Wednesday, Dec 9 2009 6:30 pm
All Sierra Club Members and their friends are invited !!! To RF&P Room of SMV
Dir/CEO Science Museum of Virginia
The Falls of the James Group will hold its 28th holiday celebration by honoring our members with a grand evening of socializing, nibbling goodies, sipping a cup of cheer, and shopping for the holiday. Silent Auction and a Voice Auction of extraordinary items will be followed by the presentation of the FOJ Green Giant Award, our third for extraordinary service to the Richmond-area environment. Lastly, we will close the festivities with a visit from Richard Conti, head of the Science Museum of Virginia. He will speak of:
“The Science Museum of Virginia: Transitioning to the Knowledge Age.” The Science Museum of Virginia has recently completed a comprehensive strategic planning effort to chart a course for the next generation. The museum’s new conceptual framework involves engaging its audiences with relevant experiences and focuses on the inspirational aspects of informal science learning. A number of project examples are already taking place that will illustrate how the museum is moving from the industrial age to the knowledge age.
The 28th Holiday Celebration promises to be fun and affordable. A small donation of $5 guarantees the attendee a chance at 50/50 raffles which will award half the collections for tickets to ticket holders who are present at time of drawing. Members will also please bring refreshments to share with all: Last name begins with an: A-L: please bring Hors-d’ouvres M-Z please bring beverage to share (wine, beer) The evening includes a silent auction with items from theatre tickets to art works, from baked goods to outdoor gear. While we are still collecting, there is still time to donate a product or a personal service for the benefit of The Club. Past donations have included cabin retreats, airplane rides, boat rides, overnights, landscaping and weekend escapes. Your contributions are always appreciated, and with your help this celebration could be the best yet! You may be a craftsperson, an artist or a sculptor who wishes to give your work more exposure – what a wonderful opportunity for the public to see your work and have it purchased. Personal services such as yard work, hairstyling, house cleaning are popular sellers. Sierra Club logo items also will be on sale, including calendars, softpak cooler bags, tshirts and more. But most important, Come !! and bring your friends. The evening will include a slide show of the club’s past year’s activities. If you have current photos you’d be willing to share with the group please contact Scott Burger. Volunteers are very much needed to help the night of the auction. Greeters, Decorators, Bartenders, Sales persons, Registration, Cashiers and Cleanup persons are all needed. Contact Tamara at tamsmith47@gmail.com or leave message at 562-2500.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS: Holiday Gala or “NONEVENT!?!” by Bill Smith
The Falls of the James Group is fast approaching its second largest fundraising event of the year: the December Holiday Gala. About a hundred or so members and guests typically participate in this fun-filled event. The fundraising committee has spent many hours working to make this year’s event both enjoyable for people who come and profitable for the FOJG . We hope this year will break all previous participation records and many more members and guests will enjoy the food, wine, beer, raffle, auction, and fellowship with other members and guests who share a desire to preserve our environment. Our special guest speaker is Richard Conti, CEO/Dir Science Museum of Virginia.
Unfortunately, if history is a guide, the vast majority of our membership will not be at the December event just as most members do not participate in the Big Yard Sale. This is inevitable. The reasons for not participating are myriad. The question is, how can those who cannot participate in the event but who would like to contribute to the work of the Falls of the James Group still do so?
This year we are introducing the concept of a “NONEVENT.” Schools and other organizations have used NONEVENTS, and they have found them to be a very effective alternative way for people to contribute to their organizations. The NONEVENT is usually scheduled in lieu of an actual event. It has a number of advantages in that it requires no one to do anything or go anywhere. This is an obvious advantage to the people who have to plan and execute an actual event. Likewise, it is advantageous to those who have busy schedules, health issues, or other factors that make it difficult or impossible to participate in actual events. All that one has to do to participate in a NONEVENT is to write a check and send it to the organization! One can then stay home, relax, take a hike, go to work at a second or third job, or whatever!
We have introduced a twist to the NONEVENT concept in that it is being scheduled at the same time as our actual Holiday Gala event on December 9, 2009. (Obviously this obviates the advantage to the organizers of the event!) The fundraising committee is putting a great deal of effort into the Holiday Gala, and we hope that you will be able to come to it. However, we urge those who cannot come to the Gala to participate in the NONEVENT by writing a check to the FOJ Sierra Club. This will cover SMV rentals, newsletters, programs.
- or if you want it to be tax deductible, make it out to: The Sierra Club Foundation-FOJ Acct GG3552 - funds are managed on our behalf by the Sierra Club, San Francisco.
- The Foundation funds will be used only for 401(C)3 GRANT purposes but not for political purposes.
- Mail all checks to: Falls of the James Sierra Club P. O. Box 25201 Richmond Virginia 23260
Even small contributions to the Falls of the James Group can make a big difference. For example, if each FOJG member sent a check for $3 we would raise as much money as we did at the BIG YARD SALE without a relatively small number of dedicated volunteers having to spend hundreds of hours of hard work. Again, we hope you can come to the Holiday Gala and enjoy a fun-filled evening, but if you cannot, please consider sending a check (any amount large or small, will be greatly appreciated) to our treasurer, Diana Parker, at the address above.