NEWS RELEASE
Oakland Museum of California
www.museumca.org

10TH & OAK STREETS
OAKLAND, CA  94607

2008 White Elephant Sale: Green Makes Good
49th annual rummage sale raises $1.28 million for Oakland Museum of CA

The massive White Elephant Sale, sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women's Board, went green this year, in thought and deed. The quintessential recycling event raised $1,278,276.

The 2008 Sale total was a closely guarded secret until March 18, when the 2008 sale chair made the announcement before a packed audience of gleeful staff, trustees, volunteers, and Women's Board members.

The legendary White Elephant Sale (“acres of bargains for peanuts”) happens the first weekend in March at the Women's Board's warehouse, 333 Lancaster St., Oakland. Proceeds from the sale support the Oakland Museum of California's educational programs, exhibitions, acquisitions, and collections preservation. The Women's Board has contributed more than $15 million to the museum over the years.

The highest-grossing departments were furniture ($156,400), jewelry ($140,400), books/photography/music ($120,800), and art ($119,400). Chair Rose Jellison attributed the results of the sale to extraordinary community donations and huge turnouts for the January Preview Sale and the regular sale weekend. The one-day Preview Sale alone raised $305,800.

Women's Board volunteers (including many husbands) and hundreds of community volunteers spend the year collecting, cleaning, sorting, and pricing donated new and used merchandise for the annual sale. Now that they have celebrated this year's success, the Women’s Board has begun work on the next sale, the weekend of March 7–8, 2009.

The White Elephant Sale truck will be on the move soon! For pickup of large items, call 510/839-5919. For information about drop-off dates, call 510/536-6800 in May or visit http://www.museumca.org/events/elephant.html.

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