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For Sacred Heart/Immaculate Conception parish in Haines Falls/Palenville, a little bit of time goes a long way: Parish volunteers such as Ewa Kalinski work quietly behind the scenes of fundraisers to ensure that the faith formation program has enough funds for materials.

Not long ago, "I went to a dinner and they were raffling baskets," Mrs. Kalinski recalled. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, what an idea!'"

With the fall faith formation kickoff looming, she said, "I had to do something quick that wouldn't take much organizing time." Moving fast, she gathered baskets left over from previous church events, asked for donations from parishioners to fill them with interesting items, and wrapped up seven baskets in cellophane to raffle off.

"It took one week," Mrs. Kalinski said proudly. "We're selling tickets for $1. It's going great." The drawing will be held Aug. 30 at the social hour after Mass.

Each of the seven baskets has a theme, such as books, toiletries or wine. They are all filled with "really nice things" that have been donated, Mrs. Kalinski boasted: "There's a basket made of tree bark, and it [includes] a big book of horse trivia. That's the one everybody is eyeballing. It's just gorgeous."

Although assembling the fundraiser was a scramble, Mrs. Kalinski believes the raffle is important: "[It's] about sharing. Some kids don't have much money. If they want crayons or if they're hungry, we will provide some things. [The fundraiser] has nothing to do with adults or me. It's about the kids."

Mrs. Kalinski is hopeful that the baskets will raise more than $300 to support the children in faith formation.

There's definitely a need for craft materials, she noted: "Kids always make stuff."

The basket raffle is far from Mrs. Kalinski's first effort for Sacred Heart/Immaculate Conception parish. She brings flowers for the altar, helps out with weddings and funerals, and helps organize and bake for the "Friendship Hour" social time after Sunday Masses.

Some fundraisers, such as a food sale or a parish-wide yard sale, take more planning than the basket raffle. Fundraising in a small parish isn't always easy, Mrs. Kalinski said, but "sometimes with the right energy and the right attitude, it just happens to work out. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth, but we're not going to give up!

"Anything is worth it for the kids," she added. "It's about giving."

(For more information or to buy a ticket, call the parish office at 518-589-5577.)[[In-content Ad]]

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