“The Event”
To benefit the North Carolina Children’s Hospital
September 24th and 25th
Hosted by:
Chapel Hill Wine Company
Vine Street Imports
Bordeaux Fine & Rare
A two-day dinner and wine-tasting event featuring winemakers from Australia, New Zealand, Oregon and Spain with the goal of raising $100,000 for the North Carolina Children’s Hospital located in Chapel Hill. Winemaker Dinners will be held on Friday, September 24th. The main event will be held at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill on Saturday, September 25th.
The main tasting will feature over 60 wines, as well as a silent and live auction. Wines featured at both days of the event will be available for purchase. All proceeds from the event and sales of the wines will go to the Children’s Hospital. Over the past four years we have raised nearly $250,000!
Why am I doing this? Want to know why I put so much energy into raising money for the Children's Hospital? Her name is Lily Mae - my beautiful redheaded daughter. She and her Mom are alive today thanks to the N.C. Children's Hospital. And since my wife works there, I have gotten to hear about the other amazing things they do and the lives they touch. This is our state's Children’s Hospital - kids come from all over the state to receive the best healthcare around - regardless of their ability to pay or the complexity of the care that is needed.
Which raises the question – if it is the state’s Children’s Hospital, why do they need our help? Can’t they just go to the state for more money? If only it were that simple. Certainly, the state provides a portion of the hospital’s budget. But that goes to cover the bare minimum – the basics that keep the lights on and the place running. What the state doesn’t do is provide the funds needed to attract world-class physicians and staff or to initiate innovative research and care programs. The challenge is to find a way that allows the Hospital to be innovative and develop programs beyond what's afforded from patients' limited insurance and uncompensated care to children statewide. Simply stated, much of the additional personnel and equipment they need to develop new and innovative programs are not available from the financial resources they have. That’s where Corks for Kids comes in.
And, call me old-fashioned, but I believe a business has a responsibility to the community it lives in: a responsibility to improve the health, welfare and education of that community. Of course, it’s good business, but the reasons go deeper. Why should a business take on a responsibility that we, as individuals, often do not? Simply, we all live busy lives, and while we may have the intentions to make a difference, reality gets in the way. After work, carpooling, kids, activities, etc., it is hard, if not impossible, to find time to help the community. And that’s where businesses need to step in.
Businesses are adept, or should be, at pooling resources of people, energy and creativity to create a product greater than the sum of its parts. By turning these practices towards charitable endeavors, businesses can provide a win-win opportunity for all involved. Individuals reap the reward of giving back to their community in real ways that go beyond merely writing a check. Non-profits win by the improved efficiencies businesses can bring to charitable endeavors. The community wins – well, because the “community” starts to act like one, with people interacting and working together towards the greater good. We become a community that revolves around more than the fact that we live near each other.
Sponsorship Opportunities 2010
Vintage (Title) Sponsor - $10,000
• 20 tickets to "The Big Event" wine tasting
• 6 tickets to the VIP tasting dinner with the winemakers
• Company name and logo on invitation and promotional materials as title/presenting sponsor
• Company signage & literature on featured tasting table
• Sponsor's logo included as acknowledgement in the event program
• Paragraph (7 lines) of company information preceding tasting notes for your table
• Signage at registration table with logo recognition
• N.C. Children's Promise Celebration Media Spotlight (to include on-air interview & check presentation at the event)
• Four email blurbs in Chapel Hill Wine Company’s weekly email blast to over 5,000 households (Sept.-Dec 2009)
• Sponsorship recognition on Corks for Kids and Chapel Hill Wine Company websites
• Listing in press release to all media outlets
Shiraz - $5,000
• 10 tickets to "The Big Event" wine tasting
• Company signage & literature on tasting table (10 tables available)
• Sponsor's logo-included acknowledgement in the event program
• Paragraph (7 lines) of company information preceding tasting notes for your table
• Signage at registration table with logo recognition
• Two email blurbs in Chapel Hill Wine Company’s weekly email blast to over 5,000 households (Sept.-Dec 2009)
• Sponsorship recognition on Corks for Kids and Chapel Hill Wine Company websites
Chardonnay - $1,000
• 6 tickets to "The Big Event" wine tasting
• Sponsor name acknowledgement in the event program
• Signage at registration table with name recognition
• One email blurb in Chapel Hill Wine Company’s weekly email blast to over 5,000 households (Sept-Dec 2009)
Cabernet Sauvignon - $500
• 2 tickets to "The Big Event" wine tasting
• Sponsor acknowledgement in the event program
For more information or to become a sponsor of Corks for Kids, please call Todd Wielar at (919) 968-1884 or email todd@chapelhillwinecompany.com
