Baskets FOR Hope's journey began in 2013 and what an amazing one it has been! In 2003 group of friends planned a benefit for the Wylie family when their premature baby had multiple medical issues. That benefit included a silent auction fundraiser. Four years later we attended a charity fundraiser that also included a silent auction. A very special family friend made many baskets for that auction.
We were amazed at how beautifully her themed baskets were constructed. We watched as those special baskets sparked " bidding wars" and generated more revenue for the charity than many of the other baskets. Some years later the Wylie family suffered the unimaginable tragedy of a devestating and life threatening house fire. The fire resulted in a total loss of their home and everything they owned. Immediately the Wylie family was surrounded by neighbors, friends, family, the church, the school, and people within the community. ( although we joke there should be a lifetime limit on benefits ) EVERYONE who supported the Wylie family literally helped them rebuild not only their home but their lives as well. shortly after the insurance began to reimburse us for items we felt some of the things we were given ( with much appreciation) were meant for a " crisis time" so those items were put up for another day. Two years later one of the special friends that helped organize the Wylie benefits had a nephew that was ill. We wanted to help so we contacted that very same family friend who made those beautiful baskets that we had seen several years back. She graciously invited us to come to her home with our supplies and taught us how she constructed her beautiful baskets. That event sparked the beginning of Baskets for Hope. Over time our baskets have become more creative! We continue to expand our ideas and now some of our Baskets for Hope may even include "special effects" such as lighting or sound! Our goal is to construct our themed baskets in the most cost efficient method possible. We want to use our resources wisely and help the environment by using clean recycled materials to build our baskets. We want to maximize revenue generated for the requesting charity, and we often spend hours building one Basket for Hope to do so! Using clean recycled materials to elevate and secure items within our baskets helps keep our costs down. We have also found that HEAVY PACKING TAPE is the most cost effective method to hold items in place so not only is the basket aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but also to ensure the basket remains intact during transport to the location of the charity event. In doing so we understand that Baskets for Hope can be a challenge to "dis-assemble." We recommend that you use caution as you remove the items within the basket so as not to damage anything inside the basket. WE ALSO APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING WITH THE HEAVY TAPE! We are continuing to learn as We grow! We make baskets for a wide variety of silent auction fundraisers, all within our local community. Our Baskets FOR Hope have helped raise funds for security systems in schools. Baskets FOR Hope has helped raise funds for school programs such as music, arts, and sports so as to ensure these essential programs are not cut out of school curriculums due to the limited budgets some of our schools have. Baskets FOR Hope helps raise money for a large variety of fundraisers for individuals and families who are in facing difficult timed in their lives. Baskets FOR Hope has helped raise funds to support those experiencing life-changing and life- threatening illnesses. These include persons diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, Neuroblastoma, Leukemia, Breast cancer, and much more. Baskets FOR Hope also participates in fundraisers geared towards raising awareness about important topics such as su***de prevention and much more. To date there have been over 900 Baskets FOR Hope donated to silent auction fundraisers! The family built a basket room with over 15 shelving units and 70 ceiling hooks to organize our materials and hang our baskets to keep them clean safe until we are ready to construct them. We have literally spent months organizing the items on the shelves into themes for easy access and organization. We have found reorganizing the basket room to be a wonderful "ongoing- never ending process" as we work on a specific fundraiser and obtain new items. Unfortunately 70% of our supplies are purchased by us. We do however have some great support by outside donors for much needed materials. We also have our "secret shoppers" who set out to find items for us. Although there is much value in the items we place in our baskets we have found that the most expense originates from our basic supplies such as tape, wired ribbon, and clear cellophane wrap. We are always in need of supplies and you can help! We are always in need of:
New and unopened items such as candles, toys, and spirits
Large or unusual baskets
Tissue paper, which can even be used and crumpled..as long as it is clean
Small blocks of clean styrofoam
Heavy duty packing tape
Wired ribbon
Small to medium sized clean and unmarked boxes
Packing materials such as bubble wrap
Newly purchased cans of colored spray paint
Gift cards for supplies, restaurants and stores
WE DO NOT ACCEPT MONETARY DONATIONS
Baskets FOR Hope represents the deep gratitude we feel to everyone who helped our families when we needed it most. We remain truly humbled by everyones kindness, generosity and support during our personally trying times. We will continue to pay forward the love we received through the donation of our baskets. We want to give back to our community for the love we have received from others. We want our Baskets FOR Hope to be a constant and undeniable reminder to everyone that we will never forget every amazing gesture made to us when we needed it most. Our goal is to continue to expand our efforts and accommodate any fundraising event we are asked to make baskets for. We are proud of our unique, handmade and one-of-kind baskets! We feel we are without limits and are so excited as to where this wonderful journey takes us next! We want to stand with our community and help agencies that hope to improve their services to those in need. We want to instill hope that our children will remain safe in school. We hope to inspire creativity in any way we can. We hope to bring awareness to important topics not only in our community, but on a larger scale as well. It is our hope to help any family going through a crisis period to learn that not only are they not alone but there is always hope for a brighter future. In times of diversity, struggles, and losses HOPE can seem in vain. HOPE can always be restored. HOPE promotes healing. HOPE Motivates to not give up
HOPE Boosts inner strength. HOPE Can raise can bring awareness to important issues
HOPE Can spark creativity
HOPE can a plant a seed that can grow into something big
HOPE Brings people together
HOPE is a monumentally strong thing can carry us through the difficult times
WE WANT TO HELP INSPIRE HOPE WITH BY CONTINUING TO MAKE OUR BASKETS FOR HOPE! Like us on Facebook and for questions message us through Facebook!
