Annual Bling Gala Raises Money and Boosts Students
The eleventh annual Bling Gala, put on by the Garner Mid-Day Rotary Club Foundation, will be on December 7 at 6 p.m. at the Grand Marquise Ballroom.
Proceeds from the black-tie optional event will raise money for the local Back Pack Buddies Program as well as scholarships for Garner senior high school students.
The evening consists of a gourmet dinner, drinks, entertainment by The Chairman of the Board and silent and live auctions. This year’s fundraising goal is $60,000 and the Gala has raised $375,000 over the last twelve years.
This year's event will feature The Chairmen of the Board.
The Garner Back Pack Buddies program sends food home on Fridays to over 140 elementary school children from eight Garner schools who come from food insecure homes, meaning that they rely on school meals for much of their nutrition.
“We just want to make sure the kids are fed. You can’t learn if you’re hungry,” Rita Hines, fundraising chair, said.
The program began when a retired elementary school social worker brought the need for homeless children to have weekend meals to the attention of the Garner Mid-Day Rotary Club.
Over the years, it expanded to include meal boxes for breaks from school, and partnered with Able to Serve, a non-profit organization that provides people with disabilities opportunities to actively participate in the community. Able to Serve provides the regular weekly legwork along with a group of volunteers, consisting of many retired educators, and the Gala provides much of their funding.
“We raise the money, but the folks that shop and serve do it every week,” John Hodges, treasurer of the Rotary Club, said, adding that the schools are instrumental in helping identify children in need. “We really have to trust in the guidance counselors and social workers to tell us the need in the school.”
Information on purchasing tickets, sponsorships, donations and items for auction can be found here.
Tickets to attend should be purchased by Wednesday, December 4.