A local family’s popular sunflower-themed fundraiser for the St. Anthony Regional Cancer Center is back this weekend near Mt. Carmel. Mark Nepple, his mother, Deb, and their family started the fundraiser as a tribute to family members and their struggles with cancer.
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Now in its fourth year, the Sunflowers: Share Light & Give Hope event raised a remarkable $9,000 in its first year, $11,000 in its second, and more than $12,000 in its third. They originally offered fresh-cut sunflower bouquets for a free-will donation, but Nepple says it has grown into so much more.
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The activities begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, at the Nepple Farm at 19813 140th St., just east of Mt. Carmel. The Nepple family could never have dreamed that Sunflowers: Share Light & Give Hope could have become what it is today. He says there is just something about sunflowers that draws people in.
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In addition to the bouquets, they have handmade crafts and silent auction items available for visitors to purchase or bid on. Nepple says they want everybody to enjoy their event on Sunday, so they’ve arranged to have golf carts and UTVs available to help folks with mobility concerns. The funds raised during Sunflowers: Share Light & Give Hope support the St. Anthony Regional Cancer Center, which provides much-needed assistance to patients and families undergoing treatment at the facility.