Wine and Design to Support Patients Battling Serious Illness with Upcoming Fundraiser on February 28th

ASHEVILLE, NC, February 27, 2012 (Press-News.org) Wine and Design Asheville is partnering with Arts For Life to raise money for patients and their families dealing with a serious illness. The painting party company will be hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30pm. The cost of the two-hour painting event is $35, with proceeds going to help support Arts For Life's educational art programs for young patients and families in the community who are battling cancer and other serious illnesses.

Arts For Life (www.aflnc.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides educational art programs to individual's facing a serious illness. Through its programs, Arts For Life enriches patients' lives, nurtures their minds and spirits, and encourages positive healthcare experiences for children and their families. The organization currently helps children every day in four cities across North Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, and Winston-Salem.

Under Program Director Annie Rogers, Arts For Life Asheville operates out of the Mission Hospital/Mission Reuter Children's Outpatient Center. Rogers and her team of interns, artist fellows, and volunteers provide over 130 hours of direct art lessons to young patients at Mission Hospital each week. They teach lessons at waiting room art stations and at patients' bedsides. Programs include Clinic Art Station (AFL operates two art stations five days a week for eight hours each day at the Zeis Clinic and the Huff Center), a monthly Oncology Support Group, Inpatient Art Lessons, a Fellowship Program, Internship Program, Individual Music Lessons, and a Volunteer Program.

Arts For Life Assistant Director, Rachel Zink, heard about Wine and Design through a mutual friend of hers and Wine and Design Asheville owner, Ece Okar. She says that fundraising events are vital to Arts For Life, in both funds raised and community awareness, and that the nonprofit tries to offer a few different events throughout the year to appeal to all of their supporters.

"We are so fortunate to have businesswomen, like Ece, in our community who make giving back part of their business model," says Zink. "As a nonprofit, we know there's not a lot of 'extra' to go around, so we're especially grateful to business owners who make supporting local nonprofits a priority. We are so very excited about the Wine and Design fundraiser! What better fit is there for an evening of painting than with Arts for Life?"

Okar opened Wine and Design Asheville in December 2011. The studio provides canvas, aprons, paints, paintbrushes, cups, and corkscrew and attendees provide a beverage of his or her choosing. First-time painters, aspiring artists, or self-proclaimed pro's browse the studio's website to find a painting they would like to replicate. The painting sessions start at $35 per person and are led by a local artist that guides participants through a carefully-orchestrated, step-by-step process that promises "memories and a masterpiece" in two hours. Okar is hoping for a great turnout and encourages everyone to "sign up, sip up, and support a very worthwhile cause."

"I'm really excited to partner with Arts For Life because it's an incredible organization," says Okar. "With Arts For Life, children that have been sick and sad for so long have a breath of fresh air and enjoy the moment with so many creative projects. I'm looking forward to helping out in any way I can and hope that this will be just the first of many fundraisers that we'll be doing together."

To register for the Arts For Life fundraiser, visit http://www.wineanddesignnc.com/asheville or call (828) 255-2442.

About Wine and Design
Wine and Design provides "memories and a masterpiece" in just two hours. Painting sessions are led by a local artist who provides step-by-step instructions to first-time painters, aspiring artists, or self-proclaimed pro's that result in an individualized work of art. Wine and Design accepts general reservations, books private parties, and hosts fundraisers with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the cause. For more information, call (828) 255-2442 or visit their website at http://www.wineanddesignnc.com/asheville.

Media Contacts:
Louise Cottrell
FireBrand Marketing, Inc.
(919) 848-1025
louisec@firebrandmarketing.com

Rachel Zink, Assistant Director
Arts For Life
(828) 712-8120
rachelaflnc@gmail.com