Our inaugural Harvest Gala was a great success!
Over 200 guests attended the Harvest Gala celebrating the St. Robert Bellarmine Community on October 15, 2011 at the school gymnasium. Thanks to the generosity of the community, the live and silent auctions raised over $20,000 with proceeds supporting specific wish list items and the entire parish community. We are grateful to report that generous monetary donations continue to come in and the committee will soon share the good news as to how much was raised.
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The evening began with a special Mass in the company of Bishop John R. Manz, Rev. Thad Jakubowski, Rev. Michael Goergen, Rev. Leroy Wickowski, Rev. Neil Fackler, and Deacon Antonio Delgado. There was a special blessing for the Sisters of Notre Dame who represented the nearly 100 Sisters who have touched the hearts of our community, including: Sr. Mary Lou Stoffel, Sr. Bridgette Murphy, Sr. Mary Milano, Sr. Ann Fanella, Sr. Lea Cozzini, Sr. Antoinette Bergen, along with Sr. Carol Lichtenberg, SNDdeN, Provincial of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Guests proceeded from the church where they were greeted in the Sacred Heart courtyard. They entered the gym that was beautifully transformed with autumn-themed décor, chef carving stations, a giant screen and stage, classrooms set up with silent auction items, and live entertainment by Damien Espinosa. Father Neil Fackler opened the evening with a prayer. Mrs. Carrie Mijal, principal, kicked off the official presentation to the Sisters and paid tribute to their more than 80 years of service at St. Robert’s. A custom bronze plaque was presented as a lasting symbol of their dedication and service. This custom piece was donated by the Knight of Columbus Tonti Council 1567 that will be placed in the church vestibule in the near future.
Over 80 silent auction items were generously donated by local businesses, school families and parishioners. The live auction main attractions were custom pieces made by each classroom, sports memorabilia and vacation packages to Florida, Mexico and Chicagoland attractions. The live auctioneer kept the bidding fun and exciting.
Upon the conclusion of the live auction the DJ played music that had people dancing up until midnight. The only interruption was the drawing of the Split-the-Pot raffle that was drawn live in front of the audience with winning prizes of $2500, $1500 and $1000.
And finally, a very special thank you to all of the live and silent auction winners, donors, committee members and volunteers, and those who were unable to attend but also supported the event. The committee chairs will keep us posted as to the progress with the Fund-A-Need wish list for the school and parish. We will plan to do this again next fall.
