‘Wow…what a yard sale’ starts Thursday

As Judy Crowley looked around inside the Rawls Warehouse building she didn’t know which treasure to point out first.

There is a table loaded with antique crystal and china. There is a corner of the room filled with sofas, ottomans, desks, wrought iron patio furniture and gilt trimmed mirrors. In another corner, tables are piled high with quilts for beds of all sizes. There is sports equipment in another corner. Clothing for men, women and children of all sizes fill rack after rack across the back half of the warehouse. Books fill shelves that line the other half of the back wall. An arbor of silk Christmas trees lines a section of the room, including one tree that is 12 feet tall. “That was donated from a church,” Crowley explained. “Donations from the community have been amazing.

“We have had hundreds of beautiful Christmas items donated,” Crowley added. “The area looks like Santa's workshop.

“All of these treasures are donations from the wonderful people in our community,” Crowley said. “And donations will keep coming until the noon deadline Wednesday, June 1.”

Crowley is the executive director of the Coffee County Family Services Center and she is among those preparing for the organization’s third three-day warehouse yard sale June 2-4 that will benefit the family services center. “The community has opened their hearts, arms and their wallets to help us,” Crowley said, adding special thanks to the Coffee County Commission and the city of Enterprise for lending the display tables, TJ Maxx for the use of the clothing racks and Billy Cotter for donating use of the Rawls Warehouse building.

Banners hang from the warehouse show window on Main Street proclaiming the three-day fundraiser that begins Thursday, June 2, with a ticket-holders-only presale as simply, “Wow…What a Yard Sale!”

The Coffee County Family Services Center raised more than $20,000 during their first community fundraiser. “We are really hoping to do that again,” Crowley said.

All money earned will go to operation of the center on West Brunson Street in Enterprise whose mission is to support and strengthen families by providing a coordinated network to support self –sufficiency, Crowley said. “We are not a government agency and our free programs and services are largely funded through grants,” which Crowley is responsible for writing.

Due to across-the-board cuts in the world of grants, funding is less available and when available, is for less money, Crowley said. “Every grant requires recipient match money. They give you part of it and you have to come up with the rest.

“Wow…What a Yard Sale” kicks off June 2 at the old Rawls Warehouse on Main Street with a ticket-holders-only presale from 6-9 p.m. A $10 ticket is required to attend Thursday’s presale. Tickets can be purchased at the Family Services Center, at the Rawls Warehouse door before the sale or from a Family Services Center board member.

The regular sale begins Friday, June 3, at 9 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m.

The warehouse will re-open Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. until noon, when it will close for an hour as organizers re-group and re-organize. When doors reopen at 1 p.m., all items will be for sale at half price until the sale end at 4 p.m.

According to Crowley, donations can be made until noon Wednesday, June 1. Donated items can be brought to the warehouse or to have larger items picked up, call 393-8538.

“It’s not just Enterprise this benefits, it’s all of Coffee County,” Crowley said. “Family Services does so much to touch the lives of people in our community.”

In addition to the assessment and referral counseling which helps families with finding resources to meet their needs and providing assistance with finding solutions to family programs and planning for family stability, the CCFSC also provides home visits, support groups and referrals for parents from age 20 to 27 years old.

In addition to providing breast cancer education and information, CCFSC also provides access to free clinical breast exams and mammograms for uninsured women 40 years of age and older.

The CCFSC Fatherhood Initiative is a comprehensive program for noncustodial fathers to assist them in finding and keeping employment, resolution of health and stability issues and parenting skills. Group and individual parenting classes are also offered on a regular basis.

The CCFSC’s juvenile redirection program is a comprehensive intervention program for families whose children are involved with the Coffee County Juvenile Court.

CCFSC’s special projects include the annual Coffee County Breast Cancer Forum, free tax preparation, Toys for Tots, School Backpack Blessings and the Annie’s Christmas Dinner.

All donations to the CCFSC are tax deductible. People can sign up to volunteer to help at the event by either calling family services at (334) 393-8538 or by messaging them through their Coffee County Family Services Center Facebook page.