By Robert M. Sarwark
I won’t beat around the bush here: Our big 40th birthday party is coming up soon and we still need a few things to make sure that it’s worth all the effort that we are putting into it.
First, we need more folks to purchase tickets. Now, we understand that you may be busy that night. Or you know what, hey, you may not be busy at all. You may just not want to put on pants and leave your couch, much less your house. And trust me, I totally get that. Especially the pants part. But that’s why we’ve made it possible to make a donation instead or, better yet, to buy some raffle tickets. You do notneed to be present to win prizes and we will be listing the offerings in our next issue of the paper (“November,” which will come out shortly before the event on October 24). Each in-person entry ticket, however, includes five — count ‘em — five raffle tickets for the low, low price of $40. (For more details, see our page on EventBrite).
Next, we need more raffle prizes. This means that if you own a business, help run a non-profit, or perhaps just have a very cool item, group of items, or an offering of awesome services or experiences at your disposal, we need ‘em, and we want to hear from you about ‘em. As examples, so far, we have a basket of books written by local authors, all autographed, and tickets to local points of interest such as Zoo Atlanta, Dad’s Garage, Alliance Theatre, and the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
We are offering great incentives for sponsorship, too, which I am happy to discuss further by email. Please contact me attreasurer@theporchpress.com. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we can offer a tax deduction in the amount of any donation, whether in kind or cash.
Would you be willing to volunteer for the event? If so, we are offering free entry in exchange. We are asking for your help setting up tables and chairs, putting out food, and other similar easy but helpful tasks for at least one hour during the five-hour window of 6 p.m.to 11 p.m. on October 24. You can email me at the above address for that as well.
Lastly, we need folks to help us spread the word. Whether you’re planning on coming or not, if you love what we do for our community, please make sure your neighbors are aware that we are a fully volunteer-run, grassroots, non-profit organization that only exists because of ads from hyperlocal businesses (that means no big corporations!), grants from local nonprofits, and donations from people just like you. Let them know that our big event is coming up, if you please!
Again, all information is available at theporchpress.com via the big orange banner, or by sending an email to treasurer@theporchpress.com. We truly hope to see you at “40 Years on the Porch” on Saturday, October 24 at the Ormewood Church (1071 Delaware Ave. in Ormewood Park), from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Light refreshments, live entertainment, and exciting surprises await. Your generous giving makes it so much easier to cover not only the overhead of the event, but the continuation of the newspaper for another 10 years and beyond. Thank you.
Rob Sarwark is treasurer, CFO, and board member of The Porch Press News, Inc.
