Yard Sale for the Divineys Brings Community Together

The mega Declutter for the Divineys yard sale, organized to help defray the cost of medical expenses for Ashburn resident Ryan Diviney, drew thousands of people Saturday and caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey's television network. Fellow Ashburn residents Christine LeTourneau and Jane Hofmann created the event to raise money for Ryan's treatment – he suffered a brain injury after being severely beaten while attending West Virginia University in November of 2009. 

The outpouring of support resounded throughout the day and the Ashburn Village Lakes Community Center became a gathering place for families both near and far.

Ken Diviney, Ryan’s father, blogged: "What was amazing is that I kept hearing it was so much more than a yard sale. It was a social event. People didn’t want to leave."

The dozens of volunteers made sure that there was plenty for people to do. Among the many toys, clothes, electronics, furniture, books and other items for sale were t-shirts, baked goods, balloon twisters, face painting, music and food. The balloon twisters and face painters donated their services, as did the local Suburban Rush band. The Buffalo Wing Factory sold food and donated 100% of its profits to the event. The entertainment continued throughout the day, including a performance by the Broad Run High School cheerleaders and singing by Sunny Tippel.

And attendees couldn't get enough of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Peter Walsh, a decluttering master who hosts "Enough Already," the show that inspired the yard sale. Walsh entertained crowds with auctions and motivational speeches, even donning a prom dress to solicit donations. The OWN was on hand taping the event and putting Ashburn on Oprah’s map.

LeTourneau said she was convinced that "Ashburn has been totally decluttered." She even said that people drove from Richmond to donate items for the yard sale. "Every one is touched," she said of the community support.

"A community effort has provided us with the means to write that check that will forward Ryan’s treatment for even longer," Ken Diviney blogged afterward.

All of the leftover yard sale items were donated to charities.