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March 28th, 2024

tipsy artist fundraiser preview courtesy photoCourtesy photoELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Costs of higher education are rising every year and soon, local sorority Beta Sigma Phi will be hosting an event to help some lucky Liberal High School seniors defray some of their upcoming college costs. 

This year's event, which will again feature the Tipsy Artist, will be from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26 at the Seward County Ag Building and the cost is $45 per person. People can get tickets from any sorority member or they can call coordinator Cyndi Kruse at 620-629-0756 to get tickets.

“Beta Sigma Phi every year has a fundraiser which sees all the proceeds go toward a scholarship fund for graduating seniors at Liberal High School who apply for this scholarship,” Kruse said. “This year we're having the Tipsy Artist coming back and this event is an exciting time where everyone who comes can create some great artwork with different aids and guidance. This year's artwork will be great because it's something that can actually be personalized so people can complete it however they want, and that always turn out very well. It's a couple fun hours on a Sunday afternoon to create something for you. All of the proceeds will go to our scholarship fund so not only are you having fun creating this artwork, you're also helping students in Liberal. We're creating new pictures and it'll a fun time to sit and enjoy with friends and/or family. We'll also provide some snacks and other refreshments for everyone who comes and it'll be a very fun Sunday afternoon.”

Kruse said having the Tipsy Artist involved with the sorority’s fundraiser has been great the past few years. 

“We've had successful events with the Tipsy Artist coming and we wanted to bring her back. We've tried other fundraisers in the past – which were successful – but they weren't as successful as the ones we've had with the Tipsy Artist's involvement. So we wanted to bring her back for another year and we're thinking next year we'll be trying something new,” Kruse said. “Last year was very successful, we had more than 100 people who made it. We have good participation with our fundraisers and it was great seeing all those people there. I'm hoping we'll have about the same number of people, or even more – we can accommodate 200 people in the ag building for this and we'd love to see that many people there. And the more money we raise, the more scholarships we can give out to graduating seniors.”

Kruse added there are several factors that make the annual fundraiser so rewarding to host. 

“There's a few things. First off, we get a lot of delight and satisfaction out of seeing students be able to have some additional funds for higher education especially when costs and fees keep going up for those things year after year,” Kruse said. “Another thing that's equally delightful is seeing how much fun the participants have in creating their own artwork – each piece is unique to that person and has different colors and other details that represent them, so no two works are alike and that's awesome to see. Another thing with our sorority is having that satisfaction of having hosted a successful event  and knowing we did everything right to help raise these funds for these graduating seniors. Like other fundraisers, we're looking to raise as much money as we can and however much we raise is what we raise. But we already have seven applicants for our scholarships, and we like to give out $500 scholarships and with seven applicants, that's already $3,500, so we really want this to be a successful event so these students can get the scholarships they need. And the great thing about these scholarships is there are no strings attached to them and there are no requirements – they can be used at SCCC here in town, they can be used at a college out of state or out of town. We do not specify where or how it can be used, it's a scholarship to be used toward higher education for that student however they choose and at whatever school they choose.”

Overall, Kruse said, she is excited to see how this year’s event will turn out. 

“I'm looking forward to seeing the artwork that comes out of this, I love seeing all the different creativity that comes from things like this. And you get to personalize it to your wants and there are a lot of options, and that individuality is something else that should be really fun for people,” Kruse said. “I'm just really looking forward to this year's event, the Tipsy Artist has done a great job with us in the past and I don't foresee that being any different this time around. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with and we hope we'll see a lot of people out there for this!”