The word footsteps is one of those words that has such symbolic meaning. It can connote, the prints that are left behind in the sand that are clearly visible when one walks. It can connote the sound that one’s feet makes when one walks. It can also represent the way one has lived and someone wanting to act or live up to the way that person has lived. The charitable organization Fred’s Footsteps means all of the above, founded in memory of CEO and President of Independence Blue Cross, Fred DiBona Jr. From their mission statement on their website you can can only image that Fred walked with footsteps that were firmly left in the sand for his family and others to follow in. You can imagine that those footsteps were confident ones, based on his accomplishments in his life, yet they were quiet as well, leaving little sound for he did not bask in the attention of others for those accomplishments. That is what Fred’s Footsteps, is founded on, those attributes that help children and hard working families who find themselves in need of financial assistance due to the crisis of caring for a seriously ill, injured or disabled child.  

Below are links to 3 videos that introduced us to Fred’s Footsteps. We’re sharing them with you so that we may introduce you more deeply into their organization. We would also like to thank all of you who attended our Preview Party and Barn Sale, because in doing so, a portion of your purchases here, were donated to Fred’s Footsteps.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

We, at Life’s Patina, were deeply affected by the information and videos that were shared with us when we first learned of this organization and were ecstatic to have them as our partner for our past Summer Barn Sale and loved working with them on providing our barn and property as the location for their 2017 Ladies Night Out event that they auctioned off at their annual Gala. It was a true Ladies Night Out with opportunities for the attendees to partake in activities that pampered them and provided new experiences. As many of you know, we love to celebrate and put on events here in the barn that stimulate the senses and make one feel as if they have dropped their troubles for the time they are here to enjoy the environment.  We also love to motivate people to follow in the footsteps of the many hardworking people in our area who labor for the benefit of others. The director of Fred’s Footsteps, Christine DiBona Lobley, daughter of the late Fred DiBona  and her hardworking staff, are such people who put in their time and talents to serve the above mentioned community… and they do it exceedingly well and with compassion and passion… two traits that are evident when speaking to them. 

I wanted to share with you some images of this event as well as expose you to Fred’s Footsteps because they did such an amazing job of bringing some extraordinary vendors here for the night, who created those enjoyable experiences and donated a portion of or all of their expenses for the benefit of Fred’s Footsteps. 

In our Upper Barn, there were makeovers by the Dior team at Bloomingdales King of Prussia and skin care and health demo’s by Young Living Essential Oils…

…. We also welcomed guests to shop our new Summer merchandise…As usual, B&T Catering did a wonderful job catering the evening and the food stations were delicious!

In our Lower Barn, we had sweet treats and coffee, spritzers and flavored waters, and even chair massages….sigh…

In our courtyard, we had tastings by Blake’s Mother’s Cookies….yum!…more shopping…One of the biggest hits of the evening was our Whiskey Tasting and Cocktails Class, hosted by Beam Suntory and 13th Street Cocktails, where our attendees learned the art of tending bar, the importance of using quality ingredients to make quality cocktails, and how to incorporate fresh herbs into their spirits.

 

Armed with new knowledge, a freshly made cocktail, and a planter box full of herbs to take home, each of our attendees left excited to try out their new cocktail recipes on their own.

In addition to the whiskey tasting and cocktails class, 13th Street Cocktails arrived to the event in true farm fashion in their beautifully restored horse-trailer-turned-bar on wheels.

From the vintage candelabras on it’s interior to the reclaimed barn wood adorning it’s floors, we were absolutely in love with their horse trailer bar. To top it all off, their cocktails were to die for.

 

The beautiful night was perfect in every way, from the weather to the experiences to the ultimate goal. We hope that this post inspires you just a little to make beautiful the lives around you through a repertoire of ways. Some of which might be to take the time to participate in ways that rejuvenate you so that you can rejuvenate others, or donating your time and talents to the many organizations that are looking for volunteers out there. We live in a great big world which is made smaller by the bonds that we make in our own communities.

If you are looking for a unique event space for your own fundraising event, you can reach out to us for we might be the right fit. If you have a non profit or charitable organization and you would like to partner with us to give your event a Life’s Patina stamp or work with us as the beneficiary of one of our sales, shoot us an email at maggie@lifespatina.com. Whatever way you want to be a part of walking in someones footsteps… start walking for today is the day!

 

With Love~ Meg