Festival Of Caring Fundraiser This Saturday
One of the major things that makes Casper great is the constant fundraising that goes on to help our own. On any given week, you can find charities and individuals that are willing to give up their time, skill set, and money to help others in our community. The best part is, instead of just asking you to give money, organizations will team up to host events that entertain, educate, and provide different avenues to the public for an opportunity to donate while enjoying themselves. This means that - even if you can't break the bank - you still can enjoy the festivities, while possibly finding other ways to help.
This upcoming Saturday, the United Church Of Christ, Wyoming Food For Thought Project, and Action Kivu will be hosting a 5 hour event featuring live music, a 50/50 auction, silent raffle, kids' games, and more! All of the information is in the press release below...check it out, and hopefully we'll see you this Saturday!
The United Church of Christ, Casper is proud to host The Festival of Caring: One Human Family as its annual summer fundraiser. We have partnered this year with two effective and vital charities that directly aid children: Wyoming Food for Thought Project, a local charity that helps close the ‘hunger gap’ for 3000 Natrona County children whose only reliable meals come when they are in school, and Action Kivu, a global charity that provides vital school resources to children in the Democratic Republic of Congo who seek to rebuild their lives amidst an on-going civil war. Monies raised will benefit both charities as well as the work of UCC, Casper as it continues to be an active advocate for its neighbors in the Casper community. We have hosted and helped fund education programs, such as Cen$ible Nutrition, an 8-week University of Wyoming Extension School outreach program; we house the Bargain Basement, a donation-based shop that helps clothe and sustain local people and whose profits go to Interfaith; we join in builds with and hosted a major fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity; we helped create and sponsor the Melrose Coffeehouse, a smoke-free, non-alcohol Friday night music spot for local musicians and music fans of all ages; we are a sanctuary for members of the local recovery community; we are a home for gay and questioning youth and their allies as well as the host of Casper PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
The Festival kicks off a day of solstice celebration in Casper. People can attend the Festival, catch the CNFR rodeo finals and/or join the Crimson Dawn festivities at 7 that evening. Terrific local bands such as John May and The Tremors entertain folks throughout the event. Food includes a tasty barbecue plate, cookies, popcorn and snow cones; beverages include gourmet coffees, lemonade, and soft drinks; local crafters’ booths offer specialty jewelry and hand-made items; free kids’ activities, such as a bouncy castle and games are available throughout the day. Silent auction items include Broncos tickets, Moscow Ballet Nutcracker tickets, an hour-long airplane ride for three, a suite at the Best Western Ramkota, a ‘pamper me’ spa package, local restaurant gift certificates, a Janome sewing machine, Casper Cutthroats tickets and merchandise, golf for four plus dinner at Three Crowns Golf Club, and much more! Our 50/50 Raffle promises $1000 or more to the winner.
Hearty thanks to our current sponsors: Davidson Landscaping, Wyoming Sewing Center, Pepsi, Jonah Bank, Casper Events Center, Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Three Crowns Golf Club, Casper Cutthroats, Jade Elephant, Java Jitters, Charlie T’s Pizzeria, Flour Bin Bakery, Eileen’s Colossal Cookies, and Stuft plus our generous anonymous friend. For more information go to festivalofcaring.com or check us out on Facebook.
Schedule of Events -
10:00 am Festival Opening: kids’ games begin, free coffee/treats to first 50 people
10:30 Thomas MacWilliams Band, blues, country and pop as well as original pieces
Vibes’ Kindermusik activity for children
12:00 John May, terrific guitar playing young singer/songwriter
1:00 The Tremors, a two-piece blues style based musical sound
2:00 Prairie Bo Bogers, a country band with lots of toe-tapping flair
2:30 Silent Auction closes
2:45 50/50 Raffle Winner drawn
3:00 Silent Auction winners notified and Festival closes
For more information, contact Reverend Dee Lundberg @ revdeeucc@earthlink.net or Ann Miller @ ann.festivalofcaring@yahoo.com.