Success

This is Brittney, this will be my last post and then I will let Mat and Zhenya take over for good. I am so glad this has become a space for them to share little Evan's Journey! I just wanted to share a few of my feelings about the fundraiser and let you know how well it went. When we get a grand total maybe Mat will post it for you. 

Tonight I am so humbled and grateful to have been able to be a part of the Baby Evan Fundraiser. 12 days ago when the thought-or rather prompting came to my mind and heart to do a fundraiser for the DeVol family I had NO idea what it would snow-ball into. I spent 2 days putting together a blog-and thank you Kassie for designing it-setting up a paypal account and looking for donators and vendors. It just began to snowball after that. People started offering items for donation, and paypal donations began coming in. I started to worry as last week approached that to many people would be out of town and that word wouldn't get out and no one would come. I had shows and fairs booked all week that took up much of my time and I couldn't push it any more than emails, evites and facebook. Luckily YOU all did. It got sent around to the surrounding wards, to all of Zhenyas past and current piano students, to Matt's co-workers, to the neighbors of friends and preschool classe, to the hospital where Evan has had treatment, and then with help from Nicole to KTSP newstation. At 4:00 tonight after a LONG day of setting up and pricing, my kitchen and dinning are were full-like every square inch and then some-of donated items for sale, for silent auction, and baked goods-so many baked goods. The living room, parlor, and office had 2-3 vendors each in them ready to sell. No one really started showing up until 5 and then we didn't get a break until 8:30 when people left. Every person I didn't personally recognize I asked how they knew Zhenya, lots of piano students, lots of Matt's co-workers and a handful of people from KSTP. I couldn't believe the turn out. I thought I was wishing high at 4:00 when I was hoping for $500. At the end of the night I entered the kitchen and most of the baked goods were gone, only a few donated items remained, and a few silent auction items that hadn't been bid on. GOOD, SWEET women helped clean up, women who had been there all night, and some of them for most the day helping me, women who like every other person involved I couldn't have pulled this night off without. Everyone left I sat down and figured out what I as a vendor owed and put it in the box with the rest of the money made. Then figured out what some of the other vendors would owe and came up with a wooping $2300! I was shell shocked! And I still have 2 other vendors yet to know what their contribution will end up being. I am SO grateful to have been a part of this. When Mat showed up half way through the night with pictures of baby Evan tears came to my eyes as I felt my Saviors love for me and for him, and as I felt His appreciation for what I was doing for this family and that baby. I hope ALL of you who donated any item big or small, who bought any amount big or small, who donated any amount big or small, who watched my child today so I could do this, who did ANYTHING at all surrounding this day will take a minute to feel that LOVE and APPRECIATION that our Savior has for you for helping and doing something for this family. I am humbled at the experience and will never be the same, so THANK YOU to the DeVol family for allowing me to give the angels here on earth an opportunity to serve you, and to be a part of it!