Livermore Valley, October 2018 – The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation and the Wente Foundation for Arts Education are pleased to announce that together they raised $325,000 for under-served East Bay children at the 24th annual Livermore Valley Wine Auction on September 29, 2018. This year’s fundraising brings the total raised over the event’s history to over $5 million.
The two host foundations will present checks to the following beneficiaries at a special check presentation event on January 17, 2019. This year’s beneficiaries are: Open Heart Kitchen, for weekend lunches for local children who receive free and reduced lunch during the week; De La Salle Academy, providing a high-quality middle school education to low-income boys with academic promise; Livermore Valley Performing Art Center’s Bankhead Theater, for local school outreach; and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education for Tri-Valley schools.
“We really appreciate the generous support of our sponsors, donors, bidders, and Livermore Valley wineries. We’re already looking forward to next year. Save the date for a special 25th anniversary event on September 21, 2019!” says Christine Wente, Auction Chair.
The success of this year’s event was due to generous contributions from many individuals and companies, including Dublin Chevrolet, First Tech Federal Credit Union and the Priem Family Foundation, the event’s Title sponsors. The following Master Sommelier sponsors were also important supporters of the event: Black Tie Transportation, Celebrity Cruises, Diablo Magazine, FedEx, Gallo Glass, Kaiser Permanente, The Rose Hotel, and Stanford Healthcare/ValleyCare.
The evening started with wine tasting hosted by 20 Livermore Valley winemakers who poured their best wines while the guests perused the silent auction lots. Then the guests enjoyed a beautiful dinner and lively bidding on 22 live auction lots, followed by a successful fund-a-need for STEAM education that raised nearly $50,000.
Beneficiary applications for the 2019 Livermore Valley Wine Auction can be found at lvwf.org and are due December 1, 2018. Organizations that support under-served East Bay children are encouraged to apply.
The mission of the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation is to raise funds to improve the quality of life for under-served local children. The mission of the Wente Foundation for Arts Education is to provide support for arts education programs in the Bay Area. For more information, please contact Brandi Addington, Auction Manager, at auctionmgr@lvwf.org or (925) 321-8338.