Homeschooling moms proved Saturday homeschooled children were not the only ones who could excel, by raising at least $21,000 for a 4-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor.
"I couldn't sit still," explained one of those mothers, Karen North. "I hadn't even known anyone who had been diagnosed."
North suggested a carwash to raise money when she heard about the diagnosis of Levi Guinn, son of a fellow homeschooling mom… Another mother suggested a raffle.
Then North and the other mothers talked to Braxton Roberts of Braxton Auctioneering and Antiques, and he urged them to organize an auction because it would raise more money. "He said, 'I challenge you to think big.'" North recalled.
The mothers — North, Donna Byers, Susanne Harrelson and Cindee Carmichael — called representatives of Evander Holyfield and secured an autographed picture. They also secured an autographed baseball card and baseballs from Ryan Klesko and … sports memorabilia signed by Tom Glavine, Falcons player Jesse Tuggle, Hawks players and golfers Paul Azinger and Fred Couples.
The nearly 400 auction items (at an auction held Saturday, July 7, in Loganville) included sports memorabilia, dinners and movie passes from United Artists, Carmike Cinemas, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, Carraba's of Duluth, Journey's End, O'Charley's of Duluth, Macaroni Grills, Don Pablo's, Chick-Fil-A, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, Chuck E. Cheese and Blue Willow, hotel stays at the Jamison Inn, passes to Lake Lanier Islands, furniture, a speed boat, toys, a VCR, a DVD, a cultured pearl necklace… a copier and an above-ground pool from Southern Splash of Athens were [among] the other objects collected for the auction, held in Ingles [supermarket's] front yard on U.S. Highway 78.
In the last two weeks, about 50 other homeschooling parents joined to help organize the event.
Levi Guinn's family is even more surprised by the incredible support. "I'm just speechless", said Jeff Guinn, who brought Levi to the event. "I just can't get around what everybody's been doing. It just cheers you up. It's just amazing to me the love that people have in their hearts that doesn't just stay in their hearts", said an overwhelmed Jeff Guinn as he saw all the auction items and even more donated toys and furniture at the garage sale event.
Four-year-old Levi Guinn, who has
an inoperable brain tumor, enjoyed the big inflatable slide along with
balloon animals at Saturday's auction.
The Guinn's church, Lilburn Alliance Church, has also set up a fund to help the Guinns. To contribute a tax-deductible donation, make the check payable to "Lilburn Alliance Church" and note on the bottom of the check, "Benevolence Fund." Senders should address the envelope, "Levi Guinn Fund, c/o Lilburn Alliance Church, P.O. Box 61, Lilburn, GA 30048."
