The Rotary Club of Huntsville has announced that the Celebrity Chef Culinary Experience event held on March 20th was a huge success.
With the generous support of the community, local businesses and dedicated volunteers, $32,000 was raised for Hospice Huntsville.
The three local celebrity chefs, Jeff Suddaby, Rory Golden and Randy Spencer facilitated the event when they learned it would support Rotary’s efforts to benefit Hospice Huntsville.
Each has personal ties to the local organization that provides end of life care. Local businesses also jumped onboard with sponsorship dollars and in-kind donations. Organizers are saying a special thanks to the lead sponsor NyDock and to Sawmill Creative for donating the video work.
Three hundred and sixteen dinners were bought and the event sold out in two weeks.
Also, $11,000 in corporate sponsorship was secured, in addition to a generous donation, by Hunter’s Bay Radio, of five thousand dollars.
Guests received a full box of prepared food, along with an awesome swag bag full of goodies and treats donated by local businesses.
A special shout out to Deerhurst Resort for use of their meeting rooms, large refrigeration and storage facilities, and special thanks to Farmer’s Daughter for their involvement with food coordination and logistics.
After dinner, guests were treated to an evening of superb entertainment, sponsored by Cogeco, including an all Canadian line up featuring Jim Cuddy, Hawksley Workman, Amy Sky, Kevin Hearn, Beverley Mahood, as well as some fine local talent.
These artists all donated their time and left a personal message for their area fans and Hospice Huntsville. Organizers say it truly was a fantastic night.
“On behalf of Hospice Huntsville and the residents and families we serve, we are humbled by the generous support of our community once again. Community service initiatives like the Rotary Club of Huntsville’s Celebrity Chef Culinary Experience is very important to us,” says Melissa Polischuk, Hospice Huntsville Fund Development and Public Relations Coordinator. “Events such as this not only raise vital funds for our organization but also the public awareness of hospice and palliative care services in our community. This successful fundraising initiative allows us to direct our donor-funded money towards direct care. The funds raised will support our ongoing operations and provision of high-quality end of life care at no charge for members of our community. It is truly heart-warming to witness our community virtually coming together. We are incredibly grateful to Rotary for supporting us with this incredible event!”
Hospice Huntsville’s mission to “To guide and provide consistent, comprehensive and compassionate end of life care that is readily accessible to individuals, families and caregivers in the setting of their choice throughout the greater Huntsville area” is delivered through Algonquin Grace, the 5-bed residential hospice and their community support programs. All of Hospice Huntsville’s programs are available at no cost to hospice residents, clients and families because of the generous support from our community. As a registered charity, Hospice Huntsville receives 40% government funding of their annual budget.
“The support of the community has been totally outstanding. We were blown away by the commitment and involvement from local business support, to volunteers, to all the guests who participated,” says committee Co-Chair Brandy Van Gelder. “The Rotary Club of Huntsville would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that was involved in making this event so successful”
Rotary International is a volunteer organization of businesses and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotarians take an active role in both the local and world communities. The act of helping enriches the personal and professional lives of Rotarians and other contributors.
The photo, pictured from left: Jeff Suddaby, Rebecca Ellerson, Melissa Polischuk, Brandy Van Gelder, Jamie Thompson, Randy Spencer, and Rory Golden.