Three years ago, I co-chaired the Cork Pink Auction which raised €2,942.33 in a silent and live auction event at The Imperial Hotel for Action Breast Cancer of Irish Cancer Society. Over 70 fibre artists worldwide donated hand-crafted over 300 items. Vibes & Scribes generously acted as a central drop-off location. I had them in my living room for weeks to photograph (here’s the album), catalogue, and tag. Auctioneer Denis A. Barrett guided guests through the bidding and at the end of the day, every item went to a loving new home. To support the event, Dublin-based stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick modelled an item for a promotional photo. Lord Mayoress Catherine O’Connell even attended the event!
It started in Spring 2010 when I was at one of the Vibes & Scribes knit nights and was handed a flyer by a fellow yarnophile. It was for a Pink Auction, a charity bidding event to raise funds for and awareness of Action Breast Cancer. The flyer was informative but having a background in publication design (as well as communications, graphics, and fund-raising), I saw room for improvement and upon finding out the event did not have a social media presence either, I jumped on board to be co-chair and help with those elements. Within six months, our Twitter account had just over 1,000 followers and we were in contact with some of the leading textile artists and designers in Ireland. When the sun rose the morning of the Pink Auction, we had an astounding 350+ donated hand-crafted textile items and when the sun set on that day we had raised €3,000.
Not bad for two women and an idea. Julieanne had the ideas and I had the social media and communications strategy. It was a good pairing of skills but the real success resulted from the generosity of the textile artists and our friends. One friend (I’m looking at you, Stew) stayed up alllllll night before the auction to help me properly tag each item with its respective catalogue number.
In the month before the event, I photographed every single donation properly so it could be projected onto the screen during the live auction since such carefully crafted donations as crochet, fashion design, knitting, and such are difficult to appreciate in a large room.
Though the event is over, the enthusiasm for helping others lives on. Though my co-chair moved on to another project and I became pregnant and could not continue the Pink Auction the next year, it does not lessen the success of our 2010 fundraising event. Which is why I still remember the importance of volunteering my skills and time whenever possible.
This time of year especially, I remember how worthwhile all those hours were three years ago and wish to again thank the talented and generous textile artists who donated their creations to The Pink Auction 2010 (listed alphabetically by first name – see my photos of the items HERE):
Aine Mahon & Rebecca Todd of Irish Quilting Magazine
Aisling Cook
Angelika Rauch
Anita Basteed
Ann Lanigan
Anne Broderick
Anonymous Co. Cork knitting group – In Memory of Thresa Crowley
Assumpta Lydon
Bernice Daly – In Memory of May Daly
Breda McCarthy
Carlene Paquette – In Memory of Dr Suzanne Bernier who died of breast cancer in May 2007.
Carmel Shaw – In Memory of Pauline Moynihan
Carol Lynch
Cathie O’Neill
Cathy Giles of The Crafty Alley in Killarney
Cecilia Montague
Celly O’Brien
Colette Walsh – In Memory of Geraldine Griffin
Dee Hurley
Eileen Meade
Eily Shanahan
Greta Brophy
Hannah Patricia
Helen Lanigan
Jan Sheehan – In Memory of Vera Creag
Jill Naughtan
Jo Hurley
Joan O’Driscoll
Joy McAlavey
Julie Anne Carleton
Karen Flannery Art
Karen O’Kane of KOKO Designs
Kathleen Fitzgerald
Knit and Knatter Group of Wilton Library
Lainey Keogh
Lisa Louie O’Shea
Lucy Lyons
Máire Keogh
Máire Nobes
Margaret Sheehan – In Memory of Laurence O’Rourke & Teresa Walsh
Marion Twomey – In Memory of Jerry Healy
Martha Cashman
Mary Ahern
Mary Brouwer and Tracey Brouwer
Mary Horgan
Mary Lyons
Maureen Daly
Melissa Mullins
Moira Kavanagh
Niamh Pedreschi of Harmony Design Studio
Noirin Bishop
Nora Lyons
Noreen Condon
Pat O’Connor
Patsy Murphy
Rebecca Sykes
Rebecca Verrall
Regina Carley of Devilish Designs by Gina – Now located in the Arcade of the English Market!
Rose O’Shea
Sharon Crandall of Chiarrai Creations
Siobhan Foley
Stephanie Giltinan
Suzanne McEndoo, Ph.D.
Suzanne O’Loughlin
Tamzyn de Rohan-Truba
Tara Fox
Theresa O’Halloran – In Memory of Margaret Horgan and Tommy Horgan
Tina O’Rourke of Missy Bonkers
Victoria Basteed of Kooky Cute Crochet
Youghal Knitting Group
And the press we received:
The Cork News Style Blog
The Irish World
Here are a few of the items donated (models: Lisa Fitzpatrick and Maire O’Sullivan).
