Dear 5th Bridge Pledgers,

Happy spring! It's finally here, and we began this season of renewal by celebrating the second annual Goods for Good – The Great Northfield Rummage Raid for Charity!

The event was a huge success with 26 sale sites collectively raising an estimated $10,000 for various charities. People who hosted sites were able to simplify their lives by getting rid of unwanted items, volunteer their time to organize a sale and raise money for their favorite charities. People who shopped were able to purchase things they needed or wanted at affordable prices and discover hidden treasures. Charitable groups, clubs, churches and other good causes received donations that didn't take away from any other existing fund-raising efforts. Bottom line is that everyone wins!

Here is a recap of the sale site results:

1. The ladies at PJ's Fabric & Crafts raised $50 for American Cancer Society
   and $50 for Thursday's Table.
2. Methodist Church women raised an estimated $1,700 for United Methodist Women's Missions.
3. YMCA board members raised $1,011.21 for the Northfield Area Family YMCA.
4. Spruce Court neighbors raised $120 for the Humane Society.
5. 5th Bridge board members and friends raised $161 for 5th Bridge programs.
6. Girls on the Run participants raised $237.12 for the Olivero Family and $158.48 for the Girls on the Run Program. They especially enjoyed giving away things for free at the end of their sale.
7. Collegeview Townhouse neighbors raised $341 for the Community Action Center.
8. Harvard Chicks raised $75 for Healthfinders and $75 for Siamese Cat Rescue.
9. The Women in Action group raised $533 for the Somali Mam Foundation which helps free women from the sex slave trades.
10. The Marosi family raised $50 for a local girls service club.
11. The Carlson/Link site raised $92 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
12. Mamie Tuma raised $700 to support an upcoming Rejoice Church Alaskan Mission Trip. Mamie's daughter raised $100 for the Humane Society by selling homemade dog biscuits.
13. Students raised $1,200 to support the Northfield Union of Youth by selling items they gleaned from the Northfield clean-up days which were bound for the landfill. Talk about converting trash into cash!
14. Members of the Main Street Moravian Church raised $330.
15. The Cogan family raised $165 for Crones & Colitis research, as their daughter lives with those diseases.
16. Valerie Bollinger and friends donated half of their sale proceeds ($250) to the Community Action Center.
17. Rachael Huener raised $256 for Dress for Success, an organization which helps low income women prepare to enter or reenter the workforce.
18. Wangs Woods neighbors raised $132 for the Healthfinders organization.
19. Not yet reported. Money was being raised for the AAUW High School Scholarships.
20. The Northfield Gymnastics Club raised $268.
21. Midlleschooler Karyn Ludwig held a toy and book sale and will donate half her proceeds to the foodshelf ($12). She also donated her leftover goods for an up coming garage sale at Bridgewater to benefit the Humane Society. She is already planning to participate again next year.
22. Katherine Baty hosted a sale to benefit Christmas Sharing, a program of the Community Action Center, and raised $230.
23. The Clothes Closet held a special half-price sale to benefit the Community Action Center and raised $600.
24. The Atkinson family contributed half of their sale proceeds ($54) to the DARE Program, which discourages youth from using drugs and alcohol.
25. Melissa Sharpe raised $140 to support MARS Preservation, an organization that protects rainforest habitat.
26. Erin O'Donnell's sale will benefit the Buddhist Meditation Center. Results not yet reported.

Many of the sites donated a small portion of their proceeds to 5th Bridge (totaling $250) to help us off-set the costs of promoting this event. Thank you!

Left over "goods" still went for "good" as they were donated to the Epilepsy Foundation, Habitat for Humanity garage sale, or were given away free to someone who needed them.

If your family, book club, sports team, church, nonprofit organization, or neighborhood didn't get the chance to participate in Goods for Good this year, then mark your calendars for the first weekend in May 2010 and plan on participating in the third annual Goods for Good – The Great Northfield Rummage Raid for Charity. Also keep in mind that you can host a garage sale anytime and donate the proceeds to charity.

Thank you to all the sale site hosts, the Goods for Good committee, College City Beverage (signs), Northfield News (celebration sponsor), Tim Jackson (webmaster), 5th Bridge board member volunteers, and all the other people who made this event possible.

Check out all the Goods for Good photos and look for other great volunteer opportunities on our website www.5thbridge.org.

Sincerely,

Candy Taylor and your friends at 5th Bridge