Nonprofit for Special Needs Hosts June 22 Wine Tasting in Farmington

A June 22 wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser at St. John Lutheran Church in Farmington will unveil a new nonprofit for people with disabilities.

Our Special Needs is hosting the event to raise funds to repay the loan on its newly created Web site, ourspecialneeds.org, and to showcase the site, which enables qualified candidates to request funding for specific needs, and allows donors to receive tax deductions for their assistance. 

The sommelier-led wine tasting at St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Road in Farmington, will run from 4:30 p to 7:30 p.m. and includes six wines, light hors d’oeuvres, (crackers, cheese, fruit) and a chocolate and coffee bar dessert. There will also be an auction of spa gift baskets, hot air balloon rides, hair cuts, $50 dinner gift cards, authentic Mexican cooking classes, massages, house cleaning, personal organizer services, original art and much more.

Advance tickets are $25 and can be ordered by calling or texting 248-459-9828 or emailing kerrie.kelly@ourspecialneeds.org. Tickets will also be available at the door for $30. 

Kerrie Kelly, a former special education teacher who chairs the organization, founded Our Special Needs when she realized how often friends and family members provide financial assistance for friends and family, yet don’t receive the same tax deduction they would had they helped a stranger or donated to a charity.

“The final stage in the development of Our Special Needs is to complete the Web site, as it will be the point of connection for people with disabilities and their network of support,” Kelly said. “At www.ourspecialneeds.org, people with disabilities can register, become candidates and request that a specific individual need be filled. Friends and family can network by sharing the link and asking for support. In this way, people who donate know that their money is going to support a specific need of someone with a disability. Donors maximize their money by receiving a tax deduction and the satisfaction of assisting someone they know and care about.”  

Kelly said she’s hoping the June 22 wine tasting and silent auction will raise $3,100 to repay a generous loan for the creation of the Web site. Anything in excess of that will go toward helping the organization’s first beneficiary, a heart transplant recipient who’s fallen on hard times.

“Even without the site completed, we could not wait to start helping,” she said. 

Our Special Needs has so far raised $200 to help Judy Parrish, who’s awaiting a heart transplant at University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. The wife and mother of two has a heart that’s functioning at only 10 percent, and because of recent job losses, she has a $900 per month private health insurance premium to pay in order to continue receiving the medical care she desperately needs. Our Special Needs hopes to fund one year’s worth of premiums for Parrish, which will get her through until government assistance kicks in. 

Our Special Needs Vice Chair Stephen Trembath, Jr., has a special needs son and knows what it’s like to rely on friends and family for support. “Through the years, we’ve been blessed with family and friends who have played a role in meeting my son’s needs and the needs of his direct family,” he said. “Had they been able to use those contributions as a tax deduction, they most certainly would have. We’re hoping we can help Judy – and others with special needs -- by providing a simple way to solicit help and a secure Web site that collects tax-deductible donations.”

Learn more at www.ourspecialneeds.org.

Source: Our Special Needs press release