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PAGE 8A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010
Wine tasting, auction topic
for Braselton authority
Group looking at fundraising options
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
FOR BRASELTON to be
designated one of the state's
Better Hometown communi
ties, its downtown development
authority has to look at addi
tional revenue sources.
And while nothing’s offi
cial, the authority tossed out a
number of ideas on Thursday
that could raise money for the
group.
“You can't receive your entire
budget from the city every
year to qualify for a Better
Hometown — you have to do
some fundraising from an alter
nate source,” town manager
Jennifer Dees told the authority.
Braselton started its down
town development authority
(DDA) in August 2009 and the
town council provides all of its
revenue — $30,000 for the
2011 fiscal year, which started
on July 1.
The town also has a visitor's
bureau authority that operates
separately from the DDA and
uses funds received from a hotel/
motel tax. That group organizes
a number of special events in
Braselton to attract tourists and
bring visitors to downtown,
such as festivals, movies in the
park and concerts.
“The visitors bureau events
are always free to the public, so
they are not fundraisers,” Dees
said.
The downtown development
authority, however, needs its
own events to generate cash for
the group.
Among the fundraising ideas
considered by the seven-mem
ber authority were an old-fash
ioned sock hop at West Jackson
Primary School, a 5K fun run, a
monthly artist showcase at town
hall and corporate sponsorships
at a fall festival.
But the proposal that seems
to have the most potential in
Braselton is a combined wine
tasting and auction, possibly in
early November.
Authority member and for
mer mayor Pat Graham sug
gested that the group look at the
concept of the Grayson Blues
and Brews event — a craft beer
festival and concert set for Sept.
25 in the Grayson City Park.
The festival is being organized
by the Grayson Downtown
Development Authority and
Graham said she learned about
the event through a Facebook
announcement.
Robbie Bettis, an authority
member who operates antique
stores and an auction, suggested
that the group hold an auction at
the Braselton-Stover House.
Authority chairman Marvin
Stover offered to host a fund
raiser at the Braselton-Stover
House, which hosts weddings,
and other social and civic events
at its banquet hall.
In general, the group favored
a proposed wine tasting and
auction at the Braselton-Stover
House, where guests would be
charged admission to the event.
The authority will ask Chateau
Elan to donate wine for the
fundraiser.
Most likely, the wine tast
ing and auction will be held
on a Thursday evening in early
November — to avoid conflict
ing with area high school and
college football games, and other
special events in Braselton, such
as a street dance, lighting of a
Christmas tree in downtown and
a holiday festival.
Authority members Kathy
Cooper Robinson and Bettis
will coordinate the details of the
wine tasting and auction.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the down
town development authority:
•reviewed the latest draft of
Braselton's streetscape project,
which will bring new sidewalks,
street lights and other amenities
to Ga. Hwy. 53 and Ga. Hwy.
124 in downtown. Town man
ager Dees said the project will
most likely start the bid process
in October, with construction
starting in early 2011. For the
project, the town is still in the
real estate acquisition process.
The streetscape project will be
under way at the same time that
the town is doing its realign
ment of Ga. Hwy. 124 at the
intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53, and
Jackson County is construct
ing a new Zion Church Road
through the area. Dees said she
is working with officials from
Jackson County to close a gap
in new sidewalks that ends at the
Braselton-Stover House for the
Zion Church Road project and
at late mayor H.E. Braselton's
house near the intersection of
Ga. Hwy. 124 and Ga. Hwy. 53.
Authority member Bettis asked
Dees to consider placing signs
in the area inviting visitors to
continue coming to downtown
businesses during construction.
•heard from members Cooper
Robinson and Graham about
their trip to Social Circle to visit
with officials from that city. The
Braselton authority members
said Social Circle is purchas
ing an old building to serve as
a combined hotel and events
facility. It also has a master plan
that calls for a revamped central
gathering place in its downtown
and additional sidewalks. The
city's DDA also got involved in
two real estate transactions that
led to revenue for the authority.
Red Cross announces urgent
need for blood donors
THE AMERICAN Red Cross Southern Blood Services
Region issued an urgent call for blood donors this week.
The Red Cross closely monitors
national and local blood supplies to
ensure donations are keeping pace
with hospital need for blood products
in order to meet ongoing and emer
gency patient care.
“There is a critical need for blood
donors now,” Randy Edwards, CEO
for the Southern Blood Services
Region of the Red Cross, said. “This
summer we have had a particularly
difficult time recruiting enough blood donors to meet the
requirements of our community’s hospitals and the patients
they serve.”
