President of the Sunrise Rotary Club hopes to raise awareness by raising a house.
Birdwatchers beware! At 4:00 pm this Saturday, the colorful sights hovering over the city won’t be a rare species of parakeet, recently escaped from the South American Tropical Aviary at the San Francisco Zoo. No need to adjust your binoculars. It really will be a house, and it will be lifted off the ground by thousands of balloons (and help from a few hydraulic lifts).
The idea is the brainchild of Michael Bethke, President of the Sunrise Rotary Club. Bethke had recently read about a ten-year-old girl who had just died of cancer without realizing her last wish—to see the animated Pixar movie, “Up.” It just so happened that his own home on Union Street needed a new foundation, so when he went to see the movie, he came up with an impossible idea. What if he could lift his own house with balloons—17,000 balloons to be exact—and what if he could sell those balloons to raise money for terminally ill children? To his surprise, his wife went along with the idea, and “Raising Hope by Raising a House” was born.
Balloons to raise the house can be acquired at the]http://www.balloonsforhope.com/]the event website[/url] for $20, and inscribed with a message or in memory or in honor of someone. The balloons are being provided by the Wormwood Party Store, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Children’s Hospice. The event will be streamed live to children who will benefit from the event, but who may also be too ill to attend in person. Read More at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
