Introducing Janette Surrisi's "Monday afternoon at the Ocean"

Janette Surrisi's chair, titled Monday afternoon at the Ocean personifies a summer breeze in the sand! It really must be seen in person to experience this work of art!

When asked to share some special aspects and vision of Mrs. Surrisi's chair, she replies, "The antique chair was purchased at the Jon Stiegler's Antique Store in Burr Oak, Indiana. The tiger maple chair I spotted had a very worn seat covering and I loved the idea of using fabric. I also knew I wanted to do something with a nautical, ocean, or lake theme. In talking to Jon, he mentioned a couple ideas for chairs. The idea I liked that he spoke of was using seashells. I immediately thought of a dear friend, Billye Abad, who had given me many seashells over the years. She spends six months a year in Florida walking the beach and collecting the shells. I knew that I could use some of her shells and asked her to donate more shells to my cause.

"The process for making the chair included an hour long trip to JoAnne's Fabric, a lot of sanding, recovering the seat, two coats of paint, constructing the tulle bow with hand beaded seashells and glass, and a lot of arranging and gluing seashells.

"Artistically speaking, I picked a lot of my color palette from Indiana artist Douglas David. When Sean and I owned the art gallery in Culver, we met David and many others that soon became our favorites. What has always struck me about David is his ability to convey ease and calm with his color palette. I don't know if that was an achievement with this chair, but it is definitely something I was hoping to do.

"The other aspects of the chair I would like to touch upon is the conveyance of fantasy and ideas. The chair is not functional at all. In my mind the look and the idea of the chair were too important to sacrifice in order to make the chair functional. The title of the chair is important in relating the idea as well. The idea is the title which is "Monday afternoon at the Ocean" and that means to me a day off work to day dream, pickup shells, and relax."

This chair will be available to preview during Sunday's Chairs for Charity Gala, starting at 6:00 p.m. We hope you will join us for an evening of entertainment, wine reception, live auction sale of chair masterpieces like this one, along with many many more chairs to choose from!

Introducing Sisters' Chair to *Share-A-Tea*

We are pleased to introduce Donna Wenzel's and Linda Devalt's chair creation titled, "Sisters' Chair to *Share-A-Tea.*" As owners of the Plymouth's Sisters' Tea and Eatery, these ladies have designed a chair that much like their charming café, entices you to sit a while and enjoy some hot tea with a friend. If you would like to preview this special *chair-a-tea* seat, stop by the WTCA's 1050 am Oldies radio station at 112 W. Washington Street in Plymouth. If you would like to experience the selection of the Sisters' specialty teas and homemade baked goods and sandwiches, stop by Sisters' Tea Eatery at 203 N. Michigan in Plymouth, for hours call 574-935-4822.

This chair has been donated to the Chairs for Charity parade and auction and will be available along with a specialty gift bag. If you would be interested in purchasing this chair, please reserve your seat for next week's Gala!

Introducing Jane Heydt's In the Garden Chair

This chair is a piece of art that anyone would adore while gazing into their garden every morning. "In the Garden" has been created and donated by Jane Heydt. The chair, along with its small china plate decor was originally purchased at the Cameron Antique Fair in Cameron, North Carolina. Jane is a friend to many in Culver and aside from her love of antiques, gardening and decorating, she also enjoys acting and the theater.

Thank you Jane for bringing new life to old beautiful vintage items! If you would like to get a closer look at Mrs. Heydt's "In the Garden," along with other gorgeous garden chair pieces, drive by Elizabeth Gardens!



If you agree that this chair would make a great friend to your landscaping this summer, you may attend the auction on June 28th at the Culver Cove. Tickets are limited, cost $20 and are available by emailing us today!

Introducing Seana Badalich's "Queen Bee" Chair

There's no second guessing which chair is in charge when this regal honey is in the room! Tall, sleek, majestic with just a touch of sweetness sits Queen Bee, donated and designed by Culver community's creative Seana Badalich.

Ms. Badalich shares, "I guess the Queen Bee chair evolved from first hearing about the auction a couple months ago, then seeing the $15 chair in a Plymouth second-hand shop while looking for something to refinish and re-purpose as a bedside table. I then completely copied the idea for the seat after noticing my favorite pillow was on sale on the Ballard Design site. I couldn't draw or copy the Ballard's actual bee so I had to freehand something similar. I didn't even think to take a photo of the chair before I refinished it, but I can tell you it was seriously ugly! It was dark, dirty and brown with a ratty, burgundy faux-leather seat covering, but still with an oddly regal presence." And no one can dispute the renewed regal presence that Ms. Badalich was able to restore!

Besides re-creating chairs, Ms. Badalich also enjoys painting an assortment of furniture pieces as well as scrapbooking. She admits that her number one creative challenge is, "finding more than twenty minutes to do something not connected to taking care of someone." Wise words spoken from a Queen Bee herself!

Thank you for sharing your creative talents Ms. Badalich! We look forward to meeting and greeting with you during the Gala. Anyone is welcome to attend this evening of live music, live auctioning along with food and drinks fit for a "queen."

