Last evening, guests came in their finest attire to the Alan B. Miller Hall at William & Mary to enjoy a night of food and drink, elegant ambiance and two cute puppies.
The puppies were part of the live auction at the R.F.Wilkinson YMCA’s Festival of Trees. While the two present at the event were already spoken for, guests could bid on animals from a litter to be born at the end of January.
Kristin Hipple of Dunroamin’ Labradors, the facility donating the puppies, carried the two special guests around the party, inspiring much petting and many “aww”s.
The 12th annual event also featured a wide array of other items for live and silent auction. Tiffany Reaves, a board member, said that what originally began as an auction for decorated trees has evolved into a range of more diverse bidding opportunities.
Some items for the silent auction included a sunset river cruise, a set of tickets to William & Mary sports games and bread for a year courtesy of Panera Bread.
The “Man Tree” in the live auction was a ladder adorned with tools and beer, and four tires from Hudgins Holiday Chevrolet came with it.
For the second year in the row, the Festival of Trees used an electronic system of bidding that allowed patrons to lay claim on objects using their smartphones. The tool reminds people they have placed a bid on something later on in the evening, so they can return and track other guests’ bids.
“It makes you stay involved, which is huge,” said Suzanne Maggio, who is a YMCA board member and chair of the event. She said last year the silent auction earned $11,000, while the live auction brought in $24,000.
New this year, the winner of a raffle got first pick of any of the live auction items. Fifty tickets were available for purchase at $100 apiece. The tickets were sold out in a little more than an hour into the event.
Maggio said the raffle is a great asset, and will plan to continue it in the future.
“We would never have raised $5,000 for any of those items” up for live auction, she said.
There was one large tree at the Festival: The Strong Community Tree, which featured pictures of the children who benefit from the annual Strong Communities Campaign Effort, funded by events like the Festival of Trees.
The R.F.Wilkinson YMCA has given nearly $400,000 this year to families who need assistance to take part in their programs, said Pete Kovalcik, the regional operations director for both YMCAs in Williamsburg and Smithfield.
In a welcome speech to more than 200 guests, he said social responsibility is one of the three pillars of the YMCA. The Festival of Trees is a volunteer-led event, sponsored by many businesses in the Williamsburg area.
The YMCA does not turn down children and families who cannot afford to pay for programs, and the proceeds from the Festival of Trees go specifically to the Guardian Program, which provides scholarships for those members of the community.
Last year’s event raised $54,000 – double what it had achieved in the past – and this year hopes to see even more.
Leslie Schultz, chairwoman of the Board for the R.F.Wilkinson YMCA, said supporting the community is a group responsibility.
She said the event has expanded in proceeds and number of guests. The new venue, Miller Hall, allows many more residents to come out and see the work of the Y.
“We are doing a much better job of tapping into the community and getting everyone involved,” she said.
As Williamsburg’s first YMCA — the building was constructed in 2006 — Schultz said they are raising the bar and getting more citizens behind the mission of the nonprofit organization.
This is not the first Festival of Trees and Mark and Linda Sanders have attended, but they complimented the venue and the atmosphere. Mark said he is glad to support the cause, with which he is familiar through their business Luxterra Electrical.
Don Buckless has attended about 10 of the fundraising events and has watched the Festival grow over the years. Buckless serves as the treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA, which includes the Williamsburg branch.
“This is probably as nice a venue as I’ve been to for any party,” he said.
Despite the grandeur of the black tie optional soiree, Schultz reminded the crowd the reason for attending was to help the projected 600 members who will benefit in scholarships.
Reaves said it did not take many stories of children aided by YMCA scholarships before she felt the need to get involved with the board: “You can’t say no to that.”
“We’re more than a gym,” Maggio said. “There’s so much more to it than that, and people need to learn that.”
