Hosta sale to further work of Heifer International
A hosta sale and Bolivian arts and crafts fundraiser will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., 11618 McConnell Road, Woodstock.
The hosta sale has several hundred varieties of hostas for sale to benefit Heifer International. All hostas are $5 and up.
Heifer International is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth. It provides livestock, trees, training, and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. The recipients of the animals must pass on the gift of the first female offspring and training in environmentally sound agriculture to another family in need.
In this manner, an endless cycle of transformation is set in motion as recipients become equal partners in ending poverty and hunger. Heifer International has provided food and income producing animals to more than 8.5 million impoverished families in 125 countries in the last 70 years. Visit heifer.org.
Rich Eyre worked with this organization in the Peace Corps 44 years ago in Bolivia and he can give testimony to its positive effects in those communities. Rich and Susan Eyre served six years on the board of trustees of the Heifer Foundation. Ed Slomski and Mike Kraus coordinate volunteers to help divide and sell the hostas. Volunteers will be available to answer any questions about Heifer International on the day of the sale.
Join in a Hosta Leaf Identification from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tom Micheletti, former president of the American Hosta Society and Midwest Regional Hosta Society, and founder and first president of the Northern Illinois Hosta Society, will be available to identify hostas for people who bring the leaves of unknown hostas.
At 11:30 a.m., Tom Micheletti will do a short presentation about small and miniature hostas.
Mark Zilis, president of Q & Z Nursery, will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to sign his new book, "Mark Zilis' Field Guide to Hostas." The book will be available for purchase at $44.95. Zilis has introduced over 400 different hostas.
At 1 p.m. Zilis will talk about different kinds of hostas.
The Bolivian Arts & Crafts Fundraiser for Mano a Mano International Partners will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will raise money to build hospitals, schools, roads, and irrigation projects in rural Bolivia. There will be a variety of items for sale. Mano a Mano was originated by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Joan Velasquez, and her husband Segundo. In 2008, she won the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service awarded to a Returning Peace Corps Volunteer. Visit manoamano.org. Rich and Susan Eyre want to help Mano a Mano build 100 hospitals in Bolivia.
Refreshments will be served. Sales are by cash or check only. For details, call (815) 338-7442 or visit richsfoxwillowpines.com.