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RH Rotary raises $15,000 for good causes
rotary bigwigs
Heather Saari, Lauren Frances, Carol Batastini, Rotary Club president Tina Eberlein and Larry Bradin at Saturday’s Robin Hood Ball at the Richmond Hill City Center. - photo by Photo by Julia Harrison
The Rotary Club of Richmond Hill held a formal fundraising event April 10 at the new Richmond Hill City Center. The event, entitled “The Robin Hood Ball: An Evening in Sherwood Forest,” was a rousing social and financial success, organizers said.
The motivation behind the Robin Hood Ball was threefold; it was held to commemorate the Rotary Club’s 15 years of dedicated service in our local community, to honor the chapter’s founding members, and most importantly, to raise funds and awareness for charity organizations.
Proceeds from the event will support both local and international causes. Locally, the chapter supports the Junior Achievement program, the United Way of the Coastal Empire, schools and a number of academic scholarship programs. Also enjoying the Rotary Club’s support are various international initiatives focusing on world health. “Rotary International is just one big family, working for common goals,” explained Lesley Frances, chapter secretary.
The theme of the event, Robin Hood, was deliberately chosen because of the philanthropic message that the legendary folktale evokes. When the chapter announced the event in a February press release, President of the Richmond Hill Rotary, Tina Eberlein, said, “Robin Hood was famous for robbing from the rich to give to the poor. We are not planning to go that far, but we are asking people to dig deep and buy a ticket or sponsor the event to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”
The Richmond Hill community responded enthusiastically to Eberlein’s appeal. Nearly 150 guests attended the event, and they did so in style.
Elegant tuxedos and glamorous cocktail dresses abounded in the ballroom, and while no one was quite brave enough to don a pair of green tights or a feathered cap for the event, the guests truly embraced the theme of the evening through their kindness and generosity.
Through local business sponsorship, ticket sales and the revenue generated by the evening’s silent auction, the Robin Hood Ball raised over $15,000 for charity. “We’re absolutely thrilled, especially considering the state of the economy. To earn $15,000 after all expenses is amazing,” declared Frances proudly.
The Richmond Hill City Center earned praise from organizers.
“The City Center was a stunning venue. The service and food were positively first class,” said Frances. Guests enjoyed a selection of wines, dinner, dancing and dessert throughout the evening, and were entertained by “3 of Us,” a local band whose musical repertoire celebrates classic songs from the  ’60s and ’70s.
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