Another year, and another success! This year Madi’s Yard Sale raised a grand total of $11,239.35!!!
Like last year we held the yard sale over 2 days, July 17th and 18th. The weather wasn’t quite as cooperative as previous, as we spent much of the day on Friday trying to ward off the impending storm. It was cold and wet, and we were limited to indoor space – the garage, the neighbors garage, the trailers, and one little tent. Yet to our absolute amazement, we still couldn’t keep people away! Between the regular Friday yard sale shoppers and folks just wanting to support our cause, we were still crazy busy! The storm did eventually close us down early, but thankfully Saturday was a sunnier day and we made up for lost time.
We knew that not every person could find that “must-have second hand” item, so we decided to have a few raffle items this year, which was a success. We had Grama Anne – a local grandmother – helping us out, selling her one-of-a-kind sock puppets. She donated a portion of each sock puppet sold to the yard sale. Not to mention we had Madi’s paintings, which sold out in no time flat!
A lot of people approached us this year about helping Madi directly, and I was hesitant at first. I’m slowly learning the act of putting aside my pride and accepting help from people, but it’s not always easy. In the end we graciously accepted donations in the amount of $3,285.47 for Madi, which will go towards some of her new equipment costs. On top of that, $7,953.88, being all proceeds from the yard sale, and a good percentage of the donations, have been donated to O.R.S.A to fund further research for a cure.
Now, what’s in my mind as I write this is, could I have imagined a few years ago that in between working full-time, raising 2 children, doctors appointments, everyday life, etc, that we’d be spending half of every summer planning a yard sale? Nope. It was my husband’s idea, “just a small yard sale” he said. Hah! None of us could’ve imagined it would turn into 6 weeks of major planning, organizing, managing pick-ups and drop-offs from strangers, 3 storage units, 2 trailers, and 9 (now tired) people to pull it off. But it is completely worth it! It’s a time when our family comes together, some from out-of-province, and we spend 2 days in this whirlwind of physical exhaustion, laughter, and witnessing first hand the kindness and generosity of complete strangers. In the grand scheme of fundraising events this may be small-beans, but it’s more than the money raised – it’s the people we meet. It’s knowing that there are a few hundred more people walking around that know the definition of Rett Syndrome. And let’s be honest – raising $11,239.35 feels pretty darn good too!!
See you in 2016!
Madi’s Yard Sale 2015 Success!
Last Updated: 06/09/2016 by Sherry Lawrence
Another year, and another success! This year Madi’s Yard Sale raised a grand total of $11,239.35!!!
Like last year we held the yard sale over 2 days, July 17th and 18th. The weather wasn’t quite as cooperative as previous, as we spent much of the day on Friday trying to ward off the impending storm. It was cold and wet, and we were limited to indoor space – the garage, the neighbors garage, the trailers, and one little tent. Yet to our absolute amazement, we still couldn’t keep people away! Between the regular Friday yard sale shoppers and folks just wanting to support our cause, we were still crazy busy! The storm did eventually close us down early, but thankfully Saturday was a sunnier day and we made up for lost time.
We knew that not every person could find that “must-have second hand” item, so we decided to have a few raffle items this year, which was a success. We had Grama Anne – a local grandmother – helping us out, selling her one-of-a-kind sock puppets. She donated a portion of each sock puppet sold to the yard sale. Not to mention we had Madi’s paintings, which sold out in no time flat!
A lot of people approached us this year about helping Madi directly, and I was hesitant at first. I’m slowly learning the act of putting aside my pride and accepting help from people, but it’s not always easy. In the end we graciously accepted donations in the amount of $3,285.47 for Madi, which will go towards some of her new equipment costs. On top of that, $7,953.88, being all proceeds from the yard sale, and a good percentage of the donations, have been donated to O.R.S.A to fund further research for a cure.
Now, what’s in my mind as I write this is, could I have imagined a few years ago that in between working full-time, raising 2 children, doctors appointments, everyday life, etc, that we’d be spending half of every summer planning a yard sale? Nope. It was my husband’s idea, “just a small yard sale” he said. Hah! None of us could’ve imagined it would turn into 6 weeks of major planning, organizing, managing pick-ups and drop-offs from strangers, 3 storage units, 2 trailers, and 9 (now tired) people to pull it off. But it is completely worth it! It’s a time when our family comes together, some from out-of-province, and we spend 2 days in this whirlwind of physical exhaustion, laughter, and witnessing first hand the kindness and generosity of complete strangers. In the grand scheme of fundraising events this may be small-beans, but it’s more than the money raised – it’s the people we meet. It’s knowing that there are a few hundred more people walking around that know the definition of Rett Syndrome. And let’s be honest – raising $11,239.35 feels pretty darn good too!!
See you in 2016!
Category: News