Needed: Baskets

Instead of going out and spending money on things for the fundraiser, I am going to ask on the blog first. We know that we are going to try and display many of the auction items in gift baskets. This means we will need baskets, basket wrap, and ribbon. So, if you happen to have some baskets around that could be recycled for a good cause, please consider donating them. I know that I have some that can be used that I will stick in the pile. If you would like to donate, drop me an email: bopfund[at]insightbb[dot]com.
Thanks,
Kara

We have a winner!

I met Katey at Needleworks today and we drew the raffle winner! The winner was John from Champaign. I notified him this afternoon, and he generously said that he planned to put his winnings into the Bo Porter Fund. We decided that he should still receive a prize, so I volunteered my husband to make John the baked good of his choice. We'll post a picture of John's homemade Cherry Pie here when it's baked. We're putting it off 'til next weekend because our roads are very slick due to the freezing rain we're getting this afternoon. Thank you everyone! With your help we sold 533 raffle tickets!

Stay safe, it's slippery out there,
Kara

The blog is working...

and someone is reading it. Theresa sent me an email offering help with the big fundraiser. Theresa has been busily selling raffle tickets this week and I met her quite by accident at Carle today. Peg from Holy Cross found me through the blog also, which is how I hooked up with Cindy.

Cindy and I will be meeting next week to start serious planning. If anyone has any ideas or can help, drop me an email or a comment.
Thank you all,
Kara

Mark your calendar & be a "Baby Bo Buddy"

We have a venue! On Saturday May 5th from Noon to 4pm we will hold the "Baby Bo's Buddies" silent auction, craft sale and bake sale. We will also have family based activities. On May 6th we will have "last chance Sunday" which will be a final chance to bid on Sunday from 10am to 1pm. This will all happen at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Champaign, IL.

Maybe tomorrow...

I heard from Cindy tonight and we are very close to having a time and date for the big fundraiser. I'm praying that everything works out and we are well on our way to helping Bo, Katey, & Rob. As soon as the plans are finalized, I will post it all here.
Goodnight

Picking up steam?

I sure hope so. Peg & Cindy are working on a location for the silent auction, craft sale, and bake sale. Hopefully, I'll have a date nailed down soon and can seriously start planning.

Silent Auction Info

Click on the title to go to a link about silent auctions on Real Simple.com

Are you crafty?

We are looking for donations for the silent auction, craft show and bake sale. I'm warming up my knitting needles and looking for my thimble. I'm going to need a lot of help. It's not easy getting a lot done with 5 kids. Some local knitters are going to be working on some American Girl sized doll clothes. I'm hoping to add a doll quilt to the collection. Send me an email or leave me a comment if you can help.

Bo's Story

Robert “Bo” Porter was born on March 10, 2006. For most of us, the birth of a child is a time of rejoicing and wonder. It was such a time for Bo’s parents, Rob and Katey, but Bo’s birth was also a time of fear and anxiety. He was nine weeks early and weighed less than three and half pounds. Bo was born with a rare condition called omphalocele, with his stomach, liver, intestines, and other internal organs on the outside of his body. Critically ill at birth, he spent the first 265 days of his life in a hospital.

Bo has survived many surgeries to correct his birth defects, but his battle is far from over. Thankfully he is at home with his family now, but he remains on life support, breathing only with the help of a ventilator, and requires care around the clock. Though he has also survived many infections, his heart and lungs have problems related to the extended illness and need for ventilation. In the coming months and perhaps even years Bo will have extensive treatment and many more surgeries to face.

Rob and Katey are tremendously grateful for their little son, and in spite of the many challenges their spirits and their faith remain strong. Their finances, on the other hand, have been exhausted. In addition to tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding medical bills, they have had substantial travel expenses as Bo’s condition required extended hospitalization in Peoria, far from their home in Urbana. Additional surgeries are likely to be in Peoria as well. Given Bo’s situation his mother Katey is only able to work part time, and unfortunately his father Rob is currently unemployed. Katey and Bo are currently receiving public aid; however it does not cover many of the financial obligations for Bo’s care that were incurred before they qualified for assistance.

For this reason, a few friends are working together to raise money to assist this family in their time of need. While it is unlikely that we will be able to raise sufficient funds to eliminate all the outstanding medical bills and partially supplement the cost of his care and related expenses, we are doing what we can to help ensure that they can be reduced to the point where the family can continue to make reasonable monthly payments and still cover the ongoing costs of Bo’s care.

My husband wrote this for me and I think he did a lovely job.

The Raffle Tickets are delivered

the first thousand anyway. I met Katey for coffee yesterday and showed her the loot. If anyone would like to help sell tickets let me know. Its a 50/50 raffle with the drawing on the 24th of February. Tickets only cost a dollar.

I'm still working on the trust and a place to have a big fundraiser.

This is Bo sleeping New Year's Eve. He looks so peaceful and sweet.