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The Play It Forward Gala Fundraiser

The Play It Forward Gala Fundraiser

The Gala committee worked tirelessly on this event. This group of twelve pitched in with smiles, but at a frenzied pace, to locate tables and glassware, construct chandeliers, fine-tune the silent auction and build auction books, to name some of the million small things to be done. Barbara Honig gave detailed financial reports and designed spreadsheets. Rosemarie Kubes chaired - well - anything and everything that looked beautiful! “The room had beautiful sunflower decorations on the chandeliers and on the tables.” Rosemarie also had the dubious honor of making all the donations look attractive to sell (they don’t all come in looking great, believe me). Also assisting in that capacity were Judy Hauth, Carol Calvert (MoMM member), and Mary Jo Barend. Sandy Guendert and Françoise Dahod jumped into each and every task with dedication. Sandy Radom and Evelyn Lipson spent long hours reviewing auction prospects and placements while carefully checking Alisa’s work for possible errors. June Western (museum member) and Pat Raetz were outstanding advocates for the Museum who worked tenaciously in the Carlsbad community seeking donations for the auction until the final printing of the auction booklet. Cliff Lange’s ability to analyze mission driven messages took an enormous weight off Alisa’s shoulders.

And now to the event itself! We had amazing Southern comfort food: chicken and waffles, blackened red snapper, mac and cheese, friend shrimp, cornbread, wine, beer, and spirits. (Judy Hauth comments, “No problem going hungry! People were served pork sliders, the mac and cheese bar with toppings, a navy bean station and cheesy grits.” Rick Williams adds, “A great mix of food! Not quite sure how to eat asparagus from a napkin, but it was delicious!” Barbara Honig offers, “I walked around the museum eating delicious chicken and bacon on waffles.”)

Serena Geroe, Carlos Alvarez, Owen Babbey and Jen Albrent provided music as the guests made their way through the museum. (Jerry Bongard states, “Youngsters who had benefited from the museum’s programs were able to demonstrate their talents and helped bring in more contributors.” The Euphoria Brass Band led us to our seats, and Stacy Antonel sang “America the Beautiful.” Jim Cunningham, a Poway City Councilman, served as the evening’s auctioneer; he was humorous, energetic and totally successful at securing donations from auction guests.

People were on their feet dancing, singing and enjoying the musicians’ renditions of “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Knock on Wood”, and “In The Midnight Hour.” Musicians included legendary soul artist and songwriter William Bell; songwriter, musician, producer and longtime member of the Talking Heads, Jerry Harrison; award-winning Memphis-born rappers, Frayser Boy and Al Kapone; the legendary Hi Rhythm Section; and the Royal Memphis Horns. (Tina Schmidt comments, “The roots of this music sought out the soul of what these musicians bring to their instrument and their craft and, in turn, they shared that feeling with us.”)
It was humbling and fun to work with such a cohesive group of volunteers who served on our committees. They are a “get it done” group who are so dedicated to our mission and values. It’s simple. All it takes is looking around on an event day to see I could not do an event without this team.

Last, but definitely not least, the MoMM staff made this event work. Mike Hendrickson handled all of the behind-the-scenes accounting (which is a major undertaking!). Jillian Harrington handled over 20 artists (enough said) and produced an education program for the event as well as a film screening. Bill Kilpatrick, Dave, Liggett and Allison Hargis jumped into various roles all evening to insure its success. B.J. Morgan did an incredible job with all the visuals and sound. And let’s not forget Carolyn! Carolyn had the idea for this entire event when we were struggling to find the right artist fit. Through her gently guided advice, her creativity and her coaching (still allowing us to take the initiative), she made it all come together. (Doris Teich concludes, “I am proud to be associated with this organization and the people, both volunteers and professionals, who are involved. Looking forward to next year’s Gala.”) - Alisa Arkinzadeh