Once
I started with the Neighborhood Family Center, I was told that one of
my most important assignments would be to help with Safety Harbor’s Wine
Festival. Even though, I was unsure what this event was, the center’s
staff, board members and other volunteers joined up and worked on this
hugely successful event. At a recent Safety Harbor City Commissioners
meeting, I really came to appreciate the generosity of the city and it’s
community when the Neighborhood Family Center was presented with a check
for over $8.000 of proceeds from the Wine Festival.
Next year, we are
all looking forward to joining the annual Wine Festival. We also
encourage more volunteers to help with this project which helps fund the
Center’s daily assistance and children programs. Such programs as the
Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution. It just seems like yesterday,
when we geared up and provided over two hundred big Thanksgiving family
dinners, turkeys and all, to our local families. Working in partnership
with CCO (Church and Community Outreach) this is a wonderful example of
collaborative service and we are proud of our continued relationship
with the hard working volunteers from CCO.
With Thanksgiving
under our belt, we’ve unveiled our first ever agency fundraiser called
“Wreaths and Toys and Other Joys.” This traditional holiday party We took
their autographed pictures and had them framed by generous local
designers at the Custom Framing and Designs shop and then asked local
artist and other designers to decorate a wreath to go with the pictures.
With good food, Santa Clause, music and a lively crowd in place we
auctioned off all of these prizes and brought in over five thousand
dollars to help pay for our children’s programs. The fundraiser was
underwritten by Regions Bank and other sponsors. The Stuffed Mushroom
catered the event and it was held at their beautifully decorated 801 Main
banquet hall.
is fun project
was basically a holiday party sponsored by Regions bank, and other
sponsors and hosted by at their function room at Safety Harbor. We
solicited the help of popular celebrities including Bucs running back
Cadillac Williams, US Senator Bill Nelson, singer Natalie Cole and the
Beach Boys, to name a few.
Now we are working
full tilt to support the Safety Harbor’s Mayors breakfast and the Thomas
/McPherson Salon gift tree projects to help us raise funds for the
purchase of special Christmas gifts for our local families in need. It
is a busy time as all of our regular services continue throughout the
season, but we are all happily tired having the opportunity to serve and
meet so many wonderful friends and supporters.
Dick
Perrier
Program
Director |
