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Fellow business neighbors and producers of the event, Alicia Bell of Mariel the shoe bar and Karin Leite of Over the Moon at The Shops at Avon Green are teaming with the Farmington Valley Arts Center (FVAC) and have chosen Gifts of Love of Avon to be the beneficiary of all funds raised at the creative family event. “People like to feel special by purchasing a beautiful pair of shoes or an adorable outfit for their child, but this event will assist in supporting families that really need help in our community,” says Ms. Leite, owner of Over the Moon, a children’s fine apparel shop. “We will have kid friendly events all day like painting and crafts with area professional artist, Olivia Hanzel of the Farmington Valley Arts Center, live entertainment and a bouncy castle.” Other initiatives include a FVAC art show, First & Last pizza, special discounts at The Shops at Avon Green, raffles and a silent auction & much more. Children are invited to come dressed as a fairy, a pirate or a princess for 5” x 7" photo with acclaimed photographer Kevin Milhaly. Dress up costumes for children will also be available to choose from. The $10 fee will also benefit Gifts of Love. Gifts of Love serves families who are facing a short-term crisis in their lives; the loss of a job, reduced work hours, illness, divorce, death of a mate and domestic abuse but do not qualify for government support. In just the last few years alone, the non-profit organization has given more than $300,000 per year in assistance, but according to their management, rent, electricity, gas, insurance and other costs all add up and to be chosen as the beneficiary of this event is very meaningful. Chris Napierski Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator of Gifts of Love is thrilled to receive the financial and community attention and says that food is a major need of area families and how to pay for that food is a constant concern for the organization. The majority of food items come through the Food Share, Inc. of Windsor, CT. a local food recovery program. “Many grocery stores will have lots of Easter-themed cereal after Easter or Halloween themed food items after Halloween or items that just have not been selling and taking up space on grocery store shelves,” says Napierski. “That food has to go some where and we are able to purchase it for the cost of delivery, but w/ the price of gas, it still drains our budget.” “We are offering to any customer 10% off their entire purchase at any one shop at participating Avon Green stores when they bring in a canned good for Gifts of Love,” says Alicia Bell, Manager of Mariel the shoe bar. “Gifts of Love is very well known within the community for their hard work and have been around for almost twenty years; Paint The Town Green is a great combination of shopping, family fun and awareness for that organization.” “Being involved in a fundraising event helps young children grow up giving back to their community and they take that with them as they get older and understand how important it is to be a volunteer,” adds Napierski. “Collecting food at birthday parties is one way to give back at a young age or by participating in a great event like Paint The Town Green!” “Our youth instructor Olivia Hanzel has been involved in promoting our children’s programming at The Shops at Avon Green and she will have creative opportunities for all kids to enjoy on that day,” says James Brunelle, Program Coordinator of the Farmington Valley Arts Center. “We have twenty artists on site at our center and two galleries and several artists will have their work on display at the shops on the Paint The Town Green weekend.” The Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, CT assists those interested in discovering and nurturing their own creativity and artistic abilities. More than twenty resident studio artists create and sell their works on site. All are invited to shop in the arts center’s two galleries or connect to this creative community that has evolved into one of the region’s most innovative centers for all ages of artistic exploration. In addition to the Farmington Valley Arts Center, participating businesses at The Shops at Avon Green include: Bangle & Clutch, Finula's, J. McLaughlin, Madison Shop, Mariel the shoe bar, Over the Moon and Venus Salon. For more information about the event please call Mariel the shoe bar @ (860) 470-0018 or log onto www.marieltheshoebar.com or Over the Moon @ (860) 676-9599. For more information about Gifts of Love log onto: www.giftsoflovect.org or call (860) 676.2323 or email Chris Napierski at cnapierski@giftsoflovect.org. For more information about the Farmington Valley Arts Center log onto: www.fvac.net or call (860) 678.1867 or email info@fvac.net © Copyright by StamfordPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of StamfordPlus.com, Stamford Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: Fairfield Museum’s Fall Festival, Native American style - Sep 19, 2008 - 12:35 PM Renowned researcher to speak on role of genetics in MS - Sep 19, 2008 - 2:15 AM Nader in, Barr out - Sep 18, 2008 - 11:07 AM King names four to administrative positions - Sep 17, 2008 - 2:05 PM Fairfield invites national StoryCorps project to record local stories for Family History Month - Sep 16, 2008 - 2:28 PM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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