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ART FOR FUNDS — Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Dorado County board president Kelly Seymour, left, executive director Judy Knapp, center and Painted Cork owner Kimberly Godianho get ready for painting and wine tasting Saturday in Folsom. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins
Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life. ~Jean Paul Richter
Combining both art and wine, Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Dorado County held a spirited afternoon fund-raiser at the the Painted Cork in Old Town Folsom Feb. 25
Sponsored by Kimberly Godinho, the owner of the Painted Cork, the event featured a three-hour paint-and-sip party where women created their own sunflower paintings while enjoying a variety of wines and appetizers.
A total of 32 people participated in the event with 65 percent of the proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters. One those attending was Mindy Jackson. She came to support Big Brothers Big Sisters. “It’s a great organization,” she said. “It’s great for kids and volunteers feel very well rewarded for helping them.”
Judy Knapp, executive director of the agency, beamed as women streamed into the room to sit down at their individual canvases with a glass of wine. She said they plan to do two more paint-and-sip parties in the coming year at the Painted Cork and are working to develop more partnerships with businesses to help raise money for the agency, which relies for its funding on donations, fund-raising events, and private grants. They receive no federal or state funding.
The next fundraiser will be a “Bowl for Kids’ Sake” event to be held at both the Folsom Lake Bowl and Knotty Pines Lanes on April 21. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Then in October they will hold their big fundraiser for the year, which is an auction.
Currently the agency serves 130 children with plans to serve over 200. Every child in the program gets a one-on-one mentor. They will serve any child who wants a mentor but most of the children are from single parent homes. They also serve many special needs children including those with disabilities or mental health issues.
“We are here to support kids and their parents,” said Knapp. “We empower and mentor both.” However in order to grow she said the agency needs more mentors, especially male mentors as currently they have waiting list of 30 children.
Agreeing with that statement is Jill Christiansen who is one of the newest board members of Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is the site director at Amdocs in El Dorado Hills. She helped run the agency’s auction and had a fabulous time.
“It was a very rewarding experience, so when asked to join the board I said yes.” She said the agency is faced with the challenge of raising more money and finding more mentors for boys. “It’s not a lot of time and what you get back is more than what you give,” she said.
People interested in signing up as a mentor with the agency can contact them at 530-626-1222. Their new location is 2914 Cold Springs Road, Suite C in Placerville.
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