MADISON — St. Ambrose Academy will host its third annual Christmas Benefit Dinner and Auction on Friday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Bishop O’Connor Center. The guest of honor is Bishop Robert C. Morlino.
The evening’s program will feature a silent auction, elegant dinner, live Christmas music, a spirited student presentation, and raffle.
Silent auction opens event
You are invited Third Annual St. Ambