MANSFIELD, Ohio – A yellow brick road led the Mansfield community to the Area Agency on Aging on Thursday evening for the Area Agency on Aging Foundation’s annual fundraiser, “There is No Place Like Home.”
The second-annual fundraiser attracted more than 100 attendees on Thursday for a 50/50 drawing and a live auction. Duana Patton, CEO of the Area Agency on Aging District 5, said local sponsors, including Mechanics Bank, Third Street Family Health Services, Graham Automall and Richland Bank, provided all the auction items.
“All the proceeds will benefit the Hawkins Corner Community,” said Patton. “Our foundation was established to support our mission as an Area Agency on Aging, and of course the facility itself.
“The things [the foundation] does to support the entire Hawkins community is something we as an area agency couldn’t do on our own,” she continued. “Therefore they decided every year to do one big fundraiser to help raise money, and for the community’s support.”
The fundraiser included fun activities like a photo booth, plenty of food and beverages, and a wine pull – participants in the wine pull would spin the wheel to determine their donation amount then pull a numbered cork corresponding to a numbered wine bottle. The most expensive wine bottle of the evening went for a grand total of $1.
The entire evening’s theme, “There is No Place Like Home,” revolved around the classic “Wizard of Oz” movie. Lori Moore created a life-sized, hand drawn and painted “Wizard of Oz” cutouts and centerpieces, and the Marion Correctional Art Department created life-sized airbrushed caricatures.
“We’re always going to use the theme ‘There is No Place Like Home’ because that’s what we’re all about,” said Patton. “We and all the organizations here are all about keeping people healthy and keeping them in their homes so there really is no place like home. We’ll carry that theme year after year.”
In the first year of the fundraiser last year, the foundation raised $13,000. Patton hoped to raise at least that much at this year’s fundraiser, but noted bringing the community together for the evening was just as important.
“Part of this is about marketing and networking, and certainly the goal is fundraising because it is our biggest fundraiser of the year that the foundation does so we do want it to have some impact, but it’s just so much fun to have all these people here,” said Patton. “What can beat this?”
“We’re always going to use the theme ‘There is No Place Like Home’ because that’s what we’re all about,” said CEO Duana Patton.
