Guests go wild at charity wine auction
More than 800 guests donned their finest jungle attire to attend Willow Park Wines & Spirits’ 24th Charity Wine Auction Nov. 4.
From amazing body-painted creatures of the night to leopardprint lovelies, the visuals at the fab fete were wonderful indeed. Proceeds from the standingroom-only event will support cancer-based organizations through its Vintage Fund including: Alberta Children’s Hospital Childhood Cancer Research; C-NETS (Carcinoid-Neuroendocrine Tumor Society Canada); Jamie’s Preschool; Prostate Cancer Centre; Tom Baker Cancer Centre; and Wellspring Calgary.
Over the years, the Vintage Fund has donated more than $4.5 million to myriad charities enriching the lives of many. And this year’s event raised more than $310,000 to continue the fund’s wonderful work.
The live and silent auction items garnered top dollars this night and many of the live items would not have been available for purchase anywhere else. Where else could one snag an exclusive invitation-only opportunity to attend the Premier Napa Valley Wine Auction? Or the chance to run the Bordeaux Marathon with the team from Chateau Angludet?
With more than 100 silent auction items and 28 experiences in the live auction, it’s not surprising the event was an enormous success. Fabulous food selections from some of the city’s top restaurants and killer entertainment from Vancouver’s Famous Players Band ensured a memorable evening for all.
Event co-chairs Scott Henuset and his wife Suzanne Henuset — who were recently named two of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 — are to be commended for a job well done.
Joining this dynamic duo at the event were: Willow Park Wines & Spirits’ founder Wayne Henuset and his wife Liz with colleague Peggy Perry and her husband Brien Perry; Penfolds ambassador DLynn Proctor — who was featured in the acclaimed wine documentary SOMM; actor and wine aficionado Jason Priestley; Terralsole’s Mario Bollag; Prostate Cancer Centre executive director Pam Heard; Brooks and Dodd Consulting’s Tom Dodd; Noble Ridge owner and CEO Leslie D’Andrea and her husband Jim; Jennifer Edgar, Missy Neal, Quinn Button, Sarah Bella, Arianna Plett and Cathy Laramee; philanthropist and community leader Ann McCaig; Nomadic Pictures’ Chad Oakes with Gael-Anne Hatch; actor Brendan Hunter; Lesley Grieve; RGO’s Johnny Sobotka with Walton’s Kate Kaminski; Alex Olson; Molson Coors’ Mike Myers and his wife Lisa; Osler’s Lorne Carson with his wife Elizabeth Carson; Hyatt Regency GM Amy Johnson with Charlotte Cabrol; Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk and her husband Anton; BILD Calgary Region CEO Guy Huntingford with colleague Bev Jarvis; Bottlescrew Bill’s Stuart and Colleen Allan; CTV’s Bob Sumner; Parker PR’s Ellen Parker and her husband, Bonavista Energy’s Erik Parker; Avenue Magazine editor-in-chief Kathe Lemon; and Calgary Herald colleagues Lorne Motley, Monica Zurowski, Dean Jager and Laura Linnell.