Earlier this year my publisher was asked to donate a copy of Hanni and Beth: Safe & Sound to the Seeing Eye’s 80th Anniversary Online Auction. The idea was to include the book in a birthday party package. Well, Blue Marlin Publications didn’t donate just one copy of Safe & Sound. They sent five. The Seeing Eye was thrilled with the extra books and came up with all sorts of clever ways to auction them off.
One book is being auctioned off all on its own, not part of a package. Hanni and Beth: Safe & Sound retails for $17.95. As of today, bids for the book at the Seeing Eye auction are up to $55. Blue Marlin’s generosity must be contagious.
One of the other donated books is included in a birthday party package, just like the Seeing Eye had originally intended:
Children’s birthday party at Seeing Eye downtown center.
Each child will spend time with a puppy to learn obedience exercises and enjoy fun play time. The party includes interactive games with the puppies and their raisers plus activities like “pin the tail on the Seeing Eye dog.” The guest of honor will receive a custom-designed birthday cake from Morristown’s Swiss Chalet Bakery, photos of the event taken by The Seeing Eye’s official photographer and Manager of Instruction & Training John Keane, festive decorations, and a gift bag that includes a book by Seeing Eye grad Beth Finke called “Safe and Sound,” a DVD of Disney’s 1967 series about The Seeing Eye called “Atta Girl, Kelly!”, a plush Seeing Eye puppy, puppy stickers, and other surprise gifts.
Two of the donated books are included with homemade blankets:
- Specially Designed Seeing Eye 80th Anniversary quilt
This beautiful hand-pieced and hand-quilted anniversary lap quilt features star blocks in cranberry red, burnt orange, and forest green on a background of nine-patch blocks. Several of the fabrics used are in dog- and dog-related prints in colors of browns and tans. A section along the border reads: “The Seeing Eye – Leading the Way for 80 Years 1929 – 2009.” As a special bonus, the winning bidder will also receive a copy of Seeing Eye graduate Beth Finke’s award-winning children’s book, Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound.
- Crocheted Afghan Plus Award-Winning Children’s Book
Curl up under this cozy, hand-crocheted afghan made by the mother of a Seeing Eye graduate. The afghan measures 48″ x 48″ and was created in shades of midnight blue, azure blue and white diagonal stripes. As a special bonus, this package also includes a copy of the hardcover children’s book by Seeing Eye graduate Beth Finke. “Hanni & Beth: Safe & Sound,” is the winner of the ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award of 2008.
The piece de resistance, however, is that our book is included with a package that lets the winning bidder name a Seeing Eye dog after him-or-her self!
The Seeing Eye Breeding Station Tour for 2
This, of course, will include some play-time with puppies in the special playroom designed to introduce pups to the sounds, textures, and experiences
of the world they soon will encounter.And be sure to decide which puppy most pulls at your heartstrings, because you will have the chance to name one of the puppies you meet on this special day. You and the pup will be photographed, and you’ll receive a framed photo of the event.
Additional gifts with this item? An overnight stay at the Westin Governor Morris Hotel in Morristown, dinner at the hotel’s Copeland Restaurant, a chocolate dog bone from Morristown’s Enjou Chocolat, and a gift bag that includes, guess what? An award-winning children’s book by Seeing Eye grad Beth Finke!
There’s all sorts of other cool stuff being auctioned off, too: getaway vacationss, passes to see the Colbert Report, lunch with Betty White, baskets of gourmet chocolates, even a year’s supply of Eukanuba dog food! Bidding Ends on Sunday, September 13 at 10:00 pm EDT – sign up now to jjoin the fun, donate to a GREAT cause and…bid up the price on our book!
Hi Beth!
Online auctions are great.
I’m kind of an eBay addict myself. *grin*
Hope you and Hanni are doing well.
-Sarah & Jim
Yes, I’m surprised at how much I am enjoying this auction – I bid on a couple of things I don’t really need (but how could I resist the charcoal grey rain boots –they are size 9, my shoe size!) and am having fun tracking the bids. And hey, if I win, the $$$ goes to a good cause.
I’m enjoying bidding on things I don’t need either, but the item I hope to win most is your book! It will make up for the book I didn’t get last year in Chicago at your presentation. LOL Hope Hanni is doing well.
Aha! So *you* are one of those generous bidders! I’ll share a secret with you, shhhh! Right now the homemade afghan, which comes with a copy of “Hanni and Beth: Safe & Sound” is going for *less* than the book all by itself. If someone outbids you for our book, just bid on the afghan — just click on the link to it in my blog post. If you win the afghan, you’ll stay warm in the winter, PLUS get a book at a lower price. Best of all: you’ll be helping the Seeing Eye. Good luck in the bidding wars, Alexis!
I have also bid on the afghan. If I get both items, I’ll give one of the books to my cousin’s little girl or someone else who might be more age appropriate than a 3 year old.
Good for you, Alexis — what a great way to support the Seeing Eye! If you win a copy or two of my book, let me know — my sister Cheryl bought these big white stickers that I can sign and braille my name onto, there’s room for Hanni’s rubber-stamped pawprint on the stickers, too. I can mail some to yuou to stick in the books, that way they’ll be autographed copies. Thanks for supporting the Seeing Eye, and supporting our children’s book, too. I hope you win!
Me too, but there’s time for more people to get in on the fun.
You’re right! As of today (Sept. 5) there are still eight more days…let the bidding wars begin!
The afghan and book has now reached a bid of $76, and I’m right there in the bidding war!
Go, Alexis, Go!
After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox
and now every time a comment is added I receive
four emails with the exact same comment. There has to be a way you can remove me from that service?
Thanks!
I checked an don’t have record of you leaving a comment before. Hmm. In any case, next time you get one of those emails, go to the bottom of the page and you’ll find an “unsubscribe” option. Link there and that should do the trick.
Hi, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar
one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback?
If so hoow do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend?
Iget sso much lately it’s driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.
Leave a Response