From Chris “Catdad” Winchester:
Hi Everyone
I am again starting to do my fund raising drive for St Jude Children’s Hospital. I know this year finds many of us in tough times but hopefully we will all prosper again soon. I recently visited the hospital in Memphis Tn and now have a fresh vision of why I work so hard for these kids. The place is absolutely amazing and the work done is second to none. I have lowered the price of our banquet to $15 this year to help out with the economy. We also have been working hard on product donations and the companies we work with have been more than gracious. The list of items is twice the size as years past, including a living room set, Bistro table and chairs, 15+ prints, Mary Kay, Party Lite, 30 items from Wild Wings etc. Please read the attached letter for more information.
Thanks Again, Chris
If you can not attend the banquet I ask that you still try to make a donation. Even if it is $10 it will help out considerably. I ask that you write the check out to St Jude Children’s and then mail them to me. I will personally hand deliver them to the hospital. Your donations will be tax deductible.
My Address:
Chris Winchester
517 Braget Circle
Wanamingo MN 55983
Dear Friend,
You are cordially invited to our 5th annual St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fund raiser. We will once again be holding our fund raiser at McArthur’s Wood Grill on Friday, April 3rd, 2009.
With over 120 people in attendance in 2008 we felt that McArthur’s was the only choice for this year’s dinner and banquet. Our success has been amazing and with donations doubling in 2008 we are looking forward to this year being our largest and most successful for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to date.
We cannot achieve these goals without your support. We are looking to see how high we can go with these numbers and are looking to you for your support in making our goals a reality.
New for 2009 are a couple of very exciting items. First, we will be featuring Live music by Mike Demos who has so graciously donated his time to our event. His acoustic guitar and wonderful voice will be sure to make the dinner one you will remember.
Secondly, we have followed the trend of tough times and drastically reduced our price of admission to $15 per person. We hope this will help bring more people to the event and in turn create more awareness for the children of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Back by popular demand we will be featuring our good ole’ fashioned southern fish fry. You’ll feel as though you are standing in New Orleans yet you never had to leave Cannon Falls, MN. The fish, a crunchy, cajun corn meal fried walleye is sure to make you crave more. The dinner will also include my very own crawdaddy stuffed hush puppy recipe which has been the most popular part of the dinner each year. Filling out the rest of the buffet will be delicious herb roasted chicken, onion roasted new potatoes, creamy cole slaw, chipotle baked beans, jalapeno corn bread and assorted fresh cookies. There is also no worry about getting enough to eat, as we will be leaving the buffet up until you have eaten all you can. I am told many times throughout the year how wonderful the meal is.
We have a very large selection of items that will be offered, both through raffles and silent auctions. In previous years they have included resort stays, guided fishing trips, lots of wine baskets from local and national wineries, Party-lite, Mary Kay, Wild Wings Art Studios, Treasure Island Casino, Tastefully Simple, Gopher Hills Golf Course, Hastings Ford, and many more. Last year we filled over 20 eight foot banquet tables with prizes. There truly is something for everyone.
P.S. If you have something you would like to donate for the auction please contact me and we will make arrangements to pick up the item. We are open to any suggestions you may have.
Thanks
The dinner and banquet will be held on Friday, April 3rd, 2009. Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.. The price for the dinner will be a minimum donation of $15.00 per person. To purchase tickets for the dinner or make a donation please contact Chris Winchester @ (612) 598-7802 . Seating will be limited to 200 people so please contact us asap to guarantee your seat.
If you are unable to join us on April 3rd but would like to place a donation, please PM or call Cris Winchester. Every dollar helps a beautiful child live a better life. Our goal for 2009 is to raise in excess of $20,000 for St. Jude’s. We will not be able to do this without the generous support of our friends and families. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in April.
Thank you for your time,
Chris Winchester
