If you haven't yet heard about the women of the SWILL (Several Wine Imbibers Liking Libations) social wine tasting club, you're in for a treat. This amazing group has more going on than just their vinous interests, and now, just in time for holiday giving, they introduce a a wall calendar to benefit Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
In the spirit of "Calendar Girls", their mission is to empower all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life - a most worthy goal, as we likely all know someone who's been affected by this ruthless disease.
Here's a sample image of the calendar, and a link to their preview and purchase page. After covering production costs, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Early sales have been impressive, and there are only a couple hundred remaining from their initial printing of 1,000 calendars. At just $19.99, the four-color, 11 x 17" spiral bound wall calendar makes a bold statement toward giving.
I was so impressed with this effort, that I contacted the organizers with a few more questions:
Dave: First, please clarify how the money flows. Specifically, how can a calendar buyer rest assured their money doesn't go towards your wine cellars? Is the purchase tax deductible as a donation?
Anne & Eva: Our company, SWILLparty, LLC, which specializes in wine tasting kits for parties and clubs, has funded the production of the calendar along with a national company, Kinley Corporation. Eva and I receive the orders either through our website or Amazon.com. Since we are also trying to run our business, and we're going into the busiest season of the year, we've contracted with a local company called Webgistix for the distribution of the calendars. Once our production (printing) and distribution (shipping) costs are covered, 100% of the remaining proceeds will go to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. We're hoping this will be a sizable check. None of the participants have been paid...it's all volunteer. Our books are set up so that all income and expenses for the calendar are not comingled with our company funds. We have conferred with our accountant and he has helped us set this up. And, yes, happily each calendar purchase is tax deductible.
Dave: How many members are there in SWILL? How often does it meet and what is your normal tasting format?
Anne & Eva: SWILL was founded by me (Anne) as a birthday gift for my BFF since kindergarten, Dennis. If it hadn't been his wish for a wine club, SWILL would never have been formed. He's a great friend to all of us and very supportive of our cause. We meet bimonthly and each gathering is hosted by a volunteer club member. We've grown from 12 members in 2003 to over 160 in 2007. November will mark our 20th meeting. The SWILL method of hosting wine tasting parties and clubs is contained in our SWILL 101 Guide, but we will share that we always taste two whites and three reds with a theme in mind, and organize the tasting into stations. We charge a tasting fee which covers the cost of the wine, and has allowed us to taste some excellent wines in a higher price range than you would normally buy without knowing if you like it. We also hold one beer SWILL and one Champagne SWILL each year. Each SWILL wine club gathering usually takes about three to four hours, the last one or two consisting of lots of great conversation and going back for that favorite glass. It's been a great way to meet people while learning about wine in a fun, easy-going setting. You could say that we're somewhere "between Yellowtail and wine snobs." If we like it, we'll drink it.
Dave: Are men allowed in SWILL?
Anne & Eva: We have as many men as women in the club including singles, couples and old married folk. Our ages range from mid 20s to early 60s and we all have a ball together.
Dave: Great. Can't wait to join. What is the funniest thing that happened during your photo sessions?
Anne & Eva: The cover itself is probably the best example of a funny outtake...in the top photo you can see Eva and me gingerly crawling across the huge log which is about ten feet off the ground. The second photo shows Lori Tiller (the photographer) in action...she had forgotten her remote, so she ended up running back and forth and zipping up the log to fling herself down beside us. What had taken Eva and me a good ten minutes to do took her the time it takes to hit a camera remote and RUN! The third photo pictures success!
At another time, we were shooting the photo in the grotto (December), which again involved walking through a dark, high-ankle deep creek with slippery rocks and crevaces. But that wasn't the most challenging part. While walking through this slippery mess, we encountered a giant albino crayfish that looked very hungry with its claws opening and closing. Some of us had bare feet. Yikes!
Dave: How did SWILL get started, and did you use any particular source, written or otherwise, as your guide for format?
Anne & Eva: Question #2 answers how SWILL got started. As to format, I owned an event planning business in Portland, OR so I knew something about party "flow." I researched wine tasting on the internet with the goal of creating a wine tasting experience with an emphasis on socializing, learning, and humor. If you were actually referring to the format of the calendar, well then we can tell you that we modeled it after the actual Calendar Girls calendar of British movie fame.
Dave: Anything else you've thought of since your press release that induced a head-slapping "I should have said...." moment?
Anne & Eva: Yes, we have since learned to put even more emphasis on why we chose LBBC. Here's the quote we've been using...
"We’ve received tremendous positive feedback from survivors and their families thanking us for drawing attention to LBBC’s educational outreach. We really feel like we’re making a difference, however small it might be."
Cheers!
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant
[email protected]
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Today's Quote:
"The loss is not yours alone", she said "& you will see it in their eyes when they do not think you are watching". "How long does it take?" I said & she put her hand on my chest & we did not speak.
Poet, artist and storyteller Brian Andreas, who now counts me among his growing fan club.
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