October 2020 - 16

worked its plans. "We solicited direct
donations from our players through
a series of emails, contacted social
bridge groups, and sent letters to businesses and foundations who had given
previously," said Judy Nelsen. "Many
responded with generous help."
In Evansville, team captain Jane
Kempin sent flyers designed by her
three sons and emails out to the community. "The club was empty this year
for The Longest Day, but the hearts of
the Evansville Duplicate Bridge Club
members were more than full," said
club manager Bev Nikolajewski. Nine
members shared their personal stories
about the devastating effects of the disease, and Kempin sent personal thankyou notes to everyone who donated.
Club members rose to the challenge,
raising 60% more than last year.

The 10K club

Other teams raising over $10,000 include: Bridge Heroes in Washington
DC and Northern Virginia, $13,500;
Daniel Island (SC) Bridge Club,
$12,465; Unit 498/Peninsula in San
Mateo CA, $11,856; Fort Lauderdale
and Quick Tricks Bridge Clubs,
$11,029; Duke City Bridge Club in
Albuquerque NM, $10,457; and the
Gainesville FL clubs, $10,224.
For Gainesville, it was the largest
amount to date - up 27% from last year
and more than double from 2018. The

Like most bridge club buildings, the Evansville DBC sat empty on The Longest Day.
The club raised $10,876 online.

team set a goal of $10,000, planning to
raise $6000 from a raffle for a $1000
Visa gift card, with 300 tickets available for $20 each. When members of
the three area clubs became confined
to their homes, it looked like selling those tickets would be difficult.
But, according to team captain Mary
Ann McIntyre, one very determined
member, Joan Williams, rose to the
occasion.
"She made Gator face masks, held
an art auction of her work, and sold 73
raffle tickets. Joan alone raised over
$5750," McIntyre said. Her efforts
inspired club members to buy the rest
of the raffle tickets.

Rising stars

Conditions for fundraising were hard this year,
and, as expected, most
clubs raised about half as
much as in the past. Many
did well to get that much
or closer to pre-pandemic
levels. A few surprised
everyone by raising more
than they had before. Aside
from the four already
mentioned, only six teams

Artist Joan Williams led the Gainesville team
in raising $10,224.

16 Bridge Bulletin October 2020

among those raising at least $2000
managed to post increases over their
2019 amounts.
Canandaigua (NY) Bridge Club
raised $6727, up 47%. The event
has been growing each year at Mary
Miller's club, and of all the things she
had to give up because of the coronavirus, her favorite club event was the
most disappointing. So she conducted
fundraising via Facebook and email. "I
have received many kind notes including personal stories from players who
have lost family members to this horrible disease," she said.
San Diego Unit 539 raised $5936,
up 66%, the largest percentage increase. The team of four unit board
members - Lamya Agelidis, Kathy
Byrne, Sam Madison and Jane Petering - embraced the challenge of an
online fundraiser wholeheartedly,
Agelidis said. The unit contributed
the proceeds of an entire month's
worth of unit games. An auction of 12
experts, including world champions
Roy Welland and Sabine Auken, raised
$4159. Buyers had the option to play
with their pros in an online game this
year or in person next year. The unit
also auctioned off handmade goods,

October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2020