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2006 First Annual Fundraiser Summary
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"Through My Baby's Eyes" was the First Annual Fundraiser we had to honor my son, Brady Lawrence Simmer, on February 24, 2006. I had an exceptional team of friends that put a great deal of effort into making this evening such a success. The idea of the fundraiser was that of an old and dear friend, Kim Bloom. This idea blossomed into quite an "event" coordinated by the combined efforts of my other friends, Kara, Kami, Danielle, and Debbi. We were joined by Candace & Maryann - our two favorite managers at Bootlegger where the event took place. Another friend, Peter, whom was a sales representative for Premier Beverage took care of our "spirits". I designed a program for the evening to hand out that night. I put a lot of heart into this program because there was a tremendous effort that went into the planning and execution of this special event.
We had a raffle for which we sold tickets for $5.00 each and gave away massages, tanning sessions, manicures, gift certificates to restaurants, etc. Our Silent Auction consisted of items varying from Weekend getaways at numerous resorts, the best seats for Florida Panther & Miami Heat games, Gift Certificates for teeth whitening, Botox,
Ladies Day at the Spa, Round-Trip airline tickets for 2 to anywhere in the
United States and Catamaran Cruises. Our most favored items in the auction were
a variety of authentic sports memorabilia that included autographed Dan Marino &
Steve Young Hall of Fame footballs, the 12 Latino Legends baseball bat and
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autographed Hank Aaron & Pete Rose baseballs in display case, a
limited edition signed/numbered lithograph of Dewayne Wade, an
autographed limited edition framed "1971 Perfect Season" Miami
Dolphins commemorative poster and much more. These items were
donated by very generous individuals and businesses.
We had over 400 people that night - all of which donated $25.00 at the door to enter. There were complimentary cocktails donated by Premier Beverage & Hors D' Oeurves and live music donated by the Bootlegger establishment.
After expenses, We raised over $40,000.00 and donated it to P.O.S.T. (Pediatric Oncology Support Team) to be spent to helping other families like ours - Families of children with cancer. P.O.S.T. through the St. Mary's Child Development Center is a unique program designed to help children and their families deal with the impact of diagnosis and treatment of cancer. P.O.S.T. provides a comprehensive plan of care for the children with cancer. These services are available to any child diagnosed with cancer in a five-county area regardless of treatment site.
I also assembled huge posters and displayed materials with information and resources regarding Retinoblastoma.
All in all, it was an incredible evening. For me, it was the best I'd felt in a long time. I was standing in a VERY crowded establishment looking around and thinking "These are all of our friends and family here for us, supporting our son and generously donating money to help other people". It doesn't get much better than that.
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