Need gifts? Check out Emily's Hopeful Holiday Shop

News-Times reporter

After being diagnosed with acute lymphoblustic leukemia last year, Emily Zichi is not only continuing on her road to recovery, she is also on a quest to raise more money this year to help sick kids and their families at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital this holiday season.

Emily's Hopeful Holiday 2008 will be this Sunday, Nov. 16 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Saint Joseph School Social Hall, 175 St. Joseph Dr.

"It's a great way to start you're Christmas shopping," Emily's mother Laura Zichi said, adding she has been planning this fundraiser since June.

The four home-based businesses who will be featured at the show include:

* Silpada Jewelry, which is run locally by Linda Bertrand of Amherst. The company features sterling silver items as bracelets, earrings, necklaces and watches.

* Southern Living at Home, which is run locally by Chris Whitacre of Amherst. The company features high end ceramic dishes and cups, eating and grilling utensils, serving platters, doorknockers, candles, home decor, along with various styles of plant holders and hangers.

* Tastefully Simple, run locally by Mary Schulz of Amherst. According to their website, the company offers a wide variety of easy-to-prepare gourmet foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen.

* The Body Shop at Home, run locally by Brenda VanDress of Amherst. The company features a wide range of bath and beauty products for both men and women including skin care products, body and home fragrances, shampoos, conditioners and various types of make-up.

"This is something every woman pretty much does. They like to have their home decor, their jewelry, their lotions and their party dips and stuff like that, so that's the reason I chose these four specifically," Zichi said. "I wanted to also keep it small for now just to see how we do because we keep saying we are either going to get 200 or 2,000 people, we have no clue."

All the proceeds raised will go directly to Emily's Hopeful Holiday Fund at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. While the money does not fund research, it helps needy families pay for such things as car payments, utility bills, rent and mortgage payments while their son or daughter is being treated there. Zichi prides herself on the fact this is the first fund of its kind at Rainbow.

"I basically saw firsthand how the money we've raised is really helping people," Zichi said. "The social worker who's actually ours at Rainbow, she kind of evolved in to the Emily's Hopeful Holiday program where she qualifies the applicants and she shoots me e-mails every now and then and gives me a heads-up like we just paid a car payment, we just paid their utilities and it's really an awesome feeling."

Emily's Hopeful Holiday raised nearly $9,000 in cash, $1,000 in gift cards, as well as filling a 17 foot U-Haul truck with toys, games, gift bags, arts and craft supplies and other necessities last year for the families at Rainbow.

In addition to the four businesses, there will be nearly 40 gift baskets raffled on Sunday. They include a weekend stay at the Radison Hotel and four tickets to enjoy dinner and a comedy show at Pickwick and Frolic valued at $255; a gift certificate for a message and a hair cut from Belleza Salon and Spa in Amherst valued at $135; a basket of gift certificates from Church Street Bar and Grill, Dairy Queen, Olde Town Pizza, Ziggy's, Roxy's Reads and Remnants, plus Boyd's bears from Ridgeville Collectibles, Perk Avenue donated a coffee and the Amherst Fire Department donated some smoke detectors and other items in this basket which is a valued at $190; A "Pamper Me, Me, Me" basket which includes a spa treatment, a hair cut, bath and body products, candles, picture frames, chocolates and a Target and an Old Navy gift card, which is worth $200; and two tickets to the Cavilers vs. the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, Nov. 22 at The Q valued at $480. Raffle tickets cost $10 for an arm's length of tickets.

"I'm like loving all of my baskets," Zichi said, adding there will also be a 50/50 raffle. The cost will be $5 for a total of six tickets or a dollar per ticket. There will also be what is called an "Exclusive Prize Basket" valued at nearly $550 up for grabs.

"To qualify for the drawing, a person would have to have spent $25 at each of the four home show consultants and each additional $25 spent will earn that person another ticket for the prize basket," she said.

Zichi added they will also be accepting cash donations and they can be mailed to St. Joseph School, C/O Emily's Hopeful Holiday, 175 St. Joseph Dr., in Amherst.

Emily is also the Make-A-Wish Foundation's child for the "Things Remembered" sponsorship for there nearly 600 stores nationwide. Her picture can be seen in their catalog and in their stores next to items the Chicago-based company will be selling such as a 2008 snowflake ornament and musical water globe, along with a Make-A-Wish candle and a keepsake box. A portion of those proceeds will benefit the Phoenix-based foundation.

Last year, Emily and her mother were the recipients of the American Cancer Society's Living Angel Award for their continuous effort in raising money on behalf of families needing financial assistance at Rainbow. Zichi hopes they will be able to pack the house this weekend to benefit Emily's worthy cause.

Emily is currently a third grader at St. Joseph's School. Her ongoing chemotherapy treatments will end on June 15, 2009.