Contributed by Diana Bland, Artists Uncorked
On December 6th, over 40 people joined Artists Uncorked and Michele Snell of Jack White Real Estate - Wasilla at Everett’s to have a little fun, paint a snowman and hopefully raise $1000 for a spunky, curly-headed 7 year old who was recently diagnosed with a very rare genetic disorder, Giant Axonal Neuropathy.
If you haven’t been to one of our paint and sip events, then it’s time you check out the new craze for evening entertainment at local venues in your area. We may not be making Picassos out of you, but we are having a lot of fun trying.
Everett’s put us up in their lovely event room, Michele went to work collecting silent auction items and door prizes, and our studio agreed to donate 50% of the registration fee to Isabel’s fight against this devastating diagnosis.
We worked quickly to make this happen before everyone was knee-deep in Christmas, knowing that the next leg of Isabel’s journey was a trip to Maryland to see a specialist and her appointment was in January.
Registration seemed slow at first and donations minimal. But as the time drew closer, things seemed to pick up, at least a little. I was determined to make our goal!
Friends, family, colleagues and strangers signed up, and I instructed the class as planned. Christmas music played in the background and at one point I sang along, even ensued. Everyone donated in one way or another.
When the evening ended and the numbers were in, we realized that we had more than doubled our goal! We were ecstatic! We, you, the community had made enough for Isabel and her family to travel to Maryland.
Isabel’s Paint Night was the highlight of my week as I awaited a celebration of life for a dear and amazing human being that had passed away just days before. A young man that positively touched more lives in his 37 years than most of us can even hope to in a much longer lifetime. It’s hard for me to explain what these two things have in common for me, except to say that I believe that the qualities of kindness, compassion and grace are inherent in the human spirit. A quality of love and compassion that, shared freely, will bloom into a life well-lived.
I am so grateful for everyone that contributed, that painted and that played with us for Isabel.
