The “B Raffle and Bake Sale” will be held March 17 to raise awareness and financial assistance for Beau Shields, who at 6 months old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of children’s cancer. Since then, his medical bills have skyrocketed, and so the nonprofit Act of Random Kindness reached out to the community for help in assisting the Shields family.
The raffle and sale begins at 10:30 a.m. on the ground floor lobby of the Ogier building in Camana Bay.
Cindy Downing, Rosa DaCosta and Glenda McTaggart of the Human Capital Services department at Dart were approached by Kathy Jackson, also from Dart, who had seen an article about Beau, and they decided to help the young boy and his family.
The Dart staff reached out to the Camana Bay tenants and merchants to see if perhaps the odd item might be donated for a raffle, to help raise more money than just the proceeds from a bake sale. The response was overwhelming, organizers say. There are now four baskets of goodies to be won, with the value of the donated items totaling over $5,000.
There is the “Beauty Basket” worth over $850, with spa treats and luxurious pampering goods; the “Boozy Basket” worth over $450 with fine wines and spirits; the “Beau Basket” worth over $2,000 with goodies for the whole family; and the “Bonus Basket,” which contains mystery items worth over $2,300.
So far the staff members have raised $670 toward their goal of $5,000.
All proceeds from the bake sale will be given to ARK, which will then pass them on to the Shields family.
“Acts of Random Kindness has been delighted with the response to the outreach for Beau Shields,” says Tara Nielson of ARK. “It is because of people like these wonderful employees at Dart Enterprises, taking time and initiative to help raise the awareness and financial assistance for Beau, that ARK is still able to ‘pay it forward’ after seven years in operation.
“When ARK needed financial backup to continue assisting the Shields family, so many different people and groups just put love in action and made all the difference to a special family enduring the most painful and difficult journey imaginable.
“Receiving help from strangers fuels the strength, hope and resolve of those who receive it. Everyone benefits,” she said.
Raffle tickets are $5 each, or 3 for $10 and 7 for $25, and the winning tickets will be drawn at noon after the bake sale. For more information and to purchase raffle tickets, contact Cindy Downing at [email protected] or on 640-3489.
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