2009 was our first year for formalized charity sponsorship and what a great year it was! We started out small by holding raffles at the monthly breakfasts for $1.00 a ticket. Thanks to Bud Syme, my partner at the Richmond breakfasts, for all his help. I'd also like to thank everyone who contributed items for or participated in the breakfast raffles.
Our other contributions came from the Drivers Education charity laps. These charity laps are fun, cost only $10.00 per car, and all the money goes to charity. There are charity laps scheduled at the next DE in May; load everyone in the car and have fun!
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration Silent Auction was another great income generator for our charity program. We had some wonderful auction items and great fun trying to outbid each other. Items included a room and dinner at the beautiful Keswick Hall in Charlottesville (which I won!), and a weekend at the Tides Inn that Pam Michaels stole from me at the last minute. You can't trust anyone at a silent auction!! FSR member Brian Coey donated his beach house for a week; I think Alex Bell was the lucky winner. We had some great appliances from Hamilton Beach for the ladies, courtesy of Erin and David Israel (sorry guys, I know you cook too), and a manly STIHL leaf blower for the guys, courtesy of STIHL Inc. Other items included Porsche logo jackets, shirts, sunglasses and scarves; gift certificates from Racewerks, Rennzenn, and LMN Motorsports; a jacket from VIR; a rolling duffle bag from CDOC; and a three-layer Nomex driving suit from Synergy Racing. We also had a live auction for the registration fee to our next DE; thanks to Kevin Pirkle for keeping the bidding lively, and I hope the lucky winner enjoys the DE!
Our total 2009 income for charity was $6490 which was divided between the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, The Virginia Special Olympics, and Boys’ Home in Covington, Virginia. We also collected 353 pounds of food for the Foodbank as part of a fun run up Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Charity is a personal passion of mine and it has been my pleasure getting to know everyone, whether I was annoying you at our breakfasts or asking for donations. Thank you all for your contributions. We should be very proud of our generous club.
What’s coming up in 2010? We’re planning a special charity event this year, plus a special “Turkeys in the Trunk” event at Thanksgiving. Details for both will follow. Also for 2010, I’d like to form a committee to help me with the yearly charity function and to be back-ups for me at the breakfasts. If you’re interested in our charity program, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (757) 635-0184.
