As Darci Seipke’s body continues to fight the effects of years of battling Type I Diabetes, her family and friends continue another fight ? one to raise money to help pay for her medical care.
According to Darci’s mom, Pam Seipke, Darci will soon begin prepping for dialysis at the request of her doctors, and she believes that dialysis will begin at the end of summer. First, Darci must have a medical implement surgically implanted into her arm and then take the several months necessary for the site to heal before dialysis can begin.
In the meantime, Pam said they will work on something they can do ? raise funds.
‘The financial situation has not really changed,? Pam said, ‘so our plan is to continue fundraising.?
On March 8, the Darci Seipke Benefit Fund will be hosting a scrapbooking event at Canterbury Castle.
According to Pam, the event runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the cost is $50 per person, which includes beverages throughout the day, lunch and dinner.
At the event, they will also be raffling off three large prizes, including a grand prize of a two-night stay for four people at Harbor Star, a quilting and craft retreat in East Tawas, a second prize of a one-night getaway for two at the Candlelite Inn in Ludington, and a third prize of a Swarovski crystal heart-shaped jewelry box.
Raffle tickets are $10 each or three for $25, and Pam said that if anyone is interested in purchasing a raffle ticket without attending the scrapbooking event, they can contact her at (248)721-1647.
They will also be having hourly drawings in a separate raffle that day.
To help those scrappers that have been at it for hours, hand massages and chair massages will be available for a small fee.
According to Pam, the event is sponsored by Live, Laugh, Love and Scrap, from Oxford, and they will be doing some vendor demonstrations the day of the event. Scrapbooking supplies will be available for a small fee.
In fact, for the past few weeks, Darci has been creating pre-made scrapbook pages that will be available for purchase, her mom said.
Those interested in attending the scrapbook event must be pre-registered before the event.
Golfers may want to mark April 28 on their calendars, as that is the day of the golf outing in Darci’s honor, held at Indianwood Golf Course.
Starting at 1 p.m., this four-man scramble with shot-gun start includes 18 holes, cart, green’s fees and buffet dinner.
Cost is $175 for an individual, $325 for two golfers and $600 for four.
According to Pam, there will also be a hole-in-one chance to win a Jeep from Palace Chrysler-Jeep and other raffles.
‘It’s a great way to kick off your season,? she added, noting that it is also a good opportunity to get a chance to golf on Indianwood’s private golf course, which has been selected as the site for the 2012 Senior Men’s Open.
Work is already underway for the benefit fund’s next craft show, on Oct. 4 and 5 at Canterbury Village. Crafters that are interested in a table can register for $40 before the end of March. After March 30, the registration fee goes up to $50. Look for more information in upcoming issues of The Review.
While the family and Darci continue to plan fundraising opportunities, Darci said she has more energy lately thanks to a shot that helps with her anemia.
Darci is also enjoying training her new dog, Coco, an eight-month-old lab mix. She adopted the pup to acts as a companion since she was found legally blind in her right eye last October. Since she is not legally blind in both eyes, she does not qualify for a Leader Dog. She found and adopted Coco from Canine Companions in Clarkston.
‘Coco will be at all of our outside events,? Darci said, noting that they are doing concessions at all the Concerts in the Park, as well as hosting Ernie May & Friends again this summer.
More information about all the events can be found on http://thebenefitfund.com, or by calling Pam at (248)721-1647.