2022 Hoover Service Club Hearts in Harmony gala raises at least $40,000
The Hoover Service Club raised an estimated $40,000 to $45,000 with its Hearts in Harmony gala at the Hoover Country Club Saturday night.
Nearly 130 people showed up for a “surf and turf” dinner and live and silent auctions that had the crowd pulling out their wallets to fund scholarships and multiple charities.
Former NFL and Auburn football standout Reggie Torbor served as the emcee for the night, while Hoover Council President John Lyda was auctioneer and Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley was featured as an honored guest.
The live auction brought in $15,150, plus additional cash donations, while the silent auction raised about $9,500, club member Liesa Pitts said. Combined with ticket sales and other donations, the gross proceeds were about $56,000, so after expenses are paid, the night should net more than $40,000, Pitts said.
Betty Daigle, one of the co-chairwomen of the event, said she was very pleased with the result.
“It was a lively event,” Daigle said. “John and Reggie were perfect the way they played off each other … The support from the community is huge. We had some people from the city and community that had not been here before, and we really appreciate how they got into everything and were so supportive with the bidding and cash donations.”
More than 50 businesses, organizations and individuals also donated items for the auctions.
Also, the meal served by the Hoover Country Club was delicious, Daigle said. The menu included crabcakes, steak, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and cheesecake.
The big auction item for the night ended up being an Orange Beach getaway that included four days and three nights in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom condo at the Caribe Resort donated by Jay and Charlene Young. The winning bid was $3,000.
A “Dining Around the ‘Ham” package that included $1,350 worth of gift cards to The Bright Star, Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen, Grand Bohemian Hotel Cooking School, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, Farrelly’s Southern Bar & Kitchen, and Seasons 52 sold for $2,400.
A three-night stay and daily breakfast for two people at any Fairmont Hotel or Resort in the United States was auctioned for $1,850, and a Nashville getaway package that included a stay at the Fairlane Hotel, dinner for two at Ellington’s restaurant in the hotel, a $130 gift card to Arrington Vineyards and two bottles of Davidson Reserve Tennessee whiskey went for $1,200.
Hoover Service Club President Rhonda Boyd modeled a triple strand pearl bracelet donated by Steed’s Jewelers that was put up for auction. A bidding war ensued until Daigle, whose husband was bidding on the bracelet, casually hinted that it would make a great 53rd anniversary present for her, saying “it’s only been 53 years.” The crowd burst into laughter, and competing bidder Jill Erwin quickly threw in the towel.
Other live auction items included a five-course private dinner and wine pairing hosted by Shane Hill, the author of “Alabama Tailgate Cookbook, (which sold for $1,100), weekend hospitality tickets to the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama ($1,100), a wine tasting by Jones is Thirsty and catered dinner party for six by Yellow Bicycle Catering ($900), two VIP passes with parking to all six days of the 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament ($900), a four-hour rental of the Hoover Randle Home & Gardens and 10 box dinners by Tre Luna Catering ($700), and coffee meeting with Torbor and Lyda ($500).
Daigle said the Hoover Service Club plans to hold a smaller fundraiser at the end of April and will release more details about that soon.