In the vision statement for IGNITE, Southern Draw Cigars states; “IGNITE is a creative way for Southern Draw Cigars to dedicate NEW release cigars to provide hope, morale and charity to those in need. Southern Draw Cigars with its partners will join together by voluntarily assisting in all lawful ways, to support mutually agreed upon charities and causes.”
These causes include:
1. Active-duty, deployed, military veterans and their families;
2. Premium cigar rights and cigar retail associations; and
3. Our community's needy, homeless and hungry, many of whom are US military veterans.
The statement of values for IGNITE lists the following as core values:
1. Ambition – IGNITE partners and sponsors will be demanding of ourselves, providing our first and best cigar offerings and are each committed to increasing annual contributions for every cause we agree to support.
2. Collaboration – INGITE partners value one another, thrive on our united resources, and will work to leverage our combined strength in making a difference, without placing the financial burden on any single party regardless of their own resources.
3. Creativity – IGNITE is a new idea, a new approach in overcoming federal, state and local restrictions that have proven somewhat prohibitive for the premium cigar industry, to take a disciplined approach to develop sustainable options to best support our causes.
4. Accountability – IGNITE partners take responsibility for using our combined resources effectively and efficiently, achieving quantifiable and sustainable results and being accountable to one another, and most of all, to the causes we support.
Here is the charitable strategy for 2018:
1. Produced five NEW cigar offerings with custom IGNITE bands;
2. Partnered with FIVE different premium cigar retailers;
3. Produced 5,000 custom “IGNITE some good” jars, ½ black and ½ white each with the charities' sticker on top and informational brochure insert;
4. Allocated $3.75 per jar to select charities (x 5,000 jars);
5. Retail partner commitment of $3.75 per jar to select charities (x 5,000 jars) and optional coupon for future savings;
6. $37,500 to charities ($3.75 x 5,000 from SDC + $3.75 x 5,000 from retailers) = $37,500).
Southern Draw Cigars agree to provide complete transparency as to the identities of each charitable partner, sponsors, and the amount of each contribution. Each IGNITE jar also includes a Boveda patented 2-way humidity control and a freshness seal donated by Boveda.
Southern Draw Cigars and the initial retail partners select Operation Cigars for Warriors as the first beneficiary. This is an effort to increase the cigar donations and monetary contributions that have dropped significantly since the FDA added unreasonable regulations in 2016. Stock of donated cigars and funding to send these cigars to deployed U.S. military personnel have diminished to all-time lows.
To find out more information about Southern Draw Cigars and a list of retail partners and reviews, go to www.southerndrawcigars.com.