To reserve your space, email us to purchase your ticket. Tickets are $20 and include a wine selection and an assortment of food during the wine reception preview from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The live auction begins at 8:00, along with a full cash bar for the remainder of the evening. Be prepared to enjoy this not-to-be-missed inaugural event!



Thanks for the interest in the chair! It is very flattering! I hope it brings in some cash.

Introducing Imaginary Arts School"s "Scooter Doodle"

Meet Scooter Doodle.

He may look small, but he has big ideas, just like the children who attend Imaginary Arts School in Plymouth, IN. Creative and crafty, these kids attend Angela Leed's weekly art classes and their imaginations transform plaster mixture into bright colorful chalk, wall paper scraps into flowers, beads into soap, paper into airplanes, butterflies and frogs

It is no wonder that these creative kiddos wanted to participate in the Chairs for Charity Chair Parade this year! A chair was used from the artists' classroom, located in the Bergman Arts Center, downtown Plymouth at 203 Michigan Street. Once this little chair was painted, like Pinocchio, he came to life. The kids named him Scooter and signed their names.


And now, Scooter Doodle welcomes kids of all ages to stop by the Book Worm to visit him and add a little special doodle on this seat!

If you would like to preview chairs in Tri Kappa's Chairs for Charity Chair Parade, feel free to print a parade map or you may explore the blog frequently updated with chairs and chair artists. Chairs may also be available to preview during a wine reception at the upcoming Inaugural Gala, Sunday, June 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Culver Cove. Chairs will be sold during this gala at a live auction. Tickets for this event are on sale now for $20, while 'seating' is available. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, you may contact us here >>

Chair Parade is Marching Forward

* * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * *

Drive through the main streets of Plymouth or Culver and you may get a peek of the Chairs for Charity Chair Parade. With over 70 chairs donated and over 30 businesses hosting chairs, the Tri Kappa inaugural Chairs for Charity program has kicked off the month of June with a splash of fun and artistic flare.

"Last week was the Chair Drop Off and we had no idea what to expect. We were hoping we'd get at least one chair and no more than one thousand chairs donated," explained Andrea Cook, Committee Co-Chairperson. She continues, "We were pleasantly pleased with the number of chairs and especially with the quality and creativity of each chair. We have our fingers crossed that people will purchase tickets to the upcoming auction and plan to attend and bid on these chair-masterpieces! That is the type of support we really need to help us make this event a success."

Each chair is unique and requires an in-depth preview to truly experience the chair's quality and creativity. You may preview the chairs while they are on parade throughout the month. Chair Parade maps are available at participating businesses who are hosting these chairs. The blog http://chaircharity.blogspot.com has been frequently showcasing chairs along with photos and interesting stories about the artists and their visions for their chairs.

Some highlights of the chairs that are on parade and will be available to purchase during the upcoming auction include
- A pair of black leather and wooden barrel seats signed by the Culver Academy's Black Horse Troop 09 Inaugural Presidential Parade,
- Celebrity-signed and illustrated chair by children's author, David Slonim,
- A custom airbrushed red wake board bench and
- A sea shell adorned summer breeze seat.

There are garden chairs created for the outdoors, porch chairs, children chairs, hand painted chairs, there are chairs for the birds there are chairs of birds. There are some with polka dots, some with frogs, one with a T-Rex another with a cute cow. There is even a chair with a monkey and a bell. Some chairs are fancy, sparkling pink and perfect for divas, other chairs more stately and nautical for the sailor. Some chairs are meant as keepsakes, other chairs are created to make you think or create and doodle. A rocking chair, an Adirondack, a bench, stools, desk chairs, and a desk, lots of wicker and a rainbow of colors and styles, each item available to the highest bidder. We hope to see you on there at this community fundraiser! Please reserve your "seat" by purchasing your ticket today.

The Inaugural Gala will be at the Culver Cove on the evening of Sunday, June 28th. The wine reception preview begins at 6:00 p.m. with a live auction starting at 8:00 p.m. Meet and greet the artists who designed the chair masterpieces for an evening of food, drinks, live music and of course creative conversation. Tickets are on sale for $20 each and are available for purchase at the City Tavern or by contacting Andrea Cook at 216-7225 or Judy Sawhook at 842-2861. Tickets may be purchased at the door, while seating is available.

Tri Kappa is a philanthropy that supports local and statewide projects and is proud to have contributed over $1 million to the Riley Hospital for children. Donations for this program also support the Ronald McDonald House, the Mental Health Association in Indiana, the Arc of Indiana, Indiana Special Olympics and many other charitable causes. Tri Kappa’s initiatives are designed to promote charity, culture and education. The Chairs for Charity program has been designed to promote culture throughout the community, with the primary purpose of fund raising to support initiatives such as scholarships, art shows, donations for reading programs, food pantries, holiday gifts and other community building endeavors throughout Marshall County.

Chairs for Charity Chairs on Parade MAP