The sound of jazz and the smell of wine filled the air on April 14 at Gala 2012, an annual fundraiser presented by the Cosumnes River College Foundation in which all proceeds benefit students.
Guests were greeted with a warm welcome and a wine glass as they entered the CRC cafeteria. Patrons of the event were invited to taste wines from California vineyards such as Heritage Oak and Ironstone vineyards.
Along with the wine, event-goers were treated to Hors d’oeuvres, made by CRC’s culinary department. The fundraiser also held a silent auction that allowed guests to bid on items, such as a photo of the 1980 U.S. Olympic gold-medal winning hockey team signed by goaltender Jim Craig.
After giving the guests a chance to get comfortable at the event, Los Rios Chancellor Brice Harris addressed the crowd of more than 200 people.
“This is a very difficult time for everyone in this economy,” he said. “However, your support this evening will have a direct impact on thousands of students.”
After Harris’ speech, CRC President Deborah Travis introduced the emcee for the night, CBS13/CW31 news anchor Marianne McClary.
“The atmosphere here is just great,” McClary said. “It’s great to see events like this that truly help students.”
The goal of the event was to raise money for the CRC Annual Fund. The CRC Foundation’s goal is to establish scholarships, grants and other assistance for students and raise funds to improve the college experience, according to the event’s program.
“Gala is a signature fundraising event for the CRC Foundation,” Travis said. “All proceeds go to scholarships and most of the stuff that we have is donated.”
Two hours into the event, the silent auction closed and the live auction began. Elk Grove Vice Mayor Pat Hume did the honors of live auctioneer.The auction featured things like a guitar signed by music legend Eric Clapton and an eight-day, seven-night trip to South Lake Tahoe.
When the auction concluded, guests continued to sample food and wine.
The fundraiser is very important to CRC, and the support was a great thing to see, Travis said.
“This fundraiser helps make sure we can continue our mission and help out our students,” Travis said.