Here's your chance to do some good... Donation Opportunities Silent Auction at the Annual Picnic; Raffles; Program Sponsorship

    You've heard us say before that every dollar coming into the Cascade Blues Association goes back out into the community, helping to promote awareness of the blues, supporting blues-related musicians and events, recognizing outstanding local artists for their contributions to the Portland blues scene, and much more. Membership dues are a major source of those dollars, of course; but if we had to rely on dues alone, we'd never be able to do some of the cool things that make us really proud of the role we play among blues lovers in our area.

    That's why we ask you to supplement your membership dues, whenever possible, by making a donation to the CBA. We understand that not everyone is in a position to go "above and beyond," and we don't want any of our members to put undue strain on their finances. But for those of you who feel that you can do a little extra, your gift to the Cascade Blues Association will help support vital programs and services that we simply couldn't afford to offer on the strength of membership dues alone.

    One of these important programs is the Christoper Mesi Memorial Music Scholarship. This scholarship, in the amount of $500, is awarded each year to a high school or college student for continued education in the field of music. The recipient is chosen through an application process, based on grade point average, recommendations and involvement in school or community activities. This scholarship was established in January 1997 in the memory of Christopher James Mesi, who passed away on July 11, 1996 at age 22 months, due to health complications stemming from chromosome damage at birth. Born to Jim and Jamie Mesi on September 8, 1994, Christopher was a true inspiration to his parents and brought together musicians from all over the country to generously lend their talents toward raising funds for medical expenses.

    The Christopher Mesi Memorial Music Scholarship is just one of the worthy programs that your donated dollars help to keep alive. There are many others, and your support is greatly needed and much appreciated. We offer a number of ways for you to support CBA programs and activities; they are outlined below.

Silent Auction

    Our silent auction is a fun and rewarding way to support our many programs. The auction will be held on August 25th at the annual CBA Membership Picnic, and we plan to make it a regular part of the Picnic each year. Of course, when you purchase an item at the silent auction you'll be providing valuable support to the CBA; but in order to actually have the auction, we need the merchandise! In other words, we need folks to donate the items that'll be sold in the auction.

    You may be able to help if you:

    If you think you might be able to provide an auction item and would like to discuss it further with us, please click here to tell us about it. Include an explanation of the item(s) you have in mind, and be sure to let us know the best way to contact you. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible to get more information, and even to arrange for pickup of your donation if necessary. Remember: auction items don't have to be things — they can be services of any kind, or even gift certificates. Be creative!

Raffles

    Raffles can be a simple and effective way to raise funds for a good cause. You pay a small amount to buy a "chance" at a special prize; for each "chance" you buy, you get a numbered ticket. Then a drawing is held, with one ticket chosen at random from all those that were purchased, and the holder of the matching ticket gets the prize. We often hold raffles at our monthly meetings, with prizes like a special collection of CDs, etc. At this year's Membership Picnic we'll be holding a very major raffle, in which the big prize is an electric guitar that's been personally signed by an incredible list of blues guitar greats. That should be an exciting one.

    So when you attend a CBA event and there's a raffle going on, you can make a difference in a small but important way by taking a chance and buying a ticket or two. Even if you don't turn out to be the Big Winner, you know your donation will be put to good use.

    (Note: If you have — or have access to — an item that might work well as a raffle prize, please click here to let us know. Include an explanation of the item you have in mind, and be sure to let us know the best way to contact you in order to discuss the donation further.)

Program Sponsorship

    Another valuable way to support the CBA's work is through our supporting member sponsorship program. This might involve hosting a band, sponsoring an event at your business location, placing your business ad in the BluesNotes, housing BluesNotes circulation on a monthly basis within your business, promoting CBA memberships, donating raffle items for our monthly membership meetings and other social events, or consignment of CBA merchandise. Member volunteer opportunities at special events or ongoing projects like our monthly BluesNotes mailings are always available.

Get In Touch!

    For more information about sponsorship opportunities, or if you want to tell us about how you think you could help us, please call the CBA at 503-223-1850 or click here to send us e-mail. Thank you very much for your interest!

Amy Allen
Board of Directors, CBA