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Silent Auction to Raise Campaign Funds
November 10, 2008
Butler County, OH - Butler County United Way's 2008 Campaign Celebration, featuring a Women's Initiative Silent Auction will be taking place at the Savannah Center in West Chester on Wednesday, November 19th from 5:30-7 p.m.
At the event, awards will be given to top companies and individuals and a check presentation will be made, showing just how hard the Butler County community has worked to advance the common good. Throughout the evening, guests will mingle among numerous auction items, chaired by Kathy Carmack and Alisa Miller of First Financial Bank (see attached photo) and members of the Butler County United Way Women's Initiative Executive Committee.
"The Silent Auction is a big part of the night because it's a hands-on, and FUN, way to bring in additional campaign dollars," says Theressa Griggs, Chief Operating Officer at the Butler County United Way. "The Women's Initiative has been doing this for a couple years now (at different events) and we tend to bring in some popular items."
The Women's Initiative's focus program for the past 2 years has been Shared Harvest's Backpack Program, where children who are on the free and reduced lunch program are supplied with nutritious meals on the weekends throughout the school year. Backpack Program facts include:
- A donation of $93 will sponsor one student for an entire school year, just $1.79 per week.
- Back Packs contain 6 easy to prepare nutritious meals, fruit, juice, pudding and snacks.
- 2007/2008 school year served an average of 1,300 elementary students each week in 45 schools.
- 2008/2009 school year we project serving 2,000 elementary students each week in 54 schools.
- 80% of students served with back packs are K - 3rd grade.
- Students participating in the back pack program showed improved classroom attendance and behavior; in addition to improved reading and math scores.
Tina Osso, Director of Shared Harvest Foodbank, stresses the importance of this program: "The children who receive food through our back pack program go without so many things every day that other kids take for granted. Food should not be one of those things".
The Women's Initiative has committed $25,000 to the Backpack Program for the 2008-09 campaign year, and funds raised through the silent auction will help to support this program.
To donate an item to the silent auction or to purchase a $15 ticket to the event, please contact Grace Marie Eckman at the Butler County United Way, 513.863.0800 or gmeckman@bc-unitedway.org.
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