February night offers a chance to California dream

An Evening of Heart and Hope is only three days away and ticket sales have been extended through today.

The event is an annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri and will feature live and silent auctions, raffles, a catered meal and a heads-or-tails game.

“It’s fun,” Mary Lee Guthrie, director of resource development for the club, said. “There are lots of opportunities to win.”

The auction will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Missouri Electric Cooperative building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $40 in advance and are available at the club’s administrative offices at 3100 Aaron Ave. Tickets also will be available at the door for $50 per person.
 
“Ticket sales have been good,” Guthrie said. “We’re about halfway there.”

Guthrie said auction items include artwork by local artisans, four Southwest Airlines tickets, Budweiser neon signs and a custom built kegerator, a home draft beer dispenser.

Guthrie said the kegerator is a one-of-a-kind item constructed from a tool box on casters and with subzero refrigeration.

Several packages also will be auctioned, including a couple’s Valentine’s Day package, a party package complete with disc jockey, photography, cake, and sports packages to the University of Missouri homecoming and Kansas City Royals games.

The Boys & Girls Club also is selling $100 raffle tickets for an opportunity to win a trip to California. The winner can choose between two packages: an Emmy Prime Time Awards package that includes two mezzanine tickets to the show, round-trip airfare and a three-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, or a Sonoma Wine Extravaganza Tour that includes a a $300 gift certificate for a luxury car rental, round-trip airfare for two and a three-night junior suite at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, private tasting and tour and a Ravenswood private blending seminar for two.

The club will also raffle off the chance to win a side of beef that includes processing. Tickets cost $1 in advance or will be available in $5 bundles the night of the event.

Winners will be drawn the night of the auction, but the winning ticketholder doesn’t have to be present to win.
 
“This is a great way to contribute without attending,” Guthrie said.

According to a club news release, the funds raised at the auction go directly to helping the club offer students a safe place to go after school, a healthy snack, homework assistance and the opportunity to engage in positive relationships with peers and youth development professionals.

The club raised $102,000 at the 2010 event. This year’s goal is $60,000.

Those attending also will have the opportunity to donate money to a specific program. The club raised $30,000 during that special appeal in 2010.
 
“This money goes directly to our programs,” Guthrie said. “The reward in this is knowing you are helping a child.”

The Pink Flamingo Award will be awarded Saturday night. It is bestowed annually to a local resident who gives back to the community, has a philanthropic spirit, and demonstrates kindness, generosity, character and leadership. Finalists include Holly Jo Thomlinson, Doug Sokolowski and Robert Bond.

Thomlinson said she was excited to be named a finalist.

“I’m tickled. It’s neat to be recognized for the little things I do.”

According to the Boys & Girls Club, the finalists were deemed the most popular after votes were tallied from Twitter and Facebook.

Guthrie said the voting slates for the three have been wiped clean and votes can now be placed for $1 per vote at bgckids.com/donate/donate.cfm. Monetary votes will also be accepted during the event.

Guthrie said planning for the event begins in October and couldn’t be accomplished without the help of volunteers.

According to the club, more than 60 people donated time to volunteer at the event and they expect the same number or more this year.

“This year the volunteers are once again out in full force to help us meet, and hopefully exceed, the $60,000 goal we have set,” Guthrie said.
 
Ginny Zinck, silent auction chairwoman, said she has been involved in the Boys & Girls Club auction for five years because she knows the money raised is helping local youths.

“I know that this auction is helping members that may not otherwise have a safe place to go before and after school where they can get help with homework,” Zinck said.

“Last year tears were streaming down my face after the auction because it is so rewarding to know that everyone in the community gave what they could to help. The final amount was unbelievable.”
Other committee chairpersons this year include Cendy Carson, Dena Higgins, Cindy Mueller, Stacy Purvis and Mel Satnan.

“Our volunteers are phenomenal,” Guthrie said. “We begin planning for the auction in October and the weeks leading up to the auction are always a whirlwind full of excitement and anticipation. With the help of the Boys & Girls Club staff and volunteers, we always find a way to pull it all together.”