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Red Hot Hollywood Gala raises more than $1 million
A
record -breaking $1.1 million was raised for St. Helena Hospital’s new
Martin O’Neil Cancer Center at the annual St. Helena Hospital Foundation
Gala. Other records were toppled at the Nov. 10 event as well, including
the participation of more sponsors than ever before. The live and silent auctions and the Fund-a-Need lot smashed all fundraising records from previous years by a considerable amount, according to Elaine John, president and CEO of the foundation.
Martha and Tom May were honored for their many years of commitment to a wide variety of programs that have enriched life in the Napa Valley, from furthering agricultural land preservation to helping found a school for handicapped children.
Co-chairs Carole Williams and Elaine Sczuka put in countless hours to make the Gala absolutely perfect, and they both explained that this is a way they could return the favor for the excellent medical care that St. Helena Hospital has given their families and the community.
Although the weather was damp and gloomy, the ambience inside the tent at the Napa Valley Reserve at Meadowood was cozy and festive. The huge, clear tent was draped in crimson velvet and lit by crystal chandeliers. The 125 patrons carried out the theme of “Red, Hot & Hollywood” dressed in their most glamorous movie star attire.
Ann Colgin’s experienced and capable auctioneering led to brisk bidding. The largest single donation of the evening came from Ellen and Chuck Haas, who gave $100,000 for “Ratatouille with Big Cheeses.” The lot included dinner for eight hosted by Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, with the renowned chef Thomas Keller and the Academy award-winning producer of Ratatouille, John Lasseter, plus a tour for eight of Pixar Animation Studios, including lunch.
The Gala crowd was surprised and delighted when Lasseter made an unscheduled appearance in his Ratatouille T-shirt and added several of the collector shirts to the auction lot.
A video introduced the final auction lot of the evening - Fund-a-Need. It featured testimonials from several guests as well as others from the community who have survived cancer or lost a loved one to cancer. It poignantly demonstrated the incredible local need for a cancer center. This lot, jump-started by a donation of $50,000 from the Mays, raised $315,000.
The funds from the Gala go to the new Martin O’Neil Cancer Center, currently under construction at St. Helena Hospital. The Cancer Center is part of a 24,000-square-foot building project that also includes a new outpatient surgery pavilion. The St. Helena Hospital Foundation is raising $28 million for construction and technology in a campaign called Caring for the Future. Gala proceeds brought the total funds raised so far to nearly $25 million—88 percent of the final goal.
“The Napa Valley collaborated to achieve world-class recognition for the high quality of its wines,” Foundation President John says. “That same spirit is seen in the way the community comes together year after year to support excellent health care. We are grateful for, and inspired by, this extreme generosity.”
For more information on giving opportunities, including several naming opportunities in the new construction project, contact the foundation at 963-6208 or visit www.shhfoundation.org.
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