Photos from AMACO Bottles of Hope Summer 2007 Awards

Photos from AMACO Bottles of Hope Summer 2007 Awards

(L-R) Lisa Pavelka with winners Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg, Tommie Howell, Dee Dye, Angela Fadragas of Gilda's Club Chicago, and TCHA's Julie Stephani. Winners not shown: Karen Mitchell, Jane Linn and Patricia Lynn Hillman.

Today's Creative Home Arts Managing Editor Julie Stephani and designer, author, and TV personality Lisa Pavelka headed up an emotional awards ceremony at CHA Summer 2007 in Rosemont when winners were announced for the AMACO Bottles of Hope Designers Challenge that benefited Gilda's Club Chicago. Both remarkable women were presented with Community Leadership Awards by AMACO for inspiration, professional excellence, and community building. To see the Top 25 finalists, the winners' entries, and to learn more about Gilda's Club, click "Bottles of Hope" Summer 2007

Julie Stephanie is presented by Andrew Carter the AMACO Community Leadership Award for her exemplary career navigating the craft industry through new technologies and mediums and for inspirational leadership through personal example.

At AMACO, we have all been deeply honored to support "Bottles of Hope"-the grassroots movement for decorating bottles once used in chemotherapy treatments and then gifting them to cancer patients and their families, with messages of hope. In the process our community has expanded through this adventure in caring to include hundreds of designers. And as a result, AMACO has helped numerous charities: American Cancer Society, Gilda's Club Chicago, Edward Hospital Foundation/Cancer Center Program (Naperville, IL), City of Hope, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre (East Melbourne, Australia), and Hasbro Children's Hospital (Providence, RI). Each winner specifies their own personal choice of charitable organizations to receive their winning checks. The cycle of giving continues.

Angela Fadragas of Gilda's Club Chicago thanks designers, attendees and AMACO for their support of the very unique "club" that offers a variety of creative programs for "members".

The winners of the AMACO Bottles of Hope Designers Challenge CHA-Summer 2007 were: Best Use of FIMO-- Jane Linn, Best Mixed Media-- Karen Mitchell, Best Expression of Hope-- Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg, People's Choice Winner-- Dee Dye, Best Children's Theme--Patricia Lynn Hillman, and Best of Show--Tommie Howell.

(right) "Best of Show" winner Tommie Howell enjoys the awards ceremony with past 2-time winner Scott Mizevitz, who selected Gilda's Club Chicago as recipient of the Summer 2007 "Bottles of Hope" entries and on-line auction proceeds.

Dee Dye wins "People's Choice" award, selected by employees of AMACO.






If you are interested in creating Bottles of Hope, don't miss these top ten tips from past winner Helen Bradley and 3-time Top 25 finalist Michelle Zimmerman.

For more information, please visit www.bottlesofhope.org.

Special thanks to Helen Bradley for providing Award photos.