The other night I watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (my guilty pleasure!), which showcases the glamorous "real" lives of purportedly wealthy women from - you guessed it - Beverly Hills!
In Monday's episode, one of the cast members threw a party to raise funds for her favorite children's charity. She invited all her fab friends, collected out-of-this-world swag and auction items, including perfume from Paris Hilton and dinner certificates from swanky Beverly Hills restaurants. She hired a professional party planner with a bustling staff who fitted up the party location with elegant decorations and served up gourmet nibbles.
At the end of the show she proudly announced that she raised $15,000 the charity.
Now, compare the Beverly Hills soiree to last Saturday's Waterville Valley (NH) Adaptive Program fundraiser, "Dinner with Franz." A group of dedicated and hardworking volunteers came together to transform a ski area restaurant into an elegant dining room. Waterville Valley's chef triumvirate, Franz Dubach, Sean Stout, and Susan Brunvand, delivered a delicious 4-course meal. One hundred and twenty guests ate, drank, danced, and bid upon and bought some very cool auction items.
By the end of the evening, the Waterville Valley Adaptive Program had raised MORE money than the ritzy, glitzy Beverly Hills housewife!
$8,200 was raised from the auction, ably hosted by Tom Gross. Auction items included a spa day from The Common Man, a trifecta of gourmet dinners donated by the Coyote Grill, Tony's Italian Grille, and Six Burner Bistro in Plymouth. Amoskeag Beverages donated New England Patriots tickets, with limo transportation and dinner. The ski area donated "first tracks" with breakfast for 10. Smitty (who also donated the entertainment on Saturday night) provided a day of fishing and lunch on the Cape. Chef Franz Dubach donated his culinary talents to prepare dinner for six in your home, and Jim Marcotte donated two night's lodging in Boston, along with dinner and limo transportation.
Program founder, Kathy Chandler, said "It was an amazing show of support for Waterville Valley Adaptive Sports coming home and becoming a local program. We are excited and will be moving forward, purchasing some needed adaptive equipment. We will continue to provide the same quality programs, if not better, for our clients."
Adaptive Program Wish List
Bi-skis - 2
Mono-skis - 2
Slider 1
50 tip clamps
LCD projector
Flat screen monitor
Lap-top computer
Desktop computer
Color all-in-one printer
Auction, donor and database software
Office supplies (copy paper, folders, etc)
Staples gift cards
Bottled water
10 boxes of kleenex
And, of course, monetary donations are graciously accepted.
If you can help, contact the Waterville Valley Adaptive Program at PO Box 505, Waterville Valley, NH 03215, or call Kathy Chandler at 603-387-6088, or email her at kcability@comcast.net.
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