Members of the Community Helping Hands board and event volunteers pose at the 1980s-themed fundraising event held on March 3 at Chautauqua Suites in Mayville. Bottom row, from left, are Jade Kingsbury and Scott Mekus. Top row, from left, are Pat Sharp, Ian Eastman, Shelly Stahlman, Elizabeth Cipolla, Amanda Geising and Shawn Whitmer.

Community Helping Hands, a not-for-profit organization providing assistance to those needing a “hand up” in the greater Jamestown region since 2001, raised more than $10,000 with a 1980s-themed fundraiser held recently at the Chautauqua Inn and Suites.

Sponsors include Media One; Chautauqua Suites; Advanced Practice Solutions; Allied Alarm Services; Warren’s Hometown Market Shurfine; Jamestown Heating and Air; Jamestown Jackals; New Creation Church; Aces Up Construction; Artone Furniture By Design; El Greco Woodworking; Lutheran, and Lynn Development.

About 10 weeks ago, the Community Helping Hands board debated the feasibility of a 1980s themed fundraising event idea that was previously suggested by Amy Rohler, former Community Helping Hands executive director, prior to her departure in 2017.

“It was something that sounded fun and had the potential to be a big success if we could pull it off in such a short time frame,” said Elizabeth Cipolla, board chairperson. “There was some debate amongst board members because we knew it was a lofty goal and there was a lot to do with very little turnaround time. In the end, we went for it and couldn’t be happier with the outcome. We’re already starting to plan next year’s themed event.”

The entire Chautauqua Inn and Suites staff joined in on the fun and were decked out in their best 1980s looks while they worked throughout the night. The entire event was brought to life by a group of volunteers.

According to Cipolla, the fundraising event couldn’t have come at a better time.

“As a board, we’d been praying about finding funding for some upcoming projects that will surely impact many who rely upon our services. We set a fundraising goal of $8,000 for this event which we knew would be a long shot since we’d never done anything like this before,” she said.

As momentum continued to build in the weeks and days leading up to the event, the goal of $8,000 seemed more like a reality to event volunteers.

“After the event, we totaled everything up and couldn’t believe our eyes. We raised over $10,000 which is twenty five percent more than our original goal,” Cipolla said.

Community Helping Hands exists to help meet the needs of people throughout our region, while empowering them to help themselves and others. For more information, visit www.chhny.org or call 487-1488.

“Many thanks to everyone who came to support our event,” said Shawn Whitmer, interim Community Helping Hands executive director. “We understand how hard people work for their money, and appreciate every dollar spent in support of Community Helping Hands. It is because of our region’s continued support that we are able to give a hand up to hundreds of people each year, who would otherwise have nowhere to turn without the generous giving provided by our donors and volunteers.”