Bill Osborn stood before more than 150 people at the Queensbury Hotel Friday evening, May 17. “I can feel Ben’s spirit, he said, “It’s as strong as ever.” Osborn bowed his head and added, “Thank you, son.” Osborn was speaking at the 9th Annual Baskets for Ben, a fundraiser to support the organization Osborn founded following a great personal loss. June 15, 2010, Osborn’s son, CPL Ben Osborn, was killed while serving with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Bill Osborn found a way to honor his son’s life and sacrifice.
“About nine years ago, I had a germ of an idea,” says Osborn, “and I had no idea where it was going to go or how it was going to turn out; I just knew we had to do something more, that’s all…” The idea grew to become the Ben Osborn Memorial Fund, dedicated to “Giving kids a little lift.”
Baskets for Ben is a major fundraiser for the Ben Osborn Fund. Individuals, organizations and businesses throughout the area donate merchandise, gift cards and artwork. Fund volunteers bundle donations into themed baskets to sell at a live auction. The event also features dozens of donated baskets offered through silent auction and raffles for big-ticket items. Local restaurants, bakeries and food markets donate food for the event, with SUNY Adirondack culinary students tending the buffet.
Items put on the auction block Friday night included a party basket of spirits donated by the Lake George Distilling Company, valued at $75, to a relaxation and wellness basket with certificates for a massage, facial, and halotherapy sessions at Adirondack Salt Cave valued at $500. One of the most poignant moments of the auction came when item number 18 was put up for bid. The program entry listed the item as, “Love, Dad” with the description, “Beautifully handcrafted cornhole set made with love by Bill Osborn in memory of his son, Ben. (Donated by Bill and Bev Osborn) Value: Priceless.
Money raised at Baskets for Ben help fund The Ben Osborn Memorial Fund’s seven initiatives. These initiatives include providing elementary schools with healthy snacks, head lice kits and clothing for students that need to change during the day, donating to area food pantries, providing scholarships to graduating seniors, and a holiday initiative that provides food and gifts to those who otherwise might go without.
Osborn says he is very proud to say the Fund has zero administration costs. No one in the organization draws a salary. They do not rent office space or take depreciation on equipment. All donations directly benefit local kids.
The Fund works with 23 school districts spanning Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex Counties to identify needs among the student population. This partnership with the schools is critical to the fund’s success, says Osborn, “The schools know what the kids need.” The Fund’s General Giving initiative gives kids “a little lift” by providing things such as eyeglasses, money for field trips and tutoring services.
Fund Publicist Nadine Battaglia tells the story of a young girl whose family was going through hard times following the mother’s death. The girl had only frayed, ill-fitting clothes to wear. Alerted to the need, the Fund provided her with some new clothes. This small gift, says Battaglia, made a big difference for the child.
Bill Osborn says he does not like to call what they do donating, rather they are investing, and he gets great satisfaction seeing the effects of the Fund’s investments. “I’m a lucky man,” he says, “I’ve lost a son, but I get a lot back.”
Auctioneer Mike Smith presides over Baskets for Ben live auction. 
William D. Osborn, President and Founder of the Ben Osborn memorial Fund 
Attendees placed bids on themed baskets. 
Local businesses donated food to the Baskets for Ben event. 
A young girl bids on a silent auction item. 
A raffle was held for a wheelbarrow of wine.
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