Sep 4, 2015
By McKenzie Powell
Alumni in the Dayton, OH area will gather for a special cherry blossom-themed “paint and sip” fundraiser from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 at Centerville’s Raise Your Brush Studio, to support the Ohio University Alumni Association’s Greater Dayton Chapter Scholarship Fund.
“A lot of my friends and family members have been attending these "paint and sip" parties lately and that inspired me,” said Kelsy Perry, president of OUAA’s Greater Dayton Chapter. “I discovered that if you host a philanthropic event at Raise Your Brush, they will automatically donate $10 of each person's registration fee back to whatever cause you're trying to support.”
The paint and sip event will serve as both a fundraiser for the Greater Dayton Chapter Scholarship Fund, a scholarship that helps provide financial support to OHIO students from the Dayton area, as well as a social gathering for any interested Bobcats and non-Bobcats alike.
Skilled instructors from Raise Your Brush Studio will guide attendees through the painting process during the two and a half hour class. With the help of the mentors, each guest will learn how to paint his or her own unique piece of artwork of OHIO’s esteemed cherry blossom trees, regardless of skill level.
“Raise Your Brush offers a relaxed, no-pressure class for us to paint and enjoy a glass of wine or beer with our friends and fellow Bobcats,” Perry said.
To fulfill the promised “sip” portion of the event, wine and beer will be readily available for purchase at the Raise Your Brush bar for guests 21 years of age and older. Painters are also welcome to bring their own snacks and non-alcoholic drinks to the session.
Although the fundraiser targets OHIO alumni, the entire Bobcat community is welcome to attend, as well as non-Bobcats of all ages.
Current OHIO students from organizations like the Student Alumni Board (SAB) plan on attending the event to help raise money for a future Bobcat while also taking advantage of potential networking opportunities with the Greater Dayton Chapter and other alumni.
“I thought this would be a perfect way to show our members that networking events don't always have to be the ‘suit and tie’ events you see at career fairs,” said Phillip Decker, vice president of alumni engagement for SAB and a senior mechanical engineering student. “Alumni can feel connected back to Athens, and we raise a bunch of money to help future bobcats!”
The OUAA Greater Dayton Chapter works to connect OHIO alumni in the greater Dayton area through events involving community service, networking and philanthropy, like the Raise Your Brush paint and sip.
“This really is such a unique philanthropic event created by the Greater Dayton Chapter,” said Sarah Vaughn, assistant director of external relations for OUAA. “The concept of creating art while giving back to the University is wonderful.”
The registration fee for the afternoon is $35 per person. For every individual registered, Raise Your Brush will donate $10 back to the Greater Dayton Chapter Scholarship Fund.
At the end of the event, a raffle will take place with OHIO-themed goodies supplied by The Bobcat Store. All guests will receive a free raffle ticket with registration and additional raffle tickets will be available for sale for $1 a piece, or six tickets for $5. All raffle ticket sale proceeds will also be donated to the Greater Dayton Chapter Scholarship Fund.
For more information about the paint and sip, visithttp://bit.ly/1L9JXUD.
To sign up for the event, go to http://raiseyourbrush.com/events/1pm-cherry-blossoms-ou-greater-alumni-association-fundraiser-greater-dayton-chapter/.
