Rare Chair Affair - Bid Farewell to Breast Cancer

The following press releases give detailed information on some of WBCC's more newsworthy achievements and details related to the Rare Chair Affair.

Contact : Dawn Anderson
WBCC Program Coordinator
(office) 414-963-2103
(cell) 414-218-2814

8th Annual “Rare Chair Affair” to benefit Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition

The Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition is hosting its annual Rare Chair Affair on Friday, September 28 at Brynwood Country Club.

The Rare Chair Affair features the most unique and moving voice auction of any event in the area. Each year, one of a kind chairs created by breast cancer survivors are voice-auctioned off to the highest bidder. Over the summer, 17 women have met as a group 2 or 3 times a week with an artist advisor, Kyle Zubatsky of River Hills, to turn cast off chairs into works of art. The results are always stunning examples of the joy of survivorship. Georgia Fitzwilliams is one of the artists who has this to say about her experience:

“I wish I could say that I had this great creative moment when I looked at my chairs in their native form, and was able to transform that moment into a great masterpiece, but that didn’t happen. I recall looking at them and not seeing anything but cute old chairs. It was the intervention of everyone in that room that provided the creative inspiration that turned these chairs into an expression of love, support and understanding for a cause that has become all too common place in the lives of women everywhere. But for the support and guidance of all the women in that room, my chairs would have remained cute old chairs with just a new coat of paint.

Another woman, Phyllis Holder, used the experience to bolster her sagging spirits and challenge herself physically to use an arm affected by breast cancer surgery:

Being blessed with the ability to hold on tight to life during two years of cancer related treatments, the blues really caught me off guard this summer. Really, everything was gray. I had noticeably lost my sunny disposition….The long and short of my story is that I AM STILL HERE. The blues didn't get the best of me either! Volunteering to be a survivor artist was a way of challenging myself to use my arm and clear my mind. It was wonderfully cathartic and affirming. To be free to just be and create provided a needed way to hold on, just when I felt like I was losing my grip. This experience was truly a gift. My chair, my sunburst chair, reminded me to enjoy all the colors of living, to be grateful for all the textures, and to not let negativity creep into my consciousness. Blue is an awesome color too.

This year’s honorary co-chairperson is a male breast cancer survivor – Robert Cohen – who will speak about his experience prior to the auction. “I chose to be involved with the Rare Chair Affair and the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition to increase awareness of male breast cancer in the Milwaukee and Wisconsin communities,” says Mr. Cohen.

From 6 pm-8:30 pm, a silent auction featuring the work of area artists, sports packages, jewelry and much more takes place. But the highlight of the night is without question, friends, family and art aficionados bidding on the survivors chairs after the silent auction closes.

The Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition is a grassroots advocacy organization whose mission is to unite Wisconsin voices to Stand Up and Speak Out about breast cancer issues through education, collaboration and legislation. More information about WBCC can be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.standupandspeakout.org" www.standupandspeakout.org.

Tickets for the Rare Chair Affair are $60, $70 the day of the event. An hors d’oeuvres buffet and entertainment is included.

Chairs and survivor biographies are available for viewing at www.rarechairaffair.org. Call 414-963-2103 for reservations.

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