By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Maybe the Relay for Life ladies at Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union got their Easter baskets too close to real rabbits because their fertile idea for a fundraiser began breeding like bunnies.
They anticipated putting together three baskets with dollar store items and placing them with merchants to raffle off for $1 a chance or six for $5 so the DAFCU team could hop off to a strong start for the cancer-fighting Relay May 18-19 at the Cass County Fairgrounds in Cassopolis.
Except the baskets took on a life of their own until they had 15, with a 16th promised but not yet arrived Friday afternoon.
Betty Ramsey figured if there were a few baskets, people might find it more appealing to choose which one they wanted to try to win by dropping in their ticket.
The credit union is a leader in Relay year in and year out, "but we don't want to burden our members," Ramsey said.
"It just kind of went from deciding that maybe we should put them at businesses around town to give everybody in Dowagiac an opportunity to get in on it. That's how it all started, then a few businesses made their own baskets. Creekside Greenhouses gave a hanging basket. Movies Movies furnished a bucket of snacks for a 'Night Out at the Movies.' We're making little tags that describe what's in them," visible through the clear wrap donated by Booth's Country Florist.
"I could do probably a million more baskets," Ramsey said. "I'd like to do it every year, since it went so well. It started with $78 donated by my boyfriend and turned into this."
Ramsey said baskets will be displayed at participating businesses, including Division Tire, The Mane Attraction, Dowsett Chiropractic, Scissor Mill, Booth's, Movies Movies, Caruso's Candy Kitchen, Weller Wireless, the Eagles, Murphy's Flowers, Village Floral and DAFCU, but she wants to mix them up so they don't have their own basket.
On Friday, April 13, the baskets and raffle tickets will be retrieved so that winners can be drawn.
"We're going to make Friday the 13th a good (luck) day," added Jo Krizinski.
"The really great thing about this is that it didn't cost us a penny. Even the baskets were donated," Ramsey said. "Sometimes to make money for Relay, you have to spend money, but this ended up totally donations, and this way some were able to contribute" less expensively than for a $250 sponsorship on team shirts.
"Scissor Mill's basket is worth $150. They donated a facial, a pedicure, a manicure and a shampoo and style, plus there are shampoo and conditioner in the basket," Ramsey said. "Some people really went all out for this."
Ramsey has a florist's flair for creating theme baskets, such as one full of pet items, to where people tell her she should open a seasonal business.