Alzheimers Fundraiser

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

Thanks to all who contributed to the Alzheimers Fundraiser cyber crop!

"In Alzheimer's [disease] the mind dies first:
Names, dates, places - the interior scrapbook of an entire life - fade into mists of nonrecognition".
~Matt Clarke

$6,600 Raised By Papercrafters during the Alzheimers Fundraiser

Congratulations to all the Stampin' Out Alzheimers (SOA) Fundraisers for reaching their $5,000 target and to all PaperCraftCentral.com supporters who helped go 'way beyond the target to raise a $6,600 total in 2009!

Sadly, the inspiration for this fundraiser, Eddie Tapler, passed away from Alzheimer's disease in November 2010. You can still donate to the Alzheimer's Association in his memory.

And there are lots of causes you can support to raise funds for Alzheimer's research too.

Why not put together your own craft event to support this cause?

SOA Fundraiser Projects

How the SOA Raised Funds

Crafters who took part in the Alzheimers fundraiser paid a small fee to go towards research. In return, they received some free templates and patterns to make their own papercraft projects.

Thank you to the crafters who designed these projects and gave freely of their talents to others in the name of a worthy cause! Your generosity will be remembered for a long time.

An SOA papercraft project hint

If you became a member of SOA and got the free template to make this little cupcake, a hint is to remember to decorate the places you want to while that bit of the cupcake is flat, then assemble it into a three dimensional cupcake..

I used Kindy Glitz and some paint on my 'frosting' and 'cherry' and turned the assembled cake upside down to flatten it out where I needed it to be flat. Remember to decorate before you assemble of course.

Here's a picture to show you what I mean:

My cupcake even has its own separate paper wrapper! You can see a bit of it in the top left corner of the picture below. This makes it stronger and cuter as you can use both shapes as boxes or baskets depending on your reason for making them.

You can decorate your cupcakes to suit whatever occasion you have in mind, of course, and use all sorts of bling to dress it up.

At SOA, there were lots of examples of cupcakes in the gallery to inspire you.

You can find more free gift box ideas as well as other 3-d ideas on PaperCraftCentral.com.

Crafting for Causes - why not help others with your skills?

There are many worthy causes papercrafters can become involved in and use their crafty talents to make a difference.The Alzheimers fundraiser was one such worthy cause.

For example, events I have participated in have been benefits for helping the local animal shelter when they were flooded. A percentage of the cardmaking day entry fee went to them and people who attended brought along cans of pet food, bedding and dishes for feeding the shelter animals.

After the Ash Wednesday fires in Australia, groups of us crafters made scrapbook pages without photos to send to people who had lost all their albums. They could then start to preserve their memories and family history again without having to invest in many papercraft supplies.

Another time, I helped make scrapbook pages to give to children dying of AIDS. They were making memory books to leave a legacy behind....it was so very sad to think of why they were crafting but also very rewarding to be a part of that.

Have you ever helped out in a worthy cause yourself? Do tell me about it if you have.

Of course you can also make cards and scrapbook pages for worthy causes too. I ran a Cards for Troops drive each year for eleven years and so many Aussie crafters faithfully contributed to it. We only stopped when all the Aussie troops were called home again. 

If you would like to read more about crafting for a cause, here are some pages for you:

• The Cards for Troops project might give you some ideas about people who serve our community. That page also lists other places I have donated my cards to, for help with a particular activity such as sending thank you cards to donators
• Holding a Craft Auction for a nominated charity could be something you would like to organise
• Maybe you would like to help animals such as abandoned dogs and cats. The RSPCA is always looking for helpers and compassionate souls to help support their cause.

Special Note for Carers: If you are a Carer for someone with any form of Dementia (Alzheimer's Disease is one form of the greater category of Dementia) there are community support groups and services available just for you, too. In my own state of Queensland, contact Carer's Queensland for help. In your own area outside of Queensland, you can look for community groups and support services for Carers. Carers are so valuable and they need support, too.