A few months back I featured one of my favorite ladies, Jerri Rosen, founder and CEO of the charitable organization Working Wardrobes/VetNet in Orange County, CA on AOBF and shared her story (click on AOBF to read).
I was asked to chair their yearly Gala again this year that was just held at the end of June, and it didn’t take long for me to say yes to Jerri- she has that effect on people! I had a lot of nerves and sleepless nights planning this one without a co-chair but I had a great committee of friends ( thank-you Stacia Nadelman, Lisa Briggs, Karima Hunter, Alatheia Hart, Chimene Neglia, Sarah Weaver, Melinda Wright) and the staff at Working Wardrobes all worked hard to pull it together with me.
I am usually just a worker-bee type who hadn’t chaired anything before doing last years event in 2018, and had only been on committees for various charities previously. With that said, I thought I’d share some behind the scenes the night of the event…which to my surprise ended up being the most profitable gala to date in the last 29 years! I was just blown away…and thrilled for them. The Driving Success Gala raised close to $400,000 for women, men, at-risk youth and veterans overcoming difficult challenges and helping them achieve the Power of a Paycheck!
The chosen location was extra special because the Marconi Automotive Museum donates a portion of the proceeds from events booked at the museum to at-risk children’s charities throughout Orange County, so having just by having the event there helps on another level as well. How cool is that?
We kicked the event off at the entrance to the venue with an apropos all veteran band The Rock Club who gave a great performance as everyone pulled up to get them in a festive mood.
As our friends and guests started arriving we took the opportunity to get a photo of them in front of a very cool vintage aqua Thunderbird that appealed to everyone. What a beauty!
After checking in with some slight delays due to a tech glitch and new system, the guests were able to wander around the amazing showroom filled with vintage classic cars and memorabilia while also bidding some pretty amazing silent auction items that we worked hard to get throughout the year. I have to say we have some very generous friends and businesses in the area that are so giving and understand how important this cause is, which made for a lot of exceptional items.
My AOBF partner and friend Alatheia and her husband Kyle Hart arrived to offer support even though she was very pregnant at the time and nonetheless looked very glam per usual! Not to mention getting Kyle out to a charity event…I owe him big time!
My favorite sommelier Arden Montgomery of Argaux had helped Jerri and I choose some amazing wines and proseco to pair with the evenings menu from award winning White House Catering and that definitely added a nice touch to the evening.
Our guests came inside and were able to begin looking around and begin the evening, whether vying for auction items or touring the amazing Marconi Automotive Museum and it’s incredible collection.
We had a wide variety of auction items to choose from in all different price ranges which is nice. I love seeing people hovering over an item so they make sure to get it! The silent auction is no joke,a lot of time and effort goes into this part of the evening and I am so appreciative of everyone who helped to get the items, but also get it ready and wrapped. Not only did the committee work hard, but WW has a group of volunteers that come in the day of the event to assist in room and auction set-up which is so nice.
When you see the room start to fill up is when you are grateful for your family, friends and business associates for taking the time to commit to attending a charity event. As we all know, it sounds great when we r.s.v.p. yes months in advance, but when the time rolls around for the event it always seems to not be a good time, you don’t feel good or a million things come up.
It’s a commitment to go and attend and I know some of us have to drag our husbands, partners or ourselves to certain ones, but I loved that this venue ( Marconi being an automotive museum and voted a favorite museum in Orange County) was a great draw in that it houses one of the nicest private auto collections in North America. There was so much to see with some of the rare vintage cars, race cars, and racing memorabilia.
As the silent auction closed, everyone took their seats for dinner. For the tables, we had chosen black, white, and black and white stripes as the color theme for the evening to go with the automotive vibe, and the all white hydrangea and white rose florals in black vases were done by the talented French Buckets for the tables. I wanted the theme to fit in with the museum but still have a bit of a sophisticated flair since it was after all, a gala! After dinner was served, the Marine Color Guard came out to start the ceremonies, and seeing them still gets me teary eyed with pride.
The next part of the evening started the National Anthem sung beautifully by Paul Meyers of WW, with some words from our board member Jim Bourne, a former U.S. Army veteran, basketball Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood and the nights emcee NBC 4 newscaster Belen De Leon.
Founder Jerri Rosen then took the stage to share her heartfelt thanks for everyone attending and also mention the latest developments that Working Wardrobes and VetNet had been working on, including her wish of someday getting a new forklift to assist the warehouse in moving large boxes and bulk containers.
Our favorite auctioneer Zack Krone then took over the evening and proceeded to make everyone laugh per usual with his witty style and delivery. He is so entertaining and made the evening even more enjoyable with his fun interactions with the guests.
Once Zack got the live auction going and in full swing, something incredible happened. My dear friend Danny McKenna of Mckenna Cars started questioning mid-bid on a live auction travel item, and circled back around to ask about the forklift and what she wanted. They had a cute banter back and forth and with Zack’s assistance he ended up not only getting the Hob Knob Inn Martha’s Vineyard trip but also pledged to buy a new forklift to Jerri’s delight! A huge thank-you on behalf of WW/VetNet to Danny and Jeri McKenna for fulfilling Jerri’s latest dream!
Then some former clients of the organization stood up from various tables and said a little about what WW/VetNet has done for them and how they have succeeded with their assistance. I was teary eyed again when I realized that some of the people who stood up worked or volunteered at Working Wardrobes, and I didn’t realize they had been a part of the program. It was such a proud moment to see how far they have come with their help.
Zack continued to make us laugh and sell live auction travel destinations such as a week at Skycove, a brand new home on it’s own cove that sleeps 16 on Eleuthera in the Bahamas (thankfully in good shape after Hurricane Dorian), a beautiful Rolex from Bob’s Watches and more, and coerced people to bid and pledge for an amazing cause that helps so many. It was so heartwarming to see all the paddles raise throughout the evening in support. The night wound down and concluded with a donut dessert wall ( sounds weird but so good at the end of the evening ) and dancing.
The guests checked out and collected the auction items they “won” ( I love that it’s called won) and received a cute black and white striped treat bag filled with a tasty Dad’s of Balboa Island race car sugar cookie ( their hippo cookies are famous in Orange County) and water for the ride home, and we finished the evening with some fun in the photo booth. I couldn’t be more grateful to all who helped make the event such a big success!
*** Plans have already started for next years 30th Anniversary Gala which will be held on Saturday, June 20th 2020 at the beautiful Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa, California. Save the Date and contact Working Wardrobes or message me for more information.
Working Wardrobes/VetNet
1851 Kettering Street
Irvine, CA 92614
714.210.2460
@workingwardrobes
*** Photography by:
Bonnie Merrick @bonniemerrickphotography
Meilani Cottrell @rad_man