Donors with all blood types are needed, but especially those
with type O negative. Red Cross officials say type O negative
donors can make the difference between an adequate blood sup
ply and a shortage. That’s because type O negative blood can be
transfused to patients with any blood type, and is most readily
given to patients in emergency and trauma situations.
Every day, more than 39,000 pints of blood are needed for
patients in the United States. Blood is used for the treatment of
cancer patients, people with blood disorders, premature babies,
transplant recipients, trauma victims and more. Each whole
blood donation can help save up to three lives.
To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED
CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more
information. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with
parental permission in some states), meet weight and height
requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height)
and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate
blood. Please bring a Red Cross blood donor card or other form
of positive ID when donating.
Jackson County:
Hoschton donor site
•Aug. 30, 8 a.m. to
1 p.m., The Village
at Deaton Creek -
Clubhouse, 6008
Sharp Top Circle.
Run for Hope planned at Chateau Elan in November
VINEYARD RACE TO BENEFIT CHILDREN’S SHELTER
Chateau Elan will be the spot of a new race to benefit the Gwinnett Children’s
Shelter on Nov. 20.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
INSTEAD OF opening
their homes for an annual
tour, Chateau Elan residents
are planning a new fund
raiser in November to ben
efit a children's shelter.
The Vineyard Run for
Hope will replace the tra
ditional holiday tour of
homes as Chateau Elan’s
annual fundraiser for the
Gwinnett Children’s Shelter.
The event will be held on
Saturday, Nov. 20.
Featuring a 10K, 5K and
IK Tot Trot, the event will
start and end at the Chateau
Elan Winery, Braselton.
The race marks a depar
ture for the Chateau Elan
community — which had
raised more than $1 million
over an eight-year period
for the Gwinnett Children’s
Shelter with its annual tour
of homes.
“The important thing for
us is that we continue to do
something for the shelter,”
said Lynn Price, one of the
organizers of the Vineyard
Run for Hope. “Even though
we're taking a year off from
the tour, we don’t want to
take a year off from rais
ing money for the shelter
because during a bad econo
my, it's even more tough for
charities.”
That doesn't mean that
the tour of homes is gone
forever at Chateau Elan.
“We’ll see what kind of
feedback we get, and if that’s
something that the commu
nity has an interest in doing
in the future,” Price said.
“It’s just a challenging time
with the economy. It might
be better to bring back that
event when things are better
with the economy.”
When organizers start
ed planning for its tour of
homes, they got the sense
that everyone wanted
something different, she
explained. The Braselton
area has plenty of joggers
and there’s a limited num
ber of 10K events.
“The race was a good fit,”
Price said.
Chateau Elan is also home
to many athletes and fit
ness enthusiasts eager to
welcome runners from all
over Georgia to Braselton,
according to a press
release.
The town will further
hold its annual Celebrate
the Holidays in Braselton
Festival on the same day
— Saturday, Nov. 20
— with activities planned
after the race. The IK Tot
Trot starts at 7:30 a.m., the
5K at 8 a.m. and the 10K at
9 a.m.
The 10K and 5K partici
pants will travel a pictur
esque course through the
resort and into the gates of
the Chateau Elan neighbor
hood. Along the way, par
ticipants will enjoy views of
the vineyards, stables, golf
courses and estate homes.
Entry fees are discount
ed for pre-registrations,
and runners can register
at participating local busi
nesses or online at www.
vineyardrunforhope.com.
Runners Fit is helping to
organize the event.
Awards will be given
to the top three male and
female winners of the 10K
and 5K races. Ribbons will
be given to all IK Tot Trot
participants.
All proceeds will benefit
the Gwinnett Children's
Shelter.
The shelter — which annu
ally serves more than 200
young people residentially
— grew out of a volunteer
effort involving PTA, busi
ness and community lead
ers who recognized a need
for services for abused and
abandoned children. The
shelter depends on com
munity donations to pro
vide these services, and the
annual Chateau Elan event
has been their largest fund
raiser for several years.
The Vineyard Run for
Hope Planning Committee
is reaching out to the com
munity for race sponsors,
advertisers, participants and
volunteers.
In addition to the race
event, a magazine featur
ing sponsors and advertisers
will be published and dis
tributed to all participants
and residents of Chateau
Elan. Sponsors and adver
tisers will also showcase
their products and services
in the post-race event.
For more informa
tion, including advertising
opportunities and to regis
ter for the race, visit www.
vineyardrunforhope.com for
more details.
Copyright <D 2010 United Community Bank
equal housing Member FDIC I ucbi.com
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