Art and Frame Sale and Auction to
Benefit Wesley Housing and
the Hodges' Work in South Sudan

On February 10 and 11, St. John’s United Methodist Church in Springfield is hosting an Art and Frame Sale and Auction to raise money for Wesley Housing and Steve and Diantha Hodges’ Work in South Sudan. This will be a great opportunity to get a Valentine’s gift for your special someone while supporting important work to develop and preserve affordable housing in Northern Virginia and agricultural and micro-business development in South Sudan.

Longtime supporters of Wesley Housing and of the Hodges (formerly of Jubilee Project in TN), Bob and Ruth Stober are organizing the event and are donating more than 70 items, both framed and unframed, including watercolor prints, sketches, photos, pressed florals, papercuts, needlework, and others.

Each piece will be available for blind (sealed bid) auction and many pieces will also have a Buy It Now price for those who absolutely must have the artwork or frame. There will be pieces priced from $5 and up. Bidders are encouraged to be generous when considering their bid as 100% of the gross proceeds will be donated to Wesley Housing and the Hodges' Work in South Sudan.

How the Sealed Bid Auction Works

You will have the opportunity to submit a bid for any and all pieces of interest to you. For each item, you'll write your name and contact info plus your bid on the bid form and put it in the jar/box for the item. At the close of the event on Saturday, Feb 11th, at noon, the containers will be opened. If the person who submitted the highest bid is still present, they will--after paying for the item by cash or check--take possession of the artwork and/or frame. High bidders not in attendance will be contacted by phone to arrange a time for payment and pickup. Those items not paid for and picked up by Sunday, 2/12, will forfeit their bid and the item will be offered to the next highest bidder.

Buy It Now Price
Many items will have a Buy It Now price. If you want to be sure to get an item and don't want to wait until the end of the Auction period, you have the option of purchasing it for the Buy It Now price and taking it home. For the greatest selection, you will want to come by on Friday evening.

100% of the Proceeds will be Donated to
Wesley Housing and the Hodges' Work in South Sudan

Wesley Housing
There is a critical shortage of affordable housing in Northern Virginia, home of the two wealthiest counties in the U.S. Too many low- and moderate-income individuals and families must forgo nutritious food, critical healthcare, and education in order to pay rent. A single mother with a minimum wage fulltime job has a gross income of only $15,080 a year, $850 less than the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the DC metro area.

Wesley Housing's mission is to develop, own, operate, and preserve affordable housing with supportive services for low- and moderate-income families and individuals including the elderly, disabled, and those with chronic disease. Since 1974, the nonprofit organization has developed 25 communities with more than 1,600 housing units serving over 20,000 Northern Virginians. To learn more about the nonprofit's communities and services, visit the Wesley Housing website at www.WesleyHousing.org.

Hodges' Work in South Sudan
Sudan is recovering from more than 22 years of civil war, sending half the people into refugee camps while keeping the other half on the run in the bush country. Although the south won its independence in 2011, extreme violence devastated the country's infrastructure (80 percent of southern Sudan’s rural population does not have access to electricity), access to basic health care services, and educational opportunities. The new country is rebuilding but is starting from almost nothing.

Steve and Diantha Hodges are working in South Sudan helping 17 Methodist churches increase village development in the areas of health, agriculture, village savings groups, microbusiness, and other projects. With more than 20 years experience in domestic and international community and economic development, the Hodges live in the city of Yei. You can follow their blog at www.steveanddianthahodges.blogspot.com.