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News & Updates - Heatherbrae Clinic’s first fundraising event a hit
On March 12, 2010, Veronica Taylor, newly elected project coordinator at the Heatherbrae Clinic, suggested that the Clinic Advisory Council hold a yard sale as its first fundraising event. Right away, the idea was a hit, but there were issues that needed to be addressed. The council not only needed to determine the who, when, where and how of this project, but also needed to have approval of the Tim Haines, site administrator. Tim approved the project and gave it his full support. After some discussion, the council decided that April 2-3 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., were the best dates and times for everyone who wanted to be involved. That left just three weeks to pull the event together.
Council and family member Nancy Flury graciously opened her home for the location of the yard sale and for storage of the donated items. Veronica made flyers that were posted in the clinic to advertise and solicit donations, and signs to post around the neighborhood on the days of the sale.
The council wanted it to be clear that the sale was a fundraiser and not just another yard sale. They also wanted to tell people about the services that the clinic provides and introduce the Clinic Advisory Council to the community. Peer mentor Karen Ehle designed a flyer to hand out at the yard sale that included all the pertinent information.
The day before the sale, the donations were sorted and priced. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the clients, staff and their families, that was no easy task. At the end of the second day, the fundraiser earned a profit of $450. Everyone was surprised and pleased by the outcome and wanted to do it again. The decision was made to hold a yard sale fundraiser quarterly.
Several members volunteered their time to work the yard sale, but special thanks go out to a select few who went above and beyond. Council members Veronica Taylor, Melanie Rucker, Justin Rucker, Nancy Flury, Patricia Ortiz, Roxanne Payton and Karen Ehle all put forth outstanding efforts to make this project a huge success.
Note: This article was originally published in the April 26, 2010 Magellan of Arizona’s “Provider Weekly.”
