The club granted $19,000 to high school seniors
Published in the June 22 – July 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Roger Knopf enjoys a laugh at the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill’s annual Dazzle gala fundraiser at Clos LaChance Winery earlier this month.
Photo by Chris Foster
About 160 guests enjoyed perfect weather and toasts of champagne flutes at Close LaChance Winery during the 11th annual Dazzle gala, a Rotary Club of Morgan Hill fundraiser that brought in a record $52,000 to support community organizations.
“Dazzle is our club’s largest fundraiser in both number of people involved and the funds raised,” said Sandy de la Cuesta, a co-chair of this year’s event. “What started as an afternoon lunch and fashion show has morphed into an annual evening gala and in no small part due to Clos LaChance Winery’s generosity. This year’s Dazzle event was the best ever. We made more money and I believe our guests had their best experience ever.”
The gala tarted with its “signature champagne reception” while the guests viewed the signature Showcase Raffle items and the Rotary’s new Celebration of Giving Tree,where guests were invited to donate to the different causes supported by the club, she said. The three-course Italian dinner was prepared by Chef Lou of Cellar Door Catering. Guests were entertained by “The Three Waiters,” a trio of men dressed as servers in tuxes (a comical tribute to the famous “Three Tenors) who provided an amusing night of hoaxing and thrilling operatic singing with the beautiful rolling hills and vineyards behind them. The success of the live auction after the entertainment was in large part due to the “good feelings” guests had after the show, de la Cuesta said. Rotary Club members Roger Malech served as this year’s emcee.
“All of the funds we raise through Dazzle and our Rotary Golf Classic, along with community donations, are used to improve the lives of those in need,” said Rotary Club of Morgan Hill Club President David Conragan. “Most of it goes to our local community. Our club is very youth-centered.”
This year the club granted $19,000 to high school seniors, he said. It also recently held it 34th Annual Harvey Barrett Senior Dinner, where members volunteered their time feeding and entertaining more than 250 senior citizens.
Photo by Chris Foster
Rotary Club of Morgan Hill member Chuck Berghoff wins an auction item at this year’s Dazzle fundraiser.
“As a club we invite the community to work through us to make Morgan Hill a better place for everyone,” he said. “Our fundraisers allow people to give, knowing the money they donate will go directly to those in need. It is an opportunity for our members to show off what we do while having a great time.”
Dazzle evolved out of the Rotary’s annual golf tournament fundraiser, said club member Carol Carr. “Past President Lou Mirviss had an idea, let’s do something for the ladies — meaning the spouses and female Rotarians who didn’t golf,” she said. “Lou’s idea was to have a fashion show and we put our heads together and decided to put on a fashion show combined with a luncheon. It became the annual ‘girlfriends’ event.”
De la Cuesta chaired the event and Carr organized and moderated the fashion shows featuring Doncaster designer clothing. Make-up and hair styling was donated by Cherisse’s Hair Salon and Day Spa.
Dazzle moved from San Juan Oaks Golf Course to Willow Heights Manor and to Clos LaChance where there were a few more fashion shows in the bucolic setting at the winery. A professional-style runway and the tables for lunch were set up around the horseshoe stage.
“We had a lot of fun doing the fashion show, especially the last one which was truly retro and which involved lots of members,” Carr said.
The club decided a few years ago to have an evening event and move away from the fashion show to live entertainment while keeping its silent and live auctions.
The live auction items included dinner by celebrity chef Steve Caposio (winner of an episode of the “Cutthroat Kitchen” cooking TV show) and week-long vacations in Mexico.
Diamond sponsors included Clos LaChance, Ladera Grill and Smart Products. Emerald Sponsors included Johnson Lumber/Ace Hardware, Hiland Consulting, the Morgan Hill Times, RNP Advisory Services, Inc., The Jewel Box Morgan Hill, and South Valley Internet. Ruby Sponsors included Anritsu, The Ford Store Morgan Hill, Heritage Bank of Commerce, RAM Commercial Insurance Services, and Rosy’s at the Beach.
