It is sometimes difficult to give special thanks, we appreciate everyone that helps make our event a successful fundraiser while still providing a fun time for those that participate.  We certainly don't want to take a chance that we might offend or minimize the contributions given by all.  We also have enough respect for our contributors and vendors to know that they understand the "business end" of giving thanks such as these. 

     If you have ever been involved in a project such as this, you know that printing is one of the tough obstacles to overcome.  I can only speak for myself (Lee Duncan), but I am certain that all committee members feel the same. The vendors are always (rightfully) hoping for some return for their investment; I'm really frugal (okay, cheap) when it comes to taking money from the kids to spend on something I can get for free with enough asking, so I am using this opportunity to ask that if you are in need of a printer or web and computer services, please consider one of the following Union shops:

Signature Promotions, Sheri McOmber, 503-769-5376, signaturepromo@yahoo.com
     Sheri has been with us since the beginning; she had her contacts fine tune the artwork (we use for everything) and gave us a deal (that knocked our socks off) on the shirts and pins we sell at the event.  We had contacted a few shops, she was willing not only to provide a price we couldn't refuse, but her company picked up all the set up charges and such for us.

Markon Signs, Liz or Cliff, 360-695-5368, markon@unions-america.com
     Markon has also been with us from the first year; they donated all the signage we use for the event.  The quality of the material was more than I expected (or even asked for) for free!  I asked Liz if they would also make the presentation check we use, she said yes!  As an aside, if you are over in Vancouver and want to see some beautiful paintings in one of the most interesting shops I have seen, stop by and see the great folks at Markon.  Plus, they had a couple nice Harleys there to appreciate last time I was there.

Witham and Dickey, Claire, 503-235-6080, claire@withamanddickey.com
     When we started the bike raffle in 2005, we asked for their help with raffle tickets.  We were hoping for a reduced cost; but they jumped right in with a big splash!  They tweaked design, printed and donated the raffle tickets for the bike.  Also, the timing wasn't great on our part, the political season was winding down, they were swamped with paying customers... one of the employees told me he was working on the weekend to hand number the tickets.  Since that first request, they have donated the tickets each year!

Mike Evans and Ilene Ferrell
     These two designed and donated our original web site design!  Talk about a huge help, Mike and Ilene are great friends and members of IBEW 48.  I asked, they jumped on it and had it done before I got to sending over a "sample" page of what I thought it might look like.  I liked their ideas better, in fact, we decided that they'll do web stuff, and I'll stick to asking folks to help us help the kids at Doernbecher.