2019 White Elephant Sale Raises Over $2.2 Million
(OAKLAND, CA) March 19, 2019—The 60th annual White Elephant Sale held on March 2 and 3, 2019, and Preview Sale held January 27, 2019, raised over $2.2 million on behalf of the Oakland Museum of California, proving another successful year for the Sale. Over the past five years, the White Elephant Sale—presented and organized by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board—raised over $2 million each year to support the Museum.
“In our 60th anniversary of this incredible event, we’re especially thrilled to see another year of continued success for the White Elephant Sale,” said President of the Oakland Museum Women’s Board Judy Wilkinson, who was awarded the Jefferson Award by KPIX in 2018 for her dedication to the event. “We could not hold this event without the help of our invaluable volunteers—more than 1,000 individuals put in thousands of hours preparing for this Oakland tradition.”
“We are so grateful for the Oakland Museum Women’s Board’s extraordinary commitment to OMCA throughout the past 60 years. The White Elephant Sale continues to be the single largest source of private support for the Museum, and it is all made possible by the leadership of the Women’s Board and the hard work of hundreds of volunteers,” said OMCA Director and CEO Lori Fogarty.
The annual White Elephant Sale is scheduled to return to the Bay Area the first weekend in March next year. Made possible by donations from the public, the Sale accepts donations of gently used, good quality items year-round. To donate, a van is available for free pick up by calling 510-839-5919. For more information—including a list of items that cannot be accepted—visit WhiteElephantSale.org.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM WOMEN’S BOARD
The sole purpose of the Oakland Museum Women’s Board (OMWB), a dedicated group with 114 year-round members, has been to raise money to support the Oakland Museum of California acquisitions, exhibitions, educational programs, capital improvements, and more. Since 1959, the OMWB has contributed over $22 million to the Museum. With the help of a thousand dedicated volunteers, they work year round to organize and present the White Elephant Sale held annually during the first weekend in March, which attracts shoppers of all ages from the greater Bay Area and beyond.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the many stories that comprise California, creating the space and context for greater connection, trust, and understanding between people. Through its inclusive exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and cultural events, OMCA brings Californians together and inspires greater understanding about what our state’s art, history, and natural surroundings teach us about ourselves and each other. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA brings together its multi-disciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with the first-person accounts and often untold narratives of California, all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. The Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2019 as a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world.
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