Want to attend the Access Press Charlie Smith Award banquet? Thinking about donating a great prize to the silent auction or pick-a-prize raffle? The time to act is now. This year’s event is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday, November 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 7800 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington. It’s a great new location with ample parking, great menu offerings and accommodations for guests.
Join Minnesotans with disabilities and their allies as the 2016 award winner, Cliff Poetz, is honored for his decades of groundbreaking activism and leadership for Minnesotans with developmental disabilities. Poetz is eager to see friends and celebrate his decades of accomplishments with them.
“It’s always a fun evening, so we invite everyone to come and join us as we celebrate the remarkable career of Cliff Poetz and honor the legacy of Charlie Smith,” said Access Press Executive Director Tim Benjamin.
Tickets for the event are $50 or $350 for an eight-person table. Three menu choices are available. Guests will dine on beef pot roast, slow-cooked, with pan gravy and whipped potatoes. Or they can choose Minnesota Chicken Roulade, a wild rice-stuffed breast of chicken with sage cream and roasted potato. The third choice is lemon and tomato-tossed tagliatelle, a vegan, dairy and gluten-free pasta tossed with garlic-infused oil, roma tomatoes, olives, lemon zest and basil, served with a gluten-free breadstick. Dinners also include dessert and beverages.
Guests can register in several ways. Go here and register online. Or mail a check(s) to: Access Press, Attn: Dawn, 161 St. Anthony Ave Suite 910, St. Paul, MN 55103. A third option is to call the newspaper office at 651-644-2133 and register by phone. But don’t hesitate as time is needed to order dinners and do other planning for the event.
The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. with the silent auction/raffle and social hour. Enjoy punch or a cash bar and get a chance to catch up with friends old and new. The dinner and award winner speeches start at 7 p.m.
The banquet sponsorship deadline has passed. ADA Minnesota, AXIS, In Home Personal Care, Minnesota Center for Independent Living (MCIL) and National Handicap Housing Institute and UCare are the 2016 Editor-in-Chief level. Keyliner sponsors are Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Medica, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota, AccraCare and True Friends are Proofreader sponsors.
Saturday, October 31st is the deadline to request ASL interpretation. It is also the deadline for silent auction and pick-a-prize raffle donations. Bidding starts during the dinner’s social hour and continues as the meal is served. It can be fun as friends make spirited bids and vie for some wonderful prizes.
In the pick-a-prize raffle, items are lined up, with jars for raffle tickets. Buy a ticket for 50 cents and put it in the corresponding jar. For just a little money, the winner can take home a nice prize.
Donations are still coming in but items include original art and photography, theater tickets, a movie night basket, jewelry, sports memorabilia, a salsa set, mosaic class and much more. Donations of all kinds are sought for the silent auction and raffle.
Donations are a great way to spotlight a business or organization. Contact Dawn at 651-644-2133 or dawn@testing.accesspress.org to donate items.
