Photos of the event and selected art work are posted on Facebook.

Special thanks are due to the SWC volunteers that partnered with each elementary school to ensure children had supplies to participate, as well as to the art teachers that encouraged their students to submit their best

Arts Department co-chairs Alison Compton (left) and LeeAnn Broscher (right) welcome students and hand out winners’ certificates.

work.

The event, one of Forsyth’s longest-running community fundraisers, will be held at The Warehouse at 5095 Post Road, Cumming. The theme of this year’s event is “Big Island Luau!” and guests are invited to dress in casual Hawaiian attire as they enjoy an action-packed evening with:

• Hula Dancers
• Hawaiian Fire Dancers
• Live & Silent Auctions
• Traditional Hawaiian buffet with roasted pig and mai-tais

SWC members met this week to finalize plans for the fundraiser. “This event is always a great time and this year we have so much more to offer our guests. Travel to exotic destinations was really popular in the auction last year, so we’re giving our guests even more opportunities to bid on travel to Hawaii, Florida, theme parks, Europe and Africa,” says Adrienne Sipe, chair of this year’s fundraiser.

“Our Club has only one fundraiser each year to support charitable projects all across Forsyth County,” says Paula Glover, co-chair for the event. “It’s important that we communicate exactly what we do so that our fellow citizens understand how critical their support is. We’re not a social club – we’re here to work.”

Glover and Sipe explained that the Club was founded in 1985 and has since given over 90,000 service hours and more than $420,000 in donations to organizations that serve children and families. SWC is responsible for leading the Egg-stratordinary Outdoor Art Project, a collaborative effort that beautified locations all over Forsyth County with specially painted giant eggs, similar to the CowParade project in Chicago.

Feed the Hungry Forsyth will be on-site during the fundraiser to “rescue” items not served during the event and deliver to a local food pantry.

Sawnee Woman’s Club also started a Sacks of Love program in local elementary schools that has inspired dozens of local churches, civic clubs and student groups to help end hunger in Forsyth County. One group, Feed the Hungry Forsyth, even received a substantial donation from the Club this year to purchase a refrigerated truck to rescue perishable items from restaurants and deliver it to local food pantries. The truck, pictured at right, will be on-site during the May 3 fundraiser to deliver the caterer’s donation of Hawaiian items not served during the event.

The event also offers local businesses a chance to get involved by donating to support the event and the Sawnee Woman’s Club. The Forsyth County News headlines this year’s sponsors at the Big Island level. Stiller Law Firm is a Maui level sponsor. Oahu level sponsors include Phil and Anita Tomlinson and Bank of North Georgia. Kauai level sponsors include Dean and Alison Compton, Terry and LeeAnn Broscher, Century 21 Results Realty, H. Richard Lee, Jr., CPA, LLC, Mr. & Mrs. Steve Bacastow, and Momentum Overseas, Inc. Molokai level sponsors include Amazon Premium Products and Sheree Crowe – Origami Owl Independent Designer.

“Once a year, we invite members of our community to come to Nite in Olde Cumming to celebrate the work we’ve accomplished over the last year, and help us raise the funds that are vital to continuing it,” said Sipe. Tickets to Nite in Olde Cumming are $50 per person and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, contact a Sawnee Woman’s Club member or email the Club at info@sawneewomansclub.org for more information.

Businesses or individuals that are interested in donating an item to the silent auction or becoming a Nite in Olde Cumming event sponsor should contact Sponsorship Chair Beth Daffin at 678-458-0002. Sponsorship opportunities range from $150 to $2500 and include VIP tickets to the event, recognition on signage and event materials, and recognition during the event.

(Reposted from Forsyth County News, March 16, 2013)

The final of two dozen eggs made its appearance outside the Central Park Recreation Center on Friday as the Sawnee Artists Association annual show got under way inside.

The mosaic egg is the 24th, and probably the last, placed in Forsyth County as part of a multi-group project that began in 2008 to promote arts in the community and celebrate the county’s heritage.

The Sawnee Woman’s Club, Forsyth County Parks and Recreation and the Sawnee Artists Association have led the way on designing, decorating and installing the eggs.

All the fiberglass eggs have been painted except for the newest release, which is a mosaic, said Paula Chambers with the artists association.

Her design for the egg was inspired by an original plan to put a sensory garden in at the Central Park rec center, which was shelved when the building expanded.

“I decided then that the egg should be a flower garden,” she said.

The piece had been in the works for several years, and Chambers said she, Jennie Viers and other members of the association worked on it.

“The egg was a labor of love for a lot of people,” Chambers said. “It was nice that we were able to get it completed and installed in time for the show.”

March Art Madness is the nonprofit’s 12th annual show and sale of the Sawnee Artists members’ works.

Formerly known as Bellezza, the show featured 135 artworks and a raffle to raise funds for the Marcus E. & Sharon B. Gunter Foundation, which provides free monthly meals to the county’s hungry.

Charlotte Gardner, past president of the association, was pleased with the show’s setup as she watched a purple ribbon being placed on “Maybelle,” a painting by Rick Rennick.

“This is the first time we’ve had ribbons and judging of this particular annual show,” Gardner said.

She also was pleased to welcome the association’s many new members. One of those, Kris Straukas, said she enjoyed volunteering with the other artists to set up and promote the creativity.

Straukas said she was impressed with “the level of detail and beauty that’s in the community.”

Students will work ON-CAMERA learning effective audition techniques for film, television, and commercials. Classes are geared toward each individual actor’s strengths.  Each student will have the opportunity to work on-camera each week, alone and with a scene partner using scripted material.  Students will be able to view their weekly progress and will receive a short filmed/edited demo of their work at the end of this course.

Classes will be held on Thursday evenings at CSA’s Alpharetta location. More information about each class is provided below:

• On-Camera Acting Class: Age 16 to Adult
  Info & Registration
• On-Camera Acting Class: Ages 8 to 15
  Info & Registration

After the outing, the boys sent a nice thank you note to the Club:

• Key Largo, Florida Vacation
• New York Vacation
• Monterrey, California Vacation
• Asheville, North Carolina Vacation

Items marked with an asterisk (*) are also available for pre-event bidding online February 8 through April 30.

• Top Gun Experience
• Ladies and Gentleman- Start your engines- NASCAR
• Dreams Do Come True- Disney
• Country Music Awards
• ESPY Awards *
• Legendary Augusta Golf Tournament
• Go to the Emmys *
• Grammy’s *
• I Dreamed of Africa ~ Zulu Nyala Photo Safari
• The Fish House – Alligator Point, FL
• Hawaii

* Also available for online bidding

The Education Department partnered with Marie’s Italian Deli to host a social evening for Club members, spouses and guests this month.

The tasting was led by Wendy Lamer of Prestige Wine. She presented 7 wines, all of which are available on the menu at Marie’s Italian Deli. Along with the tasting, Wendy described how each wine could be paired with certain foods to enhance the flavors of the meal.

Special thanks are due to Karen Smith (owner of Marie’s Italian Deli) and her staff for serving a beautiful selection of breads, antipasto, and pizzas, as well as Debbi Little and Kristin Joyner for organizing the event.

Members should deliver the instruction letter and ream of art paper to the school for which you signed up during the week of January 21 (but not Monday – that’s a school holiday!).

Want to know your best color? Visit Sue’s website at http://bestimpressionsinstyle.com/ or check her out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Best-Impressions-In-Style/169777029792755.