June 13 Rotary Club event raised record $50,500
Published in the June 25-July 8, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo courtesy Morgan Hill Rotary Club
Chris Bezanson, left, as Miss Texas and CJ Patereau, right, as Miss Deep South flank Lori McIntosh during the club’s Dazzle night at Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin.
Dressed in drag as a beauty queen contestant, Morgan Hill Rotarian Mike Withrow won the “Miss Dazzle” competition and helped raise $50,500 for future projects sponsored by the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill.
The Rotary’s annual Dazzle gala sold out at 250 guests June 13. It was held at Clos LaChance Winery. The highlight of the evening was a theatrical beauty pageant show produced by the the Pintello Comedy Theater group of Gilroy.
“Whitney Pintello coordinated the entertainment effort, a take-off their show a few years ago called ‘Pageant,” said Tracy Newquist, event chair of Dazzle. “The actors reprised their roles as pageant contestants vying for the honor as Miss Dazzle. We add four of our own Morgan Hill Rotarians to the mix. They were Lisa DeSilva, Theresa Kiernan, Lori McIntosh and Mike Withrow.”
Contestants sang and danced to entertain the guests. Morgan Hill resident Jayson Stebbins served as the Dazzle emcee as well as the announcer of the mock beauty contest. “He sort of went back and forth between each role which played really well because it created a lot of audience participation,” Newquist said.
As the venue sponsor of the Rotary, Clos LaChance provided a perfect spot for the fundraiser, she said. “It’s classy and elegant and comfortable and enjoyable and you feel transported into another destination when you’re there,” she said. “It’s just special being there.”
Dazzle pageant winner Mike Withrow (on left) and Linda Withrow Photo courtesy Linda Withrow
Dazzle has grown into a popular fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill. It use to be held as a lunch fundraiser, but this was the first time the event was held in the evening, which added to the ambiance, Newquist said.
“Dazzle is a celebration of giving in style,” she said. “The idea of the event is to have a nice, higher-end luxurious atmosphere – something which we certainly find at Clos LaChance – to celebrate giving and raising funds. It gives us an opportunity to let the public know what Rotary does locally and around the world. It gives us the chance to let people know why their giving is so important and what we do with the dollars that they give.”
Money raised from Dazzle will go to the Rotary’s youth scholarship and leadership initiatives, she said. It will also be used to support local community donations such as grants provided for the new bocce ball court at Morgan Hill Senior Center and for the purchase of 900 dictionaries that are given out each year to all third graders in the city’s school district. Money raised at this year’s Dazzle was 25 percent more than last year, Newquist said.
“It’s always a fun event,” she said. “It was elegant and rustic at the same time. It’s lively, light-hearted and everyone has a great time….It’s just the power of when volunteers in a community come together to raise money for a great cause in a celebratory way. It’s the power of many in what we can do.”
