Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Tuesday, June 22, 2004
YWCA looking for flocks of help for fund-raiser
 sherry Brown of the YWCA puts another plastic Flamingo on the lawn of Rita Sanger's insurance agency for the Flamingo fly-In kickoff . Dick Riniker photo |
Unsuspecting households in the area might find plastic pink flamingos on their lawn during the 2004 flocking season.
The Flamingo Fly-in, a fund-raiser hosted by the YWCA of the Coulee Region and American Family Insurance, will benefit two YWCA at-risk youth programs, said fund development director Sherry Brown.
For a $25 donation, anyone in the La Crosse area can pay to have flamingos placed on the lawns of residents and businesses from July 10 through Aug. 13, said Linda Seidel, executive director of the YWCA.
The fly-in will help support Court Appointed Special Advocacy, or CASA, and the Gay Alliance for La Crosse Area Youth, also known as GALAXY, Brown said.
In CASA, court-appointed volunteers advocate for abused or neglected children until they are placed in safe and permanent homes, YWCA officials said. GALAXY is a program that supports La Crosse-area gay and lesbian youths.
Tim Hetzel, district sales manager for American Family Insurance, began making donations to the Flamingo Fly-in after attending advocacy meetings.
"The main goal of the event is to increase awareness and participation of the community in CASA as a charity. Our objective is to increase awareness of the wonderful services CASA provides," Hetzel said.
Volunteers from businesses will plant the flamingos during the early evening hours and remove them within 24 hours. The crew will flock to about three houses per night.
"The goal is to raise $4,500, but we would like to raise more. YWCA is heavily dependent on fund-raisers and grants. Very few of the YWCA programs charge fees and both of the programs (CASA and GALAXY) are free," Brown said.
Anyone who does not want flamingos on their lawn may purchase flamingo insurance for $50. If uninsured flamingo recipients are upset by the birds, they can have the birds removed, said Marilyn Levine, social justice director of YWCA.
Chanel Banks can be reached at (608) 782-9710, ext. 430, or Chanel.Banks@lacrossetribune.com.
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