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Annual Friends Program Event Demonstrates Volunteerism is Alive and Well CONCORD, NH, January 28, 2008 -- The Friends Program is based upon a simple yet powerful premise of restoring hope by building relationships. Founded in 1975, the organization offers a variety of community service programs to help people of all ages. To support these initiatives, the Friends Program hosts an annual fundraiser, Friends Finding Friends, a dynamic live art auction showcasing beautifully crafted works by local artists. The featured item for 2008 is a stunning ‘Art Nouveau Cabinet’ designed by New Hampshire Furniture Master William Thomas and interpreted by 30 area artists. The lead sponsor for this year’s auction is again Merrimack County Savings Bank, a stalwart supporter of the event since its inception in 2000. This year’s auction will be held at 5:00 pm on Friday, May 30th at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. From April 18th through May 30th, the public can view the decorated cabinets in host locations throughout downtown Concord. For additional information on the Friends Finding Friends event, contact Committee Co-chair Tricia Anderson-Soule at 228-3800 or tasoule@hotmail.com. Volunteer Profile Artist Sheri Vincent-Crisp is a perfect illustration of the passionate commitment that the Friends Program elicits from its volunteers. She has been involved with the organization for the last decade, beginning with her participation as an artist in the program’s first “Friends Finding Friends” event in 1999 and continuing to this year’s auction. Since that time, Vincent-Crisp has contributed an artist’s piece to every single auction; has chaired the event three times; and has served on the Friends Program board, holding positions on both the development committee and the executive committee. What’s more, Vincent-Crisp’s experience has been such a positive one that, over the years, daughters Emma, Lydia and Sara as well as her brother, woodworker Craig Vincent, have joined in the effort. The event is clearly a considerable investment of time and energy for all associated with it, but in talking with Vincent-Crisp, it’s also evident that it’s a labor of love. “The auction is a labor intensive event,” concedes Vincent-Crisp. “It takes many volunteers, all of whom work very hard, but these devoted individuals, together with the dedicated Friends staff, are really what make this event so worthwhile.” When the “Friends Finding Friends” event was originally conceived, it was viewed primarily as a vehicle for raising community awareness of the Friends program. The first year’s template piece was a flat figure that participating artists could interpret in whatever way they chose. At year four, the event committee decided to change the template to a functional piece, and since that time the event has seen area artists interpret everything from a bench to a freestanding clock, a demilune table, and this year’s Art Nouveau cabinet. And just as the design template has evolved over the past decade, so too has the event’s primary function. Happily, community interest and support for the annual affair have risen so steadily that the auction has become the Friends Program’s main fundraiser. “The first year of the auction we had 15 to 20 participating artists and raised about $8000 for the Friends,” notes Vincent-Crisp. “In 2007, by comparison, we attracted approximately 45 artists and raised nearly $80,000 for the program.” It’s exciting to see how the event has grown, admits Vincent-Crisp, and very gratifying to witness the amount of support that the Concord community continues to display for the auction every year. Retail establishments throughout downtown Concord generously display the auction pieces, making the month leading up to the event a colorful and exciting one for the entire community. A new aspect of this year’s auction is also generating great excitement among artists and Friends supporters alike: the addition of an “Artists’ Choice” feature. Participants include area artists working in a host of media, from watercolor to stone. They are: Teresa Taylor, Kathy Hanson, Tom McGurrin, Colin Callahan, Gloria Najecki, Anne Trainor-Domingue, Sylvia Brofos, Bob Larsen, Chance Anderson, Tom DeVaney, and Lenita Bofinger. The Artists’ Choice pieces will be displayed as a group at the offices of the event’s lead sponsor, Merrimack Savings Bank, located at 89 North Main Street. “This new component is a wonderful addition to the auction,” asserts Vincent-Crisp, “because it gives artists whose talents are not a good fit for interpreting the template a way to participate in the event. Everyone on the committee is very excited about this new element of the auction.” “The Friends Program’s annual “Friends Finding Friends” auction is an exceptional community event,” notes event co-chair Trish Anderson-Soule. “Each year the Program provides much needed assistance for individuals young and old throughout the Concord community, but this assistance is not without cost. It’s both humbling and gratifying to witness the talent and generosity of the many individuals and businesses across the region that unite to make this event a resounding success each year, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I am confident that 2008 will be our best auction ever.” Contact: Trish Anderson-Soule, Ph: (603) 228-3800, E-mail: tasoule@hotmail.com |
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