Fundraising Request (and raffle)

I know you’re all here because you want to learn more about winning a pair of handknit fingerless gloves, and I’m really jazzed to give you all the details. However, me being me, I want to start off with a story.

Once upon a time, I was a Girl Scout. Back in those days, the wee girlies did not stand in front of your local Trader Joe’s selling cookies with their parents. No, ma’am. They took their order sheets and pens and went out into the town, door to door, repeating the same phrase over and over, for hours after school. I did this as a solitary activity. It was often snowing. It was always cold.

One particularly frosty day, as it was getting dark, I was struggling with my motivation for selling cookies. I never sold many. I disliked talking to strangers. I realized it was counterproductive to hope someone wasn’t home when I knocked on the door. I knew that it didn’t help me much to be relieved when no one answered. But I always hoped. I was often relieved.

But on this cold, windy day in a tiny town in Illinois, I knocked on a door where someone was home. I took a deep breath, stared at the icy patch on his front steps, and recited my plea for a purchase. Help us out, sir? Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?

He told me he was sorry, but he had already bought some.

I tried not to cry on his freezing front porch, but as I nodded, thanked him, and turned to go, it must have been extremely obvious on my face how disheartened and disappointed I was about this unrewarding, social-anxiety-inducing activity because he called me back.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “You know what? I think I need some more.” He then proceeded to buy TEN boxes of Thin Mints, the most I’d ever sold to one person who wasn’t my mother.

I loved that man. I still cried on his steps, but it was because I was so, so grateful. On May Day, I secretly put flowers on his porch.

Why am I telling you this story? To let you know that this kind of stuff is something I dislike, but I do it when I have to, and since I am older, with access to better skills and more resources, I can do a little better than leaving flowers on your front steps.

Here’s the deal: My daughter, Ezri, is signed up with the Kare Youth League. It’s fantastic. It’s all girls and young women. They do sports together on Saturday mornings. The older girls mentor the younger ones. Ezri is having so much fun with it, and it’s right by our house. Great stuff. However, (you knew this was coming – I prepared you, but go ahead and a take a deep breath anyway) they require fundraising as part of the program. Our quota is to raise $75 in ticket sales.

Tickets for what? Glad you asked. On June 6, that’s a Saturday, from 4 – 8 pm, the Kare Youth League will be holding their annual SoccerFest at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. All the leagues from the area will gather and, get this – it’s awesome, play a soccer tournament On the Rose Bowl Grass. What an opportunity!

In addition to the games, there will be food and performances and a large family carnival. There will be pony rides, a petting zoo, and all those fun little games that you used to play when you were young (fishing behind a curtain, spinning a wheel, knocking down the milk bottles, you get the idea). We went to one of these carnivals before we really knew what Kare Youth League was, and I remember it was lovely and the prizes for the games were surprisingly good.

So here’s what I want from you: Please help us out. Buy a ticket. They are $5 each.

What’s in it for you: You get admittance to the SoccerFest, and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $1000 shopping spree to either Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club. There is also a coupon for a free Subway sandwich and 30 oz drink attached to the bottom of the ticket stub. You will also be put into my own personal drawing to win a pair of handknit fingerless gloves.

What if you don’t live here / are busy that day / don’t really care about soccer / don’t want to ride a pony: Good question. You can still be entered into the $1000 shopping spree (you don't have to be present to win) and the fingerless glove drawing by donating $5.

What if you really don’t want to buy a ticket, but you still want a chance for the gloves: For the glove raffle, I will put in your name one time for every dollar that you donate regardless of a ticket purchase. So if you want your name in once, you can donate $1, twice - $2, and so on and so forth. If you buy tickets for your family of four, I’ll put your name in 20 times. Make sense?

How do you enter? Either find me in real life to buy tickets from me, contact me by email or Facebook to set up a pick up / drop off, or if you are far away, you may send funds via Paypal to duckies_in_a_rowATyahoo.com. (I can mail your tickets to you easily.)


Please include the following information. I have to put it on your entry:
Name
Address
Phone Number
Email

I will draw for the gloves on Memorial Day, May 25, and ship out the gloves on Monday, June 15. Should we talk about the gloves some more? YES! We Should! Please get on with it! I’m going to draw for THREE pairs of gloves this time, since I’m actually asking for money for them. Not only that, you can pick from the ones below. Gentlemen, I know that these are mostly women’s gloves. Keep in mind that commissioning a pair as a gift for your honey goes a long way for you. Let’s check them out (please note that some of these are photos of gloves I've made before - others have been taken from online sources, and yes, I am using them without permission).

For those who like them functional, I give you the plainest pair of gloves in the land (you can pick the color, though). For the record, these are the only pair that I own:

 


How about cables? Everyone likes the elegance of cables.

Evangelines (you choose color)

Staghorns (again with the color choice)

Skeleton Key (in your favorite color)

 Sapphire (and these ones are this color only)

 Oak Grove (I suppose you could pick another color, but Why Would You?)

Waterbending (in whatever color the winner likes best)

 

Where are my geeks? How about one of these charming designs?

For the Lord of the Rings fans - I give you Evenstar Mitts (not in purple, though, most likely a white or silver, or you know, whatever color really)

For the literary minded, I give you Ravens in the Snow (in cream and black only)

And for my dear, dear Doctor Who fans, there are these mitts that the sharp-eyed among you will recognize as replicas of the mitts Rose Tyler wears in the episode Doomsday. In this color only

This pattern is called Zombie Vixen, for when you want to take out corpses in style and warmth (you pick the color)

And these Helix mitts will be perfect for your steam punk costume. Or your Tshirt. Color scheme of your choice

How about something whimsical? These will do the trick.

 Catching Butterflies (they don't have to be blue)

Woodsy Association - your choice of deer, owl, wolf, badger, or raccoon. Those are the colors for them, though.

I hear you - you're not into that. You want something more appropriate for a grown up. Something you can feel sophisticated wrapping around your Starbucks cup. I've got you covered too:

Button cuffs are super stylish (this colorway only)

  Fair Isle - always in style! (again, only this color - I have a kit, you see)

What better to cup your Pumpkin Latte than a pair of pumpkin lace mitts? (this color only)

And for all my pretty, fancy princesses, here are a couple options:

Twin Leaf lace for your next tea party (you can pick the color this time)


Ruffle Cuffs to wear at the piano recital (only in these colors, though)

 

Don't worry, men, there are some options for you as well. In addition to the plain black pair (how could you go wrong?) there are these:


Straight Forward Mitts - probably a more masculine color (unless you like this color; it's all the same to me)



Loch Lomond - in whatever color you think would work for you.

 

Whew, that's a lot of options. But you've got some time to think about which ones you'd want, and in what color if applicable, before the drawing on Memorial Day. Thanks for your help with our fundraiser. It really means a lot to me. If anyone has any questions, please, please do let me know either via comment or message. I don’t want anyone confused!