Join us on June 12&13 for the 23rd Annual Del Frisco’s Classic Golf Tournament. Golfers play at the prestigious and exclusive Gleneagles Country Club. The tournament is preceded by a dinner at the fabulous Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House. Guests are treated to an amazing night. The live auction will be conducted Benefit Bidding.
For more information please visit the event website
The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative holds monthly online auctions during the first 10 days of each month. Auctions are hosted by BenefitBidding.com.
The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative™ (www.AlzQuilts.org) is a national, grassroots charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. The AAQI auctions and sells donated quilts, and sponsors a nationally touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer’s. The AAQI has raised more than $552,000 since January 2006.
Ami Simms of Flint, Michigan is the founder and executive director of the AAQI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operated entirely by volunteers. She is a quilter. Her mother had Alzheimer’s.
The AAQI currently sponsors two major programs:
Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope
The first is a nationwide traveling quilt exhibit called “Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope.” It features 182 “Name Quilts” six inches wide and seven feet tall, containing the names of more than 10,000 individuals who have or had Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Hanging among the Name Quilts are 53 small format art quilts (9″ x 12″) that each interpret Alzheimer’s in some way. The exhibit will tour the United States for 5 years.
Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts
The second is the “Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts” project, so named for the urgent need for research dollars and the hope that quilters across the country would make participation in this project a priority. These small quilts fit inside flat rate cardboard priority mailers from the USPS, which the group uses to ship quilts to winning bidders after monthly online auctions.
There are an estimated 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease. We believe we can make a difference, one quilt at a time.
Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative
1200 Creekwood Trail
Burton, MI 48509
The Lewisville Reader Star recently ran an article on our Online Auction to raise money for the North Texas Food Bank. Full the story at http://www.planostar.com/articles/2010/07/21/lewisville_leader/news/30.txt
PRESS RELEASE – Quilt Country
Contact: Sandy Brawner, Owner
701 S. Stemmons Fwy #60, Lewisville, TX 75067-4591
Phone 972-436-7022
Fax 972-436-6065
sandy@quiltcountry.com
Food Bank Faces First Financial Shortfall since 1982 Opening. Lewisville, Texas Quilt Shop and its Customers Organize Auction
Lewisville, TX June 29, 2010: When Sandy Brawner learned the North Texas Food Bank donation receipts for the current fiscal year are $250,000 less than budgeted, she knew immediately the staff and customers of her Lewisville, TX quilt shop would want to help. Sandy and her Quilt Country team decided to hold its first miniature quilt auction and donate 100% of the proceeds to the food bank. The miniature quilts, all of which are beautifully designed, crafted and donated by customers and employees of Quilt Country, are available for auction online by accessing the shop’s website at http://www.quiltcountry.com or http://www.benefitbidding.com through 3 p.m. CDT Sunday, July 11, 2010.
The public is encouraged to visit the store, located at 701 S. Stemmons Freeway in Lewisville, to personally view these unique miniature quilts.
Auction bids will also be accepted in the shop.
This auction offers buyers an array of exquisite mini quilts to bid on while supporting the nutritional needs of North Texas families. When viewing the quilts, the public will be moved by both the talent and compassion of these quilt designers. One of the quilters, Coleen Voss, decided “I had to use only fabric scraps in my quilt, nothing new, only what I had on hand. I wanted my quilts to show hunger in some way…I thought what does hunger look like …That is how I choose my fabric scraps. What does hunger feel like? I imagine it must feel raw, so I left some raw edges. It must hurt, so I used porcupine quills…Hunger also must feel cold and lonely, so I used polished stones.”
The staff and customers of Quilt Country have a long history of supporting various charitable causes. Since 2003, the shop has hosted an annual food drive for the North Texas Food Bank between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Quilt Country held a bra quilt challenge to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Each entrant made a quilt using a pattern for a bra quilt. Quilt Country staff and customers have donated shoe boxes filled with necessities for children worldwide through Samaritan’s Purse. The shop’s customers and staff donated and shipped boxes of toys for children in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as magazines, food, socks, cards, games and personal care items for our soldiers serving in these countries. In the wake of 9/11, Quilt Country sponsored a drive to make and collect quilts for NYC firefighters and survivors of victims. Soon after Katrina, the staff and customers of Quilt Country made and donated quilts for victims. Residents of the Denton State School have received pillowcases made by a Quilt Country customer. The shop has sponsored a quilt drive for Project Linus, collected items for the Chin refugees from Myanmar, donated fabric to Lutheran World Relief, and participated in the 1,000,000 pillowcase challenge.
For release 8 a.m. CDT, July 1, 2010
Professional auctioneers who work exclusively with non-profits know how to create fun & pizazz – resulting in more $$$ for your organization!!
Over 20 specialties exist within the auction industry. Auctioneers who limit their practice to benefit auctions have the time and knowledge to provide your organization with the “latest & greatest” moneymaking ideas.
Hire one who has a full time support staff. Seek out a benefit auctioneer who is “tech savvy” and will provide customized online auctions and technological support. Consider auctioneers who have completed the National Auctioneers Association’s Benefit Auctioneer Specialist training.
A professional auctioneer generates more revenue and makes the evening more enjoyable for your guests.
Quite often, organizations believe they will save money by using a volunteer or a local celebrity. While using a volunteer rather than a paid auctioneer may seem like a good idea, your organization will lose revenue. Novices leave money on the table because they are not able to maximize bidding.
A fund-raising auction is unlike any other charitable fund-raiser and offers a number of unique challenges. As professional fund-raising auctioneers, we understand this environment better than any volunteer or celebrity. The goal is not only to sell items, but to get your audience excited about the mission of your organization. An effective auctioneer will inspire the audience to bid high and bid often. When planning your event, you will hire the best caterer, decorator, designer, etc. you can afford. Why try to save when it comes to the person motivating your guests to open their checkbooks?
