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Craft show and bazaar raises money for Relay for Life
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.William Dick was one of 29 vendors who had tables set at at the Relay for Life craft show and bazaar at Poland United Methodist Church.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.William Dick of the Ministry of St. Nicholas displayed the various charms he made out of the wood from lilac bushes. The money Dick made from his sales goes to fund his ministry.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.The inside of Poland United Methodist Church was filled with vendors selling various items during the Relay for Life craft show and bazaar.
By TIM CLEVELAND
To help raise funds for Relay for Life, Poland United Methodist Church hosted a craft show and bazaar on May 24.
There were 24 tables sold to vendors inside the church with 15 more outside. Event organizers expected several hundred people to attend, but didn’t have a dollar goal in mind.
“This is our first year, so we’re kind of playing it by ear and see how it works out,” said Holly Marshall of Relay for Life and one of the event’s organizers.
“It’s a craft show and bazaar,” Marshall said. “We have outside vendors and inside vendors selling crafts. We have almost garage sale type items outside. Kind of everything but the kitchen sink we’re selling.”
Marshall said the event came about when she and the Relay for Life committee were brainstorming and decided to do something different from the usual fundraising event.
“We were just kind of tossing around ideas for raising money,” she said. “After a while people kind of get tired of selling, so we thought a craft show, people could come in and see if there’s something they would like for a garage sale idea outside. Someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure. We thought this might be a better, easier way to raise to some money. Holiday weekend, nice weather, so we’re hoping a lot of people come out.”
There was also a large selection of food sold, which was donated by various area businesses.
“We’re selling hot dogs, pizza, donuts, chips,” Marshall said. “We have a lot of donations. Perkins donated cookies and pies, the chips came from the Sandwich Factory, Giant Eagle gave is a $25 gift card we used to purchase hot dogs, Inner Circle Pizza gave us pizza. The community’s been behind us quite a bit for donations.”
One of the outside vendors was Salem’s William Dick, who was selling charms in various shapes.
“This was all made out of wood from lilac bushes,” he said. “It’s just a hobby of mine, but it’s turned into my ministry. I support an after-school program in Youngstown. My ministry began in 2006 when I was Santa Claus to the children in the Ukraine. I made two mission trips to the Ukraine.”
Dick wrote a book titled “Santa Meets God’s Ukrainian Children” about his experiences in that country. He has a website SantaLovesYou.org that details his mission work, is at Rogers flea market every Friday selling his charms and taking donations, as well as doing a half-hour radio program for the blind every Friday.
“I’ve spent many hours of my life working for these kids,” Dick said. “It’s always been for children, which is what Santa Claus was. St. Nicholas was the patron saint of children; also sailors, and I was a navy veteran.”
Dick said his work selling the charms is 100 percent non-profit.
“I’m always looking for new designs,” he said. “I made my first stake, I’ve got a snake. All the money goes to the children in the after-school program.”