By: Sue Willis, VHCSF Board Member
I always joke that my husband and I are dangerous at charity auctions. I mean that to say the only thing in real “danger” is our wallet. We love a good silent/live auction. Making purchases that we both might make anyway and might not otherwise make when we know that it benefits people or causes that we care about makes the spending more fun (and, to the appropriate degree, tax deductible). Considering all the events we’ve attended, I can think of very few we’ve left empty handed. If we did, I can promise you we helped that organization make a little more money by bidding against someone else for a fantastic item.
So, with all of the amazing auction items that will be in the auction at Dinner & Diamonds, you might be wondering what you might be fighting me for. First of all, each year at Dinner & Diamonds, I am definitely looking to add to my stackable ring collection (started in years past at D&D!) by bidding on a gorgeous ring from Paul’s Diamond Center. My husband and I like to bid on the art donated by local artists, such as Joan Curtis & Jenny Ballentine. Their works are creative, lovely and always a warming touch to a room in our home. My daughter will continue to dance at Vestavia Dance next year and scoring a semester of tuition at Dinner & Diamonds is a great way to help the Foundation! Additionally, there are guaranteed to be some great restaurant gift certificates that we can put to good use for date nights. And we’ll be paying keen attention during the live auction so that we can bid on the in home dining event prepared by Chef Franklin Biggs that includes a case of Tasari wine, gift certificate from the New York Butcher Shop and $100 Gift Certificate from Piggly Wiggly.
I am hoping to end the night walking away with at least of few of the items I have in my sights. Hopefully my ring finger will have some additional bling, my husband will be hauling a canvas, and we’ll be planning our next night out. However, if I am a little disappointed that I didn’t win everything I bid on, I’ll remind myself that while I may have lost out, our schools most definitely won!