Family Business Dr. Frannie Blanton Herbert ’82
Cluck for a Cause
www.cluckforacause.vpweb.com
From Frannie … Cluck for a Cause originated from an idea my daughter Lane had in which we sold our extra eggs to make money for the SPCA. Our kids had received three chickens for a Christmas present two years ago. When springtime and warm weather rolled around, we were blessed with more chickens and LOTS of eggs. We figured our family bought and ate a dozen eggs per week or four dozen a month and that amount of money to pay for the eggs at the grocery store roughly equaled the amount of feed the chickens required (ie, our overhead). We designed a website and business cards and found a few customers (neighbors, teachers, classmates) and are now a non-profit. In our first year, we donated over $300 to the McKinney, TX SPCA. Our chickens enjoy large coops and runs but do have a fence around them to protect them from the coyotes and hawks. They are free range and organic. Another bonus is that our eggs are multiple colors – pink, green, blue, olive and brown! They are very popular around Easter. Cluck for a Cause has shown us that we can all make a difference. With our extra eggs and a little organization and effort, we have given a large donation to animals in need in our area. We are well on our way to an even more successful
second year. My children have a better idea about starting a business. They began with an idea and vision – making a difference to animals in need. They helped create the infrastructurecoops, runs, maintenance. They make beautiful hand-drawn egg cartons and created our website and business cards. They market our product at school, church and in the neighborhood. They collect the money, go to the SPCA and make the donations and keep the receipts. We are not a Fortune 500 company, but have done a small amount of good for our community.
Dr. Frannie Blanton Herbert ’82, a urologist in McKinney, TX, and children Camille, Lane and Gabriel with one of their best egg-producers
With our extra eggs and a little organization and effort, we have given a large donation to animals in need in our area.
Winter 2013 33