Fundraising Corner

Fall 2004 CARES Foundation, Inc.

Back to Fall 2004 Index	Home

Fundrai$ing Corner
Upcoming California Fundraiser – We need your help!!
I am excited to inform you that we now have a date, location and time for the very first CARES Fundraiser in Los Angeles - March 10, 2005 at the Skirball Cultural Center - Ahmanson Hall from 10:00am-3:00pm. That leaves us 5 months to pull off a very, very successful event - and I know it can be done. Obviously, there is much to be accomplished in this period of time and I am hopeful that I may count on your support and involvement in making this happen, as your involvement on any level is welcomed. Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering to be on our event committee. With your help, I know this fundraising event will be a huge success. Many thanks. Jami Abell Patterson Jami@caresfoundation.org (818) 906-8668
¯¯¯¯
How We Help CARES
When Austin was diagnosed with CAH we felt overwhelmed, lost, alone, and scared. Brad spoke with Kelly long before I did. He kept telling me "call her and talk to her it will make you feel better". One day she called and the machine picked-up. I knew it was her so I answer the phone. I wish I had spoken with her so much sooner. I think deep down, talking to Kelly was going to make Austin having the CAH so much more real. I really didn’t want to accept it. But thanks to God, CARES, Kelly, Dr. Pamela Thomas and staff, and our family & friends, we have accepted it. Now we are trying to do what we can for CARES and other CAH families through fundraising. We started brainstorming for fundraising ideas. Our first was a bake sale at a nearby Wal-Mart. It was really successful! I can say that because I expected to make a couple hundred dollars and ended up with a couple thousand. We listed names of family and friends to ask to bake for us and the outcome was unreal. By noon the first day I called my mom to tell her we need more bake goods could she make a few calls. At the end of the second day we had a few things left over which sold the next day at the place where I use to work. We had a local newspaper, The News-Sun, write an article about CARES, CAH, and the bake sale. That article did so much! It was in the paper the day before we started. Some people drove up, handed us money, and drove away. I even had one person who bought stuff, that offered to bake. The next day she showed up with a big box of stuff. It was such an emotional experience. It was wonderful. We have shared and received fundraising ideas with other people in our community who do it for causes of their own. We have gotten some good ideas. Don’t assume a particular idea isn’t good. We’ve had a couple we thought would be really successful and weren’t, but we’ve had more that did really well. It all helps…every dollar and every penny. I am amazed at how much awareness has been raised in our area for CAH and CARES Foundation. With the help of our family, friends, and community, we have raised money and awareness. There are no words to thank them, but may God bless each and every one of them because we could not do it without them. "And thank you Kelly Leight…where would all of us CAH families be without you having started the CARES Foundation. God bless you." Tina Smith Albion, Indiana ¯¯¯¯
CARES First Annual Golf Outing Indiana
On Sept. 19th, 2004, Jenny Hendricks, grandmother of Cody, hosted the first CARES Golf outing at the Valle Vista Golf Club in Greenwood, IN, just outside Indianapolis. It was a fun day for all, enjoying the golf while raising awareness about CAH and funds for CARES. We send Jenny and her committee our deepest thanks for organizing this terrific event. We also thank our sponsors and the players for their support. Next years' event committee will be even bigger and better. Please contact CARES if you would like to be on the Golf Committee for next year.
¯¯¯¯
Attention Arizona Shoppers!! Bashas’ Supermarket will Donate to CARES !
Bashas’ Supermarket is starting up its annual fundraising program: "Thanks A Million For Friends and Neighbors". As a non-profit organization, CARES will benefit when patrons link their Bashas' Thank You Cards to our organization. Every time you make a purchase at Basha’s, the supermarket will donate 1% of your total to CARES Foundation. It costs you absolutely nothing – Basha’s makes the donation on your behalf! Just link the CARES group ID number: 29261 to your Basha’s Thank You Card. Each time you make a purchase, Basha’s will credit our account with the donation. Make sure to check your receipt after your purchase to see CARES Foundation listed-- this will ensure that the donation has been properly credited. This program will run from September 1, 2004 – April 30, 2005. Please consider shopping at Basha’s during this time period and encourage your family and friends to do the same.
¯¯¯¯
Candle Sale Raises Over $4,000
Many, many thanks to Terry Rowe of Avilla, Indiana and Gold Canyon Candles (Chandler, AZ) for organizing a fundraiser that netted CARES $4,300. Terry, whose grandson has classical CAH, decided to raise money for CARES after learning that Gold Canyon Candles would donate 40% of proceeds from a candle sale fundraiser to the nonprofit organization of her choice. She and her distributorship partner Bev Grate added to this amount by kicking in their sales commissions, as well as more from their own pockets, to bring their contribution up to a nice round number. Asked about the secret of her success, Terry revealed the key elements: motivated sellers, good timing, and calling on local businesses to donate goods and services. Having an attractive product didn’t hurt, either. Terry and Bev started by asking local businesses to donate prizes for the top candle sellers. They motivated their 55-person salesforce to focus on the three-week fundraising event by offering gift certificates for the Holiday Inn in Fort Wayne, Applebee’s in nearby Kendallville, a local bank, a supermarket, a pizza shop, and a home decorating business. Then, the two obtained permission from local businesses to set up sales tables during times when a lot of people would be present. Community State Bank in Avilla let them sell there on the first Friday of the month, when many people come in to cash government checks. A brand new Wal-Mart in Kendallville let her set up shop the day after its Grand Opening—when it was packed with customers. The food market told her Saturdays were probably their busiest time, and invited her to sell then. Terry says that organizing the event was easy and fun. "I just started making calls, explaining what CARES does, and people just started giving," she reports. "I was so excited every time a company agreed to donate a prize for our top salespeople during the event." Anyone who would like to explore the possibility of holding a CARES fundraiser in their town can receive a copy of our Fundraising Guide (after we update it with Terry’s hints!) from the CARES Foundation office. You can also get help preparing written materials for distribution or publication from Pam Knight, whom you can reach at the main CARES phone number, or email at pam@caresfoundation.org.
¯¯¯¯
Garage Sale Success!
My son Jake, has salt wasting CAH. As a member of the Board, I try my best to assist in fundraising. To help raise money for CARES Foundation, I decided to organize a garage sale. I contacted family and friends to donate items to be sold at my garage sale, letting them know that all proceeds would go to CARES. With car loads of items showing up at my door daily, we had more than enough items to have a productive sale. I made posters and stickers stating that all of the money raised would benefit CARES. A lot of customers asked about CARES, and what the organization does. Some people even over paid on items, just because they knew the money was going to charity. Overall, the sale was a huge success and raised $350.00 to be donated to CARES. The event was successful not only in raising money, but it helped a lot of people clean out their attics and basements, including my own. This was a wonderful way to raise awareness about CAH and CARES while assisting CARES in raising money. Michelle Cascarelli Metuchen, NJ

Back to Fall 2004 Index	Top	Home

© 2004 CARES Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of CARES content, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of CARES.