Last week was a humbling time for us. We had known for a while about the gift that Pope Francis was donating to Brian's Foundation but sharing it with others was truly surreal and significant.
In a special media announcement, that included members of the media, friends, and board members of the Foundation, we unveiled a watch once owned by his Holiness, Pope Francis.
During the hour we spent together, Brian’s best friend, Austin Rios joined in. Austin, an Episcopal Priest who has led a church in Rome, Italy for the past decade shared how we approached him with this idea, how it came to fruition and more about his friendship with Brian.
The “Once Upon a Time Watch Project” is one of our greatest fundraising efforts with the upcoming live and online auction to take place in the summer of 2022. (Details will be released on 2.22.22)
Pope Francis' wristwatch will be front and center in the auction, alongside timepieces worn over the last few decades by the likes of Priscilla Presley, Jerry Lewis, Jan Stenerud and Medal of Honor recipient, Sal Giunta.
Doug LaViolette is pictured here with Mike Calawerts, endowment Campaign Chair and friend of the Foundation. They proudly unveiled the watch from his Holiness and a letter to the Foundation at Nicolet National Bank where the watch is held in safekeeping.
We really hope you take some time to read the rest of the story in the Green Bay Press Gazette article by Natalie Eilbert here. You can also see the news stories by WBAY-TV2 and WFRV-TV5.
The journey continues! Thank you for being a part of it.
