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DEDICATION The 2004 ABCF Auction is dedicated to the memory of the Boxers we have loved and lost, many far before their time. At this year's ABC we will have the ABCF Memorial Wall listing the names and ages (and cause of death if provided) of all Boxers in whose name ABCF Memorial Endowment donations have been made over these past three years. Also, if a picture is provided with the memorial, we will include it in our ABCF Photo Display. Both the Wall and the Photo Display will be ongoing and we ask you to take this opportunity to have your dog's memory honored in this fashion. These two displays will serve as lasting reminders of WHY we keep working to find answers and to try to address the health concerns that take our Boxers from us too early.…. HELP US HELP OUR BOXERS!

First, I want to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to the Boxer Underground for offering to help the American Boxer Charitable Foundation by publishing a "Special Edition" for our 2004 Auction. The BU is truly an "angel" to the Foundation and for that we offer our most sincere thanks!

Why, you may ask would we NEED a special edition? Well, I'm here to tell you why! It all started with a heartfelt recent post from Linda Abel of Storybook Boxers to the Showboxer-List. In this post she described the heroic, yet futile, efforts to save Ch. Storybook's Rip It Up, SOM "Jake" from Hemangiosarcoma. Although broken hearted after losing Jake to this terrible cancer, as a part of her post she asked other Boxer lovers to support the ABCF 2004 Auction to help raise money to fund health studies. The responses to her post made it obvious that this was yet another disease that is taking too many of our breed far too soon.

With the emergence of yet another apparent threat to our beloved breed, Cheryl Robbins of CherKei Boxers got "Mad as Hell" at this awful cancer and decided that it was time to step up to the plate for our Boxers. She sent out a post that challenged other breeders and Boxer lovers to make this Auction the biggest and best ever so that we could raise "a ton" of money to fund studies. She also stated that it was time for all breeders to be honest about what was happening to our Boxers and proceeded to list what had taken her Boxers and at what age. This honesty was refreshing and cathartic for Cheryl. She didn't want to just suffer our losses---she wanted to DO something positive to try to help or breed.

The response of the Boxer community to Cheryl's challenge was enthusiastically positive. Auction Chairman, Bliss Bancroft dedicated Auction 2004 to "The Boxers We Have Lost." To ensure that this dedication meant more than just empty words, she created the ABCF Memorial Wall on which we will list the names of the Boxers to whom memorial gifts have been made for the past three years. All memorialized Boxers from now on will be listed on The Wall and we will also list the age and cause of death if it is provided by the owner. The Wall will be on display at every ABC and it will reside permanently on our Website where it will be updated periodically.

Also on display at ABC will be the ongoing Memorial Photo Display where pictures submitted with memorial donations will be placed. (Pictures cannot be returned.) The name age and cause of death can be put on the front of the picture so that everyone will be able to see these wonderful dogs once again. 

By being updated each year, the Memorial Photo Display and The Wall will both serve as vivid reminders of why the Foundation is continually raising money for health research. They will also serve a very useful purpose by displaying what diseases are taking our dogs and at what ages.

So our Auction has "morphed" into not only a fundraising event, but an awareness event too. At ABC as we look at the names and ages on The Wall and at the photos in the Memorial Photo Display, we will fondly remember the wonderful older dogs that lived good, long lives and feel the sadness that comes from losing a Boxer far too soon. This will be the legacy of the "Boxers We Have Lost." They will still be giving … just as they did in life.

We ask you to be a part of Auction 2004. Remember that we raise more money for health research than ANY OTHER BREED. And, in addition to that, the grant money that we award is matched dollar-for-dollar by the AKC Canine Health Foundation. That gives you twice as much incentive to donate items, attend the Auction and bid on the items.

You do NOT need to be a member of ABCF to donate or to attend. You only need the desire to help our breed. If you are willing to donate items for our Auction, please fill out a Donor Form. If you can't go to The Drawbridge this year but want to donate and don't know anyone who is going, check the Contact List to see who lives close to you and could take your donation. If you are going to be at The Drawbridge but the dinner isn't your "thing" please feel free to come to the Auction at about 8 pm. We will again have the very popular "Bidders Only" tables and all you have to do is sign in, get your bidding number and start bidding! Everyone is welcome!

Raise your hand high to help us raise money for our breed. Help us help our breed. We thank you and our Boxers thank you.

For more information call Sharon Fosseen

(509) 747-1406 FAX (509) 747-1406 abcf@mindspring.com

or check our Website http://www.abcfoundation.org

ABCF Auction Invitation