Antique Fan Collectors Give to Disaster Relief Fund Effort
Antique Fan Collectors Give to Disaster Relief Fund Effort
Small Hobby Group Makes Heartfelt Gesture, Raising Nearly $25K from Best Fan of Year Auction and Matching Donation from Vornado Air Circulating Systems.
From corner lemonade stands to Fortune 100 corporate coffers, relief agencies are taking in donations large and small to fund pressing financial needs in support and rebuilding after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks on September 11, 2001.
Churches and synagogues join Boy Scouts and individuals in generous charitable giving. Among the more unusual corners of giving comes from an unexpected source based thousands of miles from the tragic centers in New York and Washington, D.C. The Antique Fan Collectors Association (AFCA), in conjunction with Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc, a Midwest-based air comfort products manufacturer, raised $22,862.50 in raffles, donated antique and restored fans and matching donations during their annual FanFair meeting held in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in late September.
With approximately 150 members and guests attending the annual FanFair convention, this Sarasota, Florida-based hobby group, numbering 550 total membership, re-focused the meeting's activities on fundraising immediately after the September 11 tragedies. "We are not organized as a charitable organization, nor have we ever functioned as one," said Dave Northam, Richmond, Virginia-based member of the AFCA and a member of its board of directors. "This effort represents the first time we dedicated our own internal fundraising outside our own organization's needs."
Nearly half of the $22,862.50 proceeds, dedicated fully to the Red Cross and New York Firemen's Fund were raised from auction receipts based on the Best Fan of the Year competition, and which were matched by Michael Coup, on behalf of his company, Vornado Air Circulation Systems, raising $10,300 in less than 30 minutes.
More funds were raised when the raffle winner re-donated the fan back to a larger pool of other Best Fan of the Year fan entries being sold and additional donated fans. All told, the auction, Vornado's match, donations and raffle generated $22,862.50 for the relief effort.
Coup initially suggested consideration of using the annual FanFair meeting as an opportunity to help the recovery and relief efforts. "I personally couldn't imagine our annual get-together holding our interest and enthusiasm after such a significant atrocity," said Coup. After his suggestion of using the annual forum as a fundraising tool to support relief agencies, Coup found he was joined by many others in the Antique Fan Collectors Association in his feeling. "It is so pleasing - even surprising - to see the extended support and generosity from a group even as small as our fan collectors," noted Coup. So many additional items were donated that resulted in an unexpected bonus amount of $8,200. The winning entrant for the Best Fan of the Year was a (YEAR) Robbins & Myers 16" B/B Tank Oscillator, donated by Chuck Abernathy of the Texas region of AFCA and restored by Rick Hill from the California region.
Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc., based in Andover, Kansas, near Wichita, also donated for auction a one-of-a-kind custom-crafted Silver Swan oscillating desk fan, inspired by the original 1934 Deco-inspired Silver Swan. Vornado manufacturers a Silver Swan Fan in addition to its line of other air comfort products including air circulators, whole room heaters, and humidifiers. Vornado is home to the Antique Fan Collectors Museum, the most comprehensive collection of air moving devices in the world, including rare fans dating back to the mid-1800's. For more information they may be reached at 800.234.0604 or on their website: http://www.vornado.com
For more information about the Antique Fan Collectors Association, please call 941.388.5513 or visit their website: http://www.fancollectors.org
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