped his patients both large and small. Touching each life with compassion, understanding, and guidance. Such dedicated services toward health and wellness have improved the quality of life for countless individuals.

Ahlers Designs takes great pride to have been commissioned by the Rhode Island Free Clinic to custom design this award given in recognition and with sincerest thanks. At Ahlers Designs, “The art of recognition” is at the heart of every project. We custom design awards and executive gifts that accentuate your organization’s unique culture, mission and industry. We make you memorable.

Entrepreneurial Badges for the girl scouts.

Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods"

Some of you might have already heard of or experienced the Lemonade Stand Game. To experience what it would mean to be an entrepreneur and take on the challenge of being your own boss.

A friend asked me if I would meet with her daughter’s Girl Scout troop for their entrepreneurial badge. Being an entrepreneur and having been a girl scout myself I gladly agreed. The girls arrived at Ahlers Designs promptly and we began our journey into entrepreneurship and how it would apply to their lives and future plans.

I explained that an entrepreneur is someone that starts a company based on something that they love to do, or they have an innovative approach to some market that already exists, or have an idea for a new market.

We reviewed the ideas of focusing on your skills and customer service.To make is real for them I titled the session” How to run your lemonade stand.”We went around the room and I asked them what they loved to do.

Then we went around and I asked them had they ever had a lemonade stand and we started the discussion about what you need to run that “lemonade company”.  The first girl said you need lemons and sugar.  The next girl said, “ you need lemonade mix.”  That made my point. How you run your business, using different approaches, innovative solutions, that is what makes an entrepreneur.

After much discussion I went around the room and asked the girls to name their company. I told them, “ to make it happen you have to see it”. When the young lady that had said she like to write music said her company was gong to be called “Motivational Music” I got goose bumps.

We are all on our journey. We need to inspire and motivate our youth to dream and build a better world for all of us.

Ahlers Designs is excited to be working with environmentally conscious companies and organizations. We were recently commissioned to create awards for the New England Women in Energy & the Environment (NEWIEE) first annual awards Gala. The line up for the event was impressive, notable women from several facets of the sustainability spectrum accepted awards from the organization.The NEWIEE Awards Gala was held at the College Club of Boston, which is the oldest women's college club in the United States. The Club's Victorian brownstone was a beautiful place for the event to take place.  All of these women shared in common a passion for the environment, as innovators in their fields as professional women.

Our specialty at Ahlers Designs is creating custom gifts and awards that embody the spirit of the organization commissioning the piece. We do this, using materials relevant to the industry of customer. The awards designed for the NEWIEE event, do just that, the leaves represent new energy and growth. The award is constructed from natural and recycled materials. Ahlers Designs looks forward to incorporating new green technologies to add to the dynamism to the awards we create.  We are currently researching the use of solar energy elements to create

Ahlers Designs has been making awards out of reclaimed lumber for a number of years. Repurposing materials for a creative end is a passion of artist Gail Ahlers. We were recommended by one the award recipients, Karen L. Weber to be commissioned to make this year’s NEWIEE awards. We met Karen at the Boston Women’s Business Expo in early December of last year. Dr. Karen Weber is the executive director of Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. and the coordinator for Boston’s GreenFest, we look forward to joining her at GreenFest this year.

At Ahlers Designs we make awards that incorporate the fundamental attributes of the organization commissioning the work. Our work often includes elements directly relevant to the industry we are serving, this means our awards can have elements ranging from building materials, to plastic pellets. It gives us a creative edge that translates into a significant statement. 

Just five days after the earthquake in Japan, Gail Ahlers of Ahlers Designs had the opportunity to go to the Japanese Consulate with Bob Billington, Sunny Ng and Loius Yip. In honor of the meeting Gail was commissioned by Bob Billington to design a gift for Takeshi Hikihara to symbolize the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council’s solidarity and support during this international crisis. The case was accompanied by the following message:

This box combines wood, 24k gold leaf and recycled metal. Each flower is hand formed and painted to resemble a genuine cherry blossom. At the center of each handcrafted flower is a cultured pearl. The pearl represents the beauty that can manifest from difficult and irritating situations.

The gift was well received, reaffirming the fundamental belief at Ahlers Designs, that meaningful gifts matter. You can learn more about Ahlers Designs custom design work at  AhlersDesigns.com

About Ahlers Designs

Ahlers Designs provides corporations and individuals with innovative gift solutions, offering high quality executive gifts and awards. Our pieces are designed by Gail Ahlers, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, and are hand crafted in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. We work with you to create one-of-a-kind gifts or items in large quantity, taking into consideration your industry, lead time and budget to produce stunning results.

Ahlers Designs blends innovative and traditional techniques to produce artisan, functional pieces that make meaningful moments memorable.
In conjunction with custom work, Ahlers Designs offers a ready-to-order gift collection, encompassing a variety of themes. These products are easily personalized with engraving, custom cards and packaging. View our open gift collection at www.ahlersgifts.com

Whether your needs are for clients, employees, special events, or the people in your "C" suite, we look forward to being your one-stop source for all of your gift solutions.

Certifications

WBENC – The Center for Women & Enterprise

Custom Services:

• Annual Awards
• Employee Motivations
• Branding
• Anniversaries
• Golf Tournament Gifts
• Executive Gifts & Gifts for the "C" Suite
• Holiday Gifts
 

Major Clients
• Habitat for Humanity
• Lotus
• Raytheon
• Teknor Apex

Awards
Digital Growth Contest, co-sponsored by Cox Business and Ladies Who Launch