Red Cross fundraiser is Saturday
PRINCETON — The Bureau County Red Cross is again seeking public support to continue its emergency service outreach throughout Bureau County.
On Monday, Lori Compton, director of the local Red Cross chapter, said plans are completed for Saturday's annual winter dance fundraiser, to be held this year at the Underground Inn in Princeton. The evening will include dancing, an auction, live music and desserts. Doors will open at 7 p.m., with the live auction to begin at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
The Bureau County Red Cross, which was chartered in 1917, is one of the oldest service organizations in the county, Compton said, adding the goal is to continue that service for many years to come.
In her three and one-half years as director, the Bureau County Red Cross has opened 27 cases, not including the large scale emergency responses to the Euclid Chemical fire in 2010 near Sheffield and the Tiskilwa train derailment in 2011. The average cost of each of those 27 cases to the Red Cross is about $1,100, which includes shelter, foods and a clothing allotment. The costs add up quickly, Compton said.
About 90 percent of the Red Cross cases are fire-related, Compton said. Statistics show that one out of every four people will need the services of the American Red Cross at some time in his/her life.
The Red Cross is not funded through any state or federal money but strictly through donations and fundraisers, Compton said. The local Red Cross chapter has two major fundraisers each year, the winter dance and a summer wine tasting, as well as smaller fundraisers through mailings and bucket drives. Money raised locally will be used to sustain the local program to serve Bureau County residents, Compton added.
Looking ahead to Saturday's winter dance fundraiser, Compton said she hopes people will come out to not only enjoy the desserts and the live music by Tommy and the Nitecaps band, but also to bid on the wide variety of auction items.
Some of those items include several sports packages and tickets, an overnight stay and dinner at the Chestnut Inn in Sheffield, Festival 56 tickets, golf packages to area golf courses, jewelry, a Day of Beauty package, and several baskets donated by area businesses.
The vision statement for the American Red Cross states the organization empowers people to perform extraordinary acts in the face of emergencies and disasters. Through the support of the Bureau County residents, the local Red Cross chapter will be able to continue to meet those needs as they might arise in Bureau County, Compton said.
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