Auctions
All for a Good Cause
Aug 29th
My husband and I like to attend charity auctions. We enjoy supporting a good cause while having the opportunity to purchase goods and services (especially travel packages and getaways) we can put to good use. I’m not talking about auctions for large foundations that bring in millions of dollars – there aren’t too many of those in our neck of the woods – generally, our churches, local schools and community foundations are the beneficiaries of the three or four auctions we attend each year.
Not only do we bid on items for these auctions; we also like to contribute something to be bid upon as well. Our go-to item is an evening of wine and food for eight to twelve in the winning bidder’s home. Over the course of our married life together, Harry and I have hosted countless parties in our home for family and friends, so we’ve developed a pretty well-honed routine and built up our repertoire of recipes. Our 500-bottle wine storage unit is always bursting at the seams, with new acquisitions never quite keeping up with our consumption. So it’s become a natural for us to replicate the format of our favorite evening with friends for someone else’s group of buddies to benefit our favorite charities.
This morning we are recovering from the labors of providing such an evening. Last spring the Rogue River High School’s FFA group held their annual Beef Feed and Auction, and a local couple bid on our wine tasting party. Last week they called, asking if, on such short notice, we might be able to pull together the event for this Saturday evening, when they would have friends in town. Well, Harry rallied and graciously said, “Yes, of course,” while I was thinking, “What? When?!!”
Harry provides the brains and talent behind these things, planning the selection of wines and doing most of the cooking. I do prep work, shopping, clean up and, most important, questioning some of Harry’s choices: “Don’t you think we should have some fruit? What about veggies? Isn’t that a lot of wine? Are you really going to cut the zucchini that way? (You can tell we’ve been married a long time.) He manages to maintain his cool, we refine the menu and, in the end, everyone has a great time.
The hosts and their guests last night tell us they indeed had a marvelous time. They enjoyed two white wines, four reds and two dessert splits. We served up a variety of cheeses and crackers followed by a host of hot and cold “heavy” hors d’oeuvres and concluded with a decadent dessert. We enjoyed ourselves, too, sharing our love of good wine and food with some lovely folks and seeing them enjoy each other’s company. But I gotta say, I am happy to be able to put my feet up today!
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
Bid, Bid, Bid!
May 14th
Wow — the last two months really flew by! I can’t believe we are only a little over two weeks away from the end of our annual online auction! Bidding ends on Monday, May 31, with each item closing at a different time throughout the day. The auction is a fantastic way to snag airline tickets, hotel stays and more at an exceptional value — all while benefiting a very worthy cause, The Mentor Foundation.
The Mentor Foundation is a charity dedicated to keeping youth from drug abuse. It is a worldwide problem that needs a lot of attention, and every dollar you spend in our online auction directly benefits The Mentor Foundation.
Here’s a sampling of what is up for grabs in the auction this year:
– Two round-trip business-class tickets on Emirates
– Two round-trip business-class tickets on British Airways
– Two round-trip business-class tickets on Alitalia
– A London vacation package
– A three-night stay at the Westin Dublin
– One annual Delta Sky Club membership
What are you waiting for? Click here to get bidding!
Golf enthusiasts:Â Enter the Global Traveler, Tourism Ireland and TravelPro contest for your chance to win a golf vacation to Ireland! Click here to enter.
– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and PR executive
Auction Action
Mar 8th
I attended the Villa Joseph Marie High School annual charity auction on Saturday night, and it reminded me of the great values on offer in Global Traveler‘s online auction to benefit the Mentor Foundation. At the Villa auction, GT donated a trip to China, which was a big hit, as were other travel-related vacations.
Global Traveler‘s auction benefits a great cause that helps children around the world avoid getting involved with drugs and alcohol, which is one of the largest issues facing our children. While your bids will help children, you and your company will benefit from great deals and offers. Some of the selected items for bid include:
- Two business-class tickets on American Airlines
- Two business-class tickets on Asiana Airlines
- Two business-class tickets on Singapore Airlines
- Four business-class tickets on British Airways
- Two business-class tickets on Emirates
So get online and bid, take a fabulous trip and help Mentor!
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Mmmmm, Chocolate!
Mar 7th
Yesterday we headed down the road about 30 miles to Ashland, Oregon, home to the highly regarded Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University and, this weekend, the 6th Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. Because I am one of those people who believes that chocolate should be a separate (essential) food group, you can be sure that I was not going to miss this event.
More than 30 vendors offered tastes and sale of their products at the lovely and historic Ashland Springs Hotel (formerly known as the Mark Antony), just steps away from the OSF theaters. The entire town was focused on the chocolate event this weekend: Friday night the monthly First Friday Art Walk included chocolate goodies in many of the galleries, and all weekend theater-goers could enjoy 50 percent off their evening show tickets by mentioning “chocolate” at the ticket windows. (We weren’t able to take in a show this year but will have to keep that in mind next spring!) Able to devote just a few hours on Saturday, we nonetheless made good use of our time and had our fill of all manner of chocolate and chocolate-related goodies.
Four local wineries offered tastes of red wine varietals and blends as well as sweet dessert wines that paired nicely with the baked goods and truffles on hand. Rogue Ales offered samples of their Chocolate Stout, and Organic Nation Spirits provided sips of organically produced vodka and gin — distilled right in Ashland. All of the companies represented at the festival are genuinely Oregon-based, and many hail from the southwest region; a heartening thought: I don’t have to travel far to get a chocolate fix or something delectable to go with my favorite vice!
I noted a couple of interesting variations on your typical chocolate decadence. Two vendors offered raw chocolate confections: no sugar at all, but sometimes flavors such as ginger or chiles were added. The idea, I guess, is to get the nutritional benefits of chocolate without those added, processed calories. And Missionary Chocolates out of Portland creates dairy- and gluten-free truffles; their creations are a feast for the eyes and the palate!
Several local restaurants participated in a Chocolate Dessert Competition, and this presented a nice opportunity to the crowd of sweet-lovers. Plates of the contested items were available at a silent auction, with proceeds to benefit a local food bank. Although we didn’t place a winning bid, it was great to see some truly extravagant presentations and make a note of a place or two where we might drop in for a special dessert some evening in the future.
Once we’d had our fill of chocolate (hard to imagine, I know, but it is possible) and the crowds, we took advantage of the sunny, warm, early spring afternoon and strolled Main Street for a bit of window shopping. Ashland is a charming town with plenty of fascinating shops which appeal to its flood of play-going visitors, and we’ve barely begun to plumb what it has to offer. I’m sure we’ll be back over and over again — especially if the chocolate is out!
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
