Fun  Raising  !

 

Kathy's
Silent Auction for PLWP

I would like to introduce myself, I am  ATOBarb and my husband is Jake who has had PD for 8 years.  Jake was 55 when diagnosed and is now on disability.    I am retired and am full-time caregiver.  You might have met me in one of the PD Chat rooms.  This past summer presented some bumps in the road for us.  Now the story continues.

My sister Kathy is very caring with a big heart!  She decided that she wanted to do a Silent Auction for Parkinson's Disease.  Her idea was to start small and to host this event at her home for family and a few friends.  We decided on a date and e-mailed the family to reserve the date!  Invitations then went out announcing a party with a purpose!  Although we solicitated a few gifts from commercial establishments the majority were from family and friends. We had over fifty items.  They ran the gamut from a Basket of homemade jams and jellies,  Waterfowl prints, a Tin of hand dipped chocolate covered pretzels, a Handcrafted wooden shelf, a Bucket of wine and on and on.  One item that created a lot of interest and bidding was an ink drawing that my grandfather had done in  the 1940's.

Kathy wanted her grandchildren and other young people attending to know that they could give of themselves for others.  Whether it was two year old David who helped to make a batch of cookies, or Meghan who crafted a mosaic tile table, or Daniel who raffled off a 175 lb pumpkin, they all had a part.  They also helped in serving refreshments. 

 

When the day of the Silent Auction arrived, the weather was overcast and windy from the latest hurricane to come up the coast.  But we had excitement and sunshine in the big party tent which was so graciously donated for the event. Our guests arrived and the bidding began.  We even had cousins calling on cell phones from N.Y. and VT. to get their last bids on the sheets before the closing.   Kathy was in her glory as the Auction took place.  When one friend told her not to announce her name as a winner too loudly because her husband would know how much she spent, Kathy  announced with glee that the next item went to Minnie Mouse!  Of course when our brother had the high bid of $260.00 on Poppop's drawing she made sure that she announced $600.00 to get a rise from him!

To make a long story short,  Kathy's  idea to raise a few hundred dollars for PLWP,  turned into a huge success with over $3400.00 being raised.  We thank everyone who helped make this dream come true, especially her husband who supported her in this venture, which not only raised the money but also PD awareness and honored Jake.  Why did I chose PLWP to be the recipient of the funds,  because you all have given me support with out even knowing it through the years.  Hopefully more people with PD and their caregivers will be aware of PLWP!

As they say, just wait till next year!