Join hairdresser, Steven Ward, and his incredible colorists for a makeover fit for a glamorous New York star.  This package for four women includes a full color appointment with the professional salon colorists as well as a cut by Steven himself.  After your cut and color, enjoy a delightful afternoon of fun with your four friends as Steve styles you for a night on the town. Wine and beauty will be yours for the afternoon.   With transportation provided by Event Shuttle Service, round out your day with a lunch or dinner for four at the beach destination, South Beach Grill, located on Wrightsville Beach overlooking the Banks Channel.  The South Beach menu includes local fare and provides a delicious alternatives for everyone!  Enjoy incredible hair products as from Steven Ward Salon, includes:  Unite MaxControl Spray, Go 24.7 Control Spray, Unite Conditioner, Unite Session Whip, Unite Shampoo, Unite Beach Day Texturizer. 

Elizabeth Singletary is an artist with heart who supports our efforts to find a cure for type one diabetes.  In her second year of donating a beautiful collage piece to our live auction, she recognizes the ongoing necessity to raise funds for research.  Her JDRF commissioned pieces inspire HOPE that one day a cure will be found.  Elizabeth is no stranger to service in the community and was chosen as the featured artist of the North Carolina Azalea Festival in 2013. Her interpretation of azaleas and butterflies became the official festival poster, for which she received a bronze medal in an international competition. The poster was the first-ever to sell out in the festival's 65-year history. Commissions have been pouring in ever since.

The colorful bits and pieces of Elizabeth’s life are imitated in her chosen art form of collage—a mix of down-home charm and sweeping sophistication.  “I have always loved paper so it makes sense to me. I use magazines to create my art. I glue torn pieces of magazine onto canvas. I rip as I go, flipping through the pages looking for the right color. When I am creating, I really cannot see what I have done till it dries. It is always a surprise,” she says.

Her great appreciation for nature is incorporated in her artwork, which she describes as “painting with paper.” She works alone, with music playing in the background, and offers up a prayer that her works will be full of light and inspire happiness. She hides secret imagery in each piece, giving gazers a happy little hunt-and-find exercise each time they look at her collages. This fun and lively approach to art has garnered much attention in the short time she has taken to the craft.

Halifax County, NC Travel north to Halifax County, NC to 2,000+ acres of managed food plots, fields, swamp land, and open timber.  Your hunting crew will find some of North Carolina’s best turkey hunting habitat! The Wild Turkey Getaway includes up to 2 days of hunting with 2-3 nights stay available with world class lodging.  Expect great meals, and expert guides to accompany you during the entire morning hunt.  Experience ground blinds or spot and stalk for afternoon hunts. Included in the package is a gorgeous hand carved turkey call to help with your hunting success.  Handcrafted by master craftsman, Ralph Jensen, this item will be sure to be a beautiful souvenir of your North Carolina hunting trip.   Outside of hunting, fishing is available in several ponds and in the six miles of Fishing Creek where you find proven success with the Spring Shad run, Bream, Crappie, Catfish, and Largemouth Bass!  Whether you are looking for a getaway for friends, couples, or with your son or daughter, this trip is for you!  The owner is flexible with hunting dates and numbers of guests.  Only 3-6 people may actually hunt but there are accommodations for more. The trip includes a bourbon basket for evening enjoyment.  Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to spend quality time with friends and family while hunting and fishing in eastern North Carolina.  Enjoy a basket of snacks and Wild Turkey to complete your stay!

Hope Rising
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Size: 60"x48"

Artist Abigail Blackerby Mattis understands firsthand how much we need a cure for type one diabetes.  In 2011 she married Michael Mattis and became a stepmom to two precious kids. The oldest, Eve, is a Type 1 Diabetic.  Abi has graciously and lovingly learned about this challenging disease and taken it on together with Michael and Eve.  Abi has become proficient at managing diabetes including changing sites, managing Eve's insulin pump and calculating bolus ratios.  She has been an incredible source of empowerment to Eve encouraging her to take on every day life with hope and dignity.  Abi has been a beautiful gift and wonderful compliment to Michael and she has developed affectionate relationships with both Eve and her younger brother Stephen.   Abi and Eve share the love of art and together they continue to explore and create art through various art mediums.

As a child Abi’s parents had a great interest in art and design. Her parents provided many tools of the trade for Abi to express herself and encouraged her to experiment with different artistic techniques and mediums. Her parent’s own artistic mediums inspired her artwork.  Abi never thought art would continue to be such a large part of her life as she progressed into college. After a few semesters as a design and art major at Marymount University, Abi transferred to UNC-W where she actually begin to explore painting. Abi graduated from UNCW in 2007 with a degree in Art and an emphasis in Marketing. 

Abi’s work in acrylic has been a marvelous medium for her colorful expression. Using overlays of lines, squares, triangles with multiple dabbing, scraping and stroking techniques, she's able to sectionalize foreground and background levels of imagery. Her bold use of color offer some interesting and refreshing perspectives.  Currently Abi and her family live in Wilmington, NC. You can find her work throughout Wilmington in PPD, doctor offices, restaurants and local residences. 

Can you hear the Zydeco and Jazz in the air?  Enjoy this two night stay for two couples in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana!  The Ritz Carlton New Orleans provides the ultimate in Deep South comfort with a Cajun flair.  Experience the Crescent City%u2019s Southern hospitality and unforgettable style from the edge of the French Quarter. Featuring a world-class spa, a signature restaurant, live jazz entertainment, impeccable service and exceptional amenities; this luxury New Orleans hotel sets the standard for elegance while offering guests a magnificent retreat in the heart of downtown New Orleans. 

Sculptor August Rodin once commented that, “the main thing [in life] is to be moved, to love, to hope.”  Our children with T1D remind us each and every day to be moved, to love, and to hope that one day we will find a cure from a disease that affects every aspect of their lives.  Local artist, Michael Van Hout, understands that vision.  He guided our group of ten children to create an amazing sculpture from crepe myrtle branches, nails, and hope.  This horse sculpture represents the vitality of our mission to find a cure for diabetes as we gallop into the future of medicine through JDRF funding.  Michael Van Hout is well-known for his metalwork and sculptures, which are widely exhibited throughout the state. The Cameron Art Museum has hosted a corps of his giraffes and a zeal of his zebras; the education building and library at UNC-Wilmington are home to several of his aquatic installations; and two of the state´s aquariums feature his underwater creations, swimming right alongside the real thing. His installations are displayed on site at several area elementary schools-a map of the world at Forest Hills, sea life at Ogden, and a tree of life at Winter Park-as well as at the Children´s Museum of Wilmington and Airlie Gardens. A graduate of UNC-Greensboro, Michael has recently added the human form with an emphasis on portrait heads and seated figures to his subject matter. He is a full-time studio artist with space at ACME Art, and his work is exhibited at several galleries throughout the state.