This August Diabetes Hands Foundation (the nonprofit organization responsible for TuDiabetes) is holding an online auction the first quarter of 2014 to fundraise for our wonderful programs serving people touched by diabetes, and we are currently accepting donated items and services to be auctioned off!!
This expansive community includes gifted photographers, writers, quilters, sculptors, dieticians, teachers, computer programers, musicians and more. If you have an item or service to donate please contact us ASAP at DHFauction@pobox.com! This will be a beautiful and exciting event filled with community support and connection. Get into the spirit by sharing something with the community!!
Can't think of a good or service you can personally donate? Help collect donations from other organizations you're connected to!! We have good-looking official donation request letters for this purpose, so let us know if you want a copy to print out and send around, by writing to David at DHFauction@pobox.com.
There are a number of national and regional chains that will make donations, like Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's,etc. Would anyone be willing to ask their neighborhood store to donate a gift card and/or some product?
Great idea! Personally I would be likely to bid on items that members make themselves - I know there are a lot of talented people here. I also love things from other countries and cultures, so if people who live in various places contributed those items as well as people who travel that would spark my interest. I think it goes without saying that many of us would bid on diabetes related items such as used pumps when somebody upgrades, ditto meters, strips, etc.
I also think it would be cool if people who lived in large metropolitan areas where there are many members would donate services such as babysitting, cooking a gourmet meal, helping someone with medical needs/surgery,use of someone's house when they're out of town, etc., or whatever that person has to offer those nearby.
Zoe, we're totally on the same page! I'm hoping for donations from our talented community, and have a feeling they'll be snapped up. You and I in a bidding war... hmmmmm ;)
Services would be fabulous as well. Corinna, I'll happily visit my local Starbucks (no Peets here), Panera, as well as local 'goodies' stores.
I think a key question is who will be the audience that will participate in the auction because that makes a huge difference in what is appropriate and valued at an auction. If it is the general public than a Walmart gift card or Kobe Byrant's used socks would be great. But I suspect that the auction will be to a community that we know cares deeply about diabetes. So I would suggest that we seek items that we as a community care about and value. We could give out all kinds of diabetic medical supplies. We could give out gift cards or memberships to gyms. We could ask valued members to donate personal items. We could ask for donations of historical diabetes items. We could ask people in the community who have written books, made art or music to donate items. And I will be disappointed if there aren't any TuDiabetes T-shirts or coffee mugs included.
I have an associate who uses a personal CDE available 24x7. It really seems to benefit her. A month of a service like that might be pretty cool - particularly for anyone trying to tweak their numbers.
There will definitely be Diabetes Hands Foundation store items in the auction! We also have a surprise used item (not socks) that formerly belonged to a well-known D-athlete :)
