Benefiting National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Photos by Waterloo Photography.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children celebrated the Texas Heroes for Children Gala on September 13, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Austin’s new Zilker Ballroom. The event benefits the Texas Regional Office of the organization to support safety education for children, families, schools and the community. Because the organzation provides resources that help law enforcement, the event celebrated the brave men and women who go to the front of the line to keep our children safe.
Among the exciting live auction items were a weekend in New York City, VIP Tickets to Austin City Music Festival, a ride-a-long with Austin’s very own Police Chief Art Acevedo (pictured in photo), and a dinner party for 12 cooked and served by the firefighters of the City of Austin’s Fire Station 18. Talk about mixing Fire and FUN!
Let me share the necessary ingredients for having this much fun when selling a dinner party with firefighters.
1. Recuit at least one friendly and energetic firefighter to help sell the dinner during the live auction. Meet firefighter Dave dashing on stage to “Fire” by the Ohio Players, in his red apron. Can you hear the uproar of laughter and applause over the music?
2. When the audience heard from Dave on what makes a dinner with firefighters so special, this group of enthusiastic bidders all raised their bidder paddles in unison to start the bidding.
3. Let’s add
to the fun by interacting with the bidders at their tables. This only increased the bidding frenzy and made the bidding go higher!
4. Not only the ladies were bidding on this dinner! When this gentleman decided to stand up to place his bid, the results were hysterical laughter.
5. Congratulations are in order to the high bidder who will invite 12 lucky friends for a dinner party in her home, cooked and served by the firefighter heroes of the City of Austin Fie Department Station #18.
What a perfect ending to a Celebration of Justice and Hope that helps protect and rescue Texas’ children. Special thanks to gala co-chairs Justice (Ret.) Harriet O’Neill and Kerry Cammack for their leadership in making this the most successful gala since the Texas Regional Office was founded in 2007.
If you would like to talk with Gayle about making your next event a success, please contact us.
Follow the FUN!
