Paper Arts A Thon 2008

Hope... we, the 'Dream Team' held onto hope that the 1st Paper Arts A Thon 2007 would be a success and we would be able to plan another. Our definition of success was 'Everyone would have a great time and we would raise money towards Holly and Terry Hearn's commitment to participate in 'Joints in Motion'. (Their marathon is in January 2008). The success of Paper Arts A Thon went beyond our wildest dreams. Almost $10,000. was raised and according to the survey sheets we asked everyone to fill out, it was one of the best, if not the best, event they had ever attended.

So.... we are doing it again! Paper Arts A Thon 2008 is a go!

Here are the specifics.
We are fund raising for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. We have been in touch with the Atlantic Division and they are pleased and willing to support us in this fund raising event anyway they can. We chose to raise money for CBCF for several reasons: although we know breast cancer can affect men, it is mostly known as a woman's disease; many of us have been touched by someone in our lives who have suffered or succumbed to breast cancer; it is a disease we, as women, more than likely all fear; we want to make a difference.

The registration numbers will increase. We have had so many people tell us they wished they could come so we will have 64 spots available, up 20 from last year. In order to do this we had to move to a new facility, the Nova Scotia Community College in Middleton has graciously opened there doors to us.

The event will be held the 3rd and 4th of May 2008. As Oprah says “when we know better we do better” and now we know 24 hours is just too long for everyone (although I do remember a few scrappy scrappers working diligently on pages at 6:00 am). Registration will start at 9:00 am on the 3rd of May with the event beginning at 10:00 am and we will continue on until 6:00 am Sunday, May 4th. A 20 hour event which still qualifies as a Marathon.

Each registrant will bring materials of there choice to work on throughout the 20 hour marathon. Whatever your paper hobby is, this will be a great opportunity to work on it. We will supply you with ample space to create with your friends.

We will do our best to see that everyone arrives and leaves safely, for those of you coming from New Brunswick (it wouldn't be the same without you!) we will ensure we have a plan worked out to get you here and back home safely.

We will offer some half marathon spots the same as we did last year. These will run from 10 am until 10 pm on the 3rd of May (although those who stayed on were VERY glad they did, we plan lots of Surprises! throughout the night). We also want to reaffirm our intent that everyone needs to do this safely, so if you are too tired to continue please feel free to leave at anytime.

The Dream Team provided most of the food last year, with some much appreciated help from friends! As you can imagine, feeding 64 people (last year I am sure the participants will agree they did not go away hungry) lunch, supper and snacks and a light breakfast can be a costly venture. We had tried to find a food store to help out with this but we had little success. This year we are asking (it is on your registration form) if you would be willing to bring a food item. As the event draws near and if you have answered yes to this, we will contact you with a list of items needed and give you an opportunity to choose what item would be best for you to donate. This will certainly help out with the overhead costs and eliminate a registration fee.

Which leads me to explain, to anyone new, that there is no registration fee for this event. The way we raise money for CBCF will be through Pledge Sheets which each of you will receive when you register and as you are participating in a Marathon (Paper Arts) you will canvas family and friends to make a donation to CBCF. (your pledge sheet will give specifics about tax deductions,etc). A few participants last year instead of canvassing for pledges made items and sold them to raise money or made a sizable donation in lieu of a registration fee.

At Paper Arts A Thon a couple of other fund raising events will be happening. During the 20 hour event we will have Make N Take projects available for you to do. The materials for these projects will have been donated and we ask that you make a donation to do these projects. Please note on your registration sheet a place where you can let us know if you are interested in doing these or not. This will make it easier to know how many Make N Take projects to prepare for.
We also held a fun and very successful Silent Auction filled with great items to bid on.

So.. .what you need to do...

Mark your Calendar's for Paper Arts A Thon May 3rd & 4th 2008.

Email me for your registration form, information sheet and pledge sheet.

Send the Registration form back as quickly as possible. (Remember there are only 64 spots).

Plan to have one of the best weekends ever! We, the Dream Team, have a tough task of living up to your expectations but as we stated last year, we know the bar was set high, and we will do our best to meet it and hopefully we will exceed it!

HOPE... we all need to live with HOPE that we can make a difference and we will see a cure for Breast Cancer.

BELIEVE... Believe in all possibilities and that 'We can Change the World, One Piece of Paper At a Time”.

We look forward to seeing you at Paper Arts A Thon 2008.

The Dream Team,
Bonnie, Jackie, Holly and Myleta