Under the distinguished patronage of Their Excellencies, Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams, the Antigua and Barbuda Sickle Cell Association hosted a very special event: a fundraising auction at Government House, showcasing the work of our Sheltered Workshop patients. Our patients’ hand-made crafts were displayed alongside pieces done by select artists. Mosaics, embroidery, ladies’ s wear, tie-dye, purses, paintings and more were up for bids.

It was a truly enjoyable, lovely evening. It is humbling and heartwarming that a few guests actually came from abroad to be there. While some of our guests have been supporting us for years, others were new to Sickle Cell Disease and were faced with the magnitude of our patients’ challenges and needs for the first time.

The evening was a success in all respects: in terms of fundraising, generating awareness and supporting our patients, which is invaluable. We were able to raise some much needed funds, and every patient earned something from selling their hand-crafted work. Just as importantly, their work was appreciated – being able to create something of value is an uplifting experience. We are very proud of our workshop patients and happy for the recognition they received that night. Our guests had a great time and left with some beautiful, hand-crafted pieces.

This fundraising auction was also the start of our new sponsorship programme. Please have a look at our donor prospectus (under “Contributions”) for more information on the Sickle Cell Association’s work and projects within the community, as well as our budget, expenditures and needs.

We are exceedingly grateful to Government House for facilitating this event. Their beautiful, elegant ambience and attention to detail made the evening special and memorable. As a token of our appreciation, we gifted Government House with one of the most impressive works on display: a beautiful table runner, with Antigua’s coat of arms hand-embroidered on both ends. The patient who created it has become a true artist with the embroidery needle, well deserving of this acknowledgement.

A big thank you to Brydens, who donated the wine bar, and to Paperclips for their immense help and patience with the printing of our donor prospectus. Thank you!

To the artists who donated some of the art work and to the AUA students who came out to help. And finally, thank you to Mill Reef Fund, without whose recurrent grant the workshop would not exist in the first place!