Tour proceeds positively affect the lives of so many

May 17 presentation of Tour proceeds to the Chapel Women's Guild for outreach in 2009-2010. (l to r) Tour Co-Chairs Bonnie Moore and Pat Valz, Women's Guild Co-Presidents Millann Funk and Patricia McCormick.

By Emily Beals and Lynn Brazen
Over 450 volunteers took a well-earned rest the evening of May 2 when the 2009 Tour of Homes officially ended.  After all the proceeds were counted and bills paid, Bonnie Moore and Pat Valz, Tour co-chairs, presented a check for $97,500 to the 2010 Guild presidents, Millann Funk and Patricia McCormick. 

All who participated in the Tour, whether as a volunteer, shopper, participant in the home tours, or donor, shared in raising the funds that will go to the many charitable organizations that make such a difference in the lives of so many of our neighbors in Dawson and Pickens Counties.

The first big event of this year’s Tour, The Enchanted Evening, co-chaired by Sue Bacigalupo and Sylvia Harnesberger, contributed an elegant touch with sparkling decorations, a sumptuous menu, lively entertainment, exceptional live and silent auctions, and more than 400 Big Canoe residents who dressed up for the occasion.

Emcee Clark Howard made the evening entertaining, and the professional auctioneer kept everyone’s attention as she moved the bids higher and higher. Even Clark got in on the action, purchasing the highest priced item, the Cartier watch, at a fraction of its value. Thanks to the hard work of Konda Brown, Rosemary Richie, and their committee, the auctions were a substantial fund-raiser for the Tour, bringing in over $55,000. 

A week later, the full Tour of Homes began, the Marketplace lively with vendors and shoppers and the four homes on the tour ready to welcome visitors.  In spite of the showers on Saturday, those who attended enjoyed eating, shopping, visiting, and relishing the special ambience of the very different homes.

And the “rest of the story” --
Cathy Smith, Book Nook Chair, had her own private “Antiques Road Show” moment when she discovered that the pretty pottery pitcher she purchased at the Collectors’ Corner for three dollars was a signed piece crafted by a member of the Meaders family of potters from Cleveland, GA, and was probably worth in excess of $100.  If anyone deserves a "find," it is Cathy Smith for her years of work with the Book Nook.

Ever wonder what happens to the Collectors’ Corner treasures that aren’t sold? At 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, Cathy and Keith Scott, Big Canoe residents and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, picked out a truckload of household items for future owners of Habitat homes.  At 2:45 p.m., the next recipients of a Habitat home, a single mom and her teenage daughter, met their sponsor at Collectors' Corner to select items for their new home. The teenaged daughter was thrilled and had the best time selecting special finds for her future room. When they left the Broyles Center, the mother was wiping tears from her eyes. At 3:30 p.m. the Jasper Thrift Store came and loaded up their truck with the remainder of items left at Collectors' Corner.

What about books from the Book Nook? This year books not sold in the Book Nook were donated to the following: Habitat for Humanity, Joy House, The Chapel Library, Friends of the Library in Pickens and Dawson Counties, Bear Cottage, an assisted living home, Dream House for Medically Fragile Children, the Veterans Administration Hospital, the active military in Afghanistan, Good Samaritan, Jasper Thrift Store, Chapel Children's Sunday School, Wildwood Academy, Big Canoe shut-ins, Pickens Animal Rescue, and an inner-city school program in Washington, DC.

This year, the Tour not only supported local charities in Pickens and Dawson Counties, but also reached beyond our national borders to touch the lives of young girls in Afghanistan.  Lisa Schnellinger, a Big Canoe resident who served as photographer for the Tour of Homes, had a special booth in the Marketplace where she sold items to raise funds to support the girls’ school in Logar, Afghanistan.  Despite the rain, she managed to sell a good number of pashmina shawls – enough to complete Phase 1 of the school’s library project.

“I’m thrilled that the space should be useable this summer, with the roof and plastering inside and out,” Lisa reports. “I hope that we can raise enough to also do Phase 2, the finishing work of doors, windows and flooring, before the fall comes. My friends in Logar are so excited, and so grateful for the outreach from our village to theirs.”

Want to Know More?
Check the Tour website (http://bigcanoetour.org) for more pictures, a complete list of 2009 Tour volunteers, and a listing of  Angels in the Woods donors.