Angel wings sells pies, joins Payette Chamber

Angel Wings Network held its second annual Pi-Day sale on Thursday, March 14, with 109 pies donated to the cause.

 Pi-Day is held every year around the world on March 14 to celebrate the most studied number in mathematics, 3.14. 

 It was founded in 1988 by Larry Shaw, an employee of the San Francisco science museum, the Exploratorium.

 Celebrations often involve eating pies.

 The nonprofit cancer support organization sold them from its office on Main Street to benefit the Angel Riders, the group’s equestrian outreach component. 

 Specifically, the Angel Riders will use the money to help fund its annual “Horsin’ Around with the Angel Riders” day to be held Saturday, June 15 at Fred Hust Arena in Weiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 Last week’s pie sale resulted in approximately $2,000 for the Angel Riders to use for the event.

 “It was just wonderful,” said Angel Wings Executive Director Mabel Dobbs of the sale. “Last year, I think we raised about $1,300 and had somewhere around 60 or 65 pies. The Angel Riders have a tough time raising money, so last year, at a board meeting, someone spoke up and said it would be great to have a fundraiser for them because they represent Angel Wings in a really nice manner and that’s how it started.”

 “We ride in parades and represent Angel Wings Network, creating another avenue for people to know we are out there for them if they are battling cancer,” said Angel Riders Director Toni Burnett in February.

 The public is invited to join the Angel Riders and their horses on June 15 for a horseback ride around the arena, participate in stick horse races (for kids and adults), meet Patron the Donkey and the Weenie Dog herd and, hopefully, to meet “Chance” the rodeo Clown this year. 

 There will also be various farm animals that people can pet and interact with, similar to a petting zoo.

 Those choosing to take a horse ride or participating in the events will need to sign a liability release form.

Payette Chamber

 Also on March 14, Angel Wings hosted a ribbon cutting, marking the group’s membership into the Payette Chamber of Commerce, which will help with visibility in that area.

 “We serve all of those communities and we just felt we needed to be part of the Payette Chamber because it’s a great way to get the message out that we are here to help the people of Payette,” Dobbs said. “We have belonged to the Ontario Chamber for a number of years and, of course, we have been members of the Fruitland Chamber the last four or five years.”

 The Fruitland Chamber of Commerce named Angel Wings Network its 2023 Nonprofit of the Year.

 “It’s just a great way for people in the community to find out about Angel Wings because as much as we think everybody knows who we are, not everyone does,” Dobbs said.

Online Auction items are needed:

 It’s time for the 2024 Angel Wings spring fundraiser, which consists of two components: the Angel Wings Online Auction and the Idaho Gives campaign.

 Idaho Gives is an annual online giving event benefiting nonprofits across the state. People have the opportunity to donate to their favorites beginning April 29, with the event ending May 2, according to its website at www.idahogives.org. 

 Angel Wings, which participates annually, has paired it with the group’s online auction, which will go live April 22 and end on May 2 at 6 p.m. The organization needs all donated items for the auction by April 1 to allow volunteers time to take pictures of the items, write brief summaries about them, and upload them to the online auction site.

 More details on the annual spring event will be included in an upcoming story in the Signal American.