Businesses come together for charity fundraiser
The second annual Evening of Elegance charity benefit will be held on Saturday, April 9 at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee West in Wauwatosa. All proceeds from the event will benefit Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. New Berlin business owner, Tammy Flynn organized the fundraiser in response to the attention and care her son received from the two organizations.
“It truly is a pioneer charity event in that all the businesses have donated everything, from the space to the decorations to the food,” Flynn said. “Everything we earn from ticket sales and raffles directly benefit both the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. We hope to raise over $75,000.”
In organizing the fundraiser, Flynn discovered that with traditional charity fundraisers a lot of the proceeds raised has to go to administrative costs.
“That really concerned me because I wanted these charities to receive 100 percent of the funds raised,” she said. “If we all come together for the community, we can experience greatness for these organizations. So, I decided to do things differently.”
Flynn has secured in-kind donations for the event reaching into the six figures.
The Crowne Plaza Milwaukee West hotel has extended the use of its grand ballroom and staff and its outside parking lots to host the “A Day 4 Dreams,” portion of the event.
“When I met Tammy for the first time and talked about her vision for the event, I immediately saw her passion come through,” said Patty Gale, owner of Inspired WebWorks, which has donated time to promote the event through social media. “She is dedicated to making a difference and helping out those kids in need.”
The event will feature a chef’s signature dining experience from Milwaukee restaurants and bakeries, a variety of entertainment, appearances by local celebrities, a live and silent auction. “A Day 4 Dreams” will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., an event including games, prizes and featuring free autographs from many professional athletes from the Milwaukee Brewers Milwaukee Wave, UFC and NFL sports celebrities and mascots.
Tickets for “An Evening of Elegance” are already sold out, but tickets to the “A Day 4 Dreams,” are $50 for a family of four, Flynn said.
Those interested can contact Elegance Salon & Spa at 262-785-0880 for tickets to the A Day 4 Dreams event.
For a full list of companies involved in the event visit: www.elegancesalonandspa.com
Shoe store to conclude shoe drive at end of February
Stan’s Fit for your Feet will continue to host its “Shair-A-Pair” shoe drive for the remainder of February. It is the fifth year the company has partnered with local shelters and the national nonprofit organization Soles4Souls, which has been distributing more than 12.8 million pairs of shoes to needy people in countries all across the globe since 2004.
“We are grateful for the support this program has received the last four years and we are hoping to reach a new level of support for the shoe drive in 2011,” said Jim Sajdak, owner of Stan’s Fit For Your Feet. “We hope everyone will be inspired to come out and and donate their gently used shoes to those less fortunate here in Milwaukee and around the world.”
Since its inception, more than 75,000 pairs of new or gently used shoes have been donated to local shelters including Repairers of the Breach adult day shelter, Father Gene’s HELP Center in West Allis and Soles4Souls, Sajdak said.
“This is a really easy way to help Soles4Souls and Repairers of the Breach who are both doing incredible things for the less fortunate people in our world,” Sajdak said. “This is such an easy way to clear the clutter out of your closet, recycle and donate that pair of gently used shoes to a wonderful cause.”
Those interested can drop off shoes at Stan’s Brookfield Store, 17155 W. Bluemound Road, Stan’s Glendale store, 505 W. Silver Spring Drive, or Stan’s Greenfield store, 7405 W. Layton Ave. through Monday, Feb. 28.
Fans attending the Milwaukee Admirals games on Friday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 20 can also bring shoes to a special drop-off location at the Bradley Center.
Individuals donating adult shoes will receive a $10 gift certificate towards footwear purchases during February, those donating children’s shoes will receive $5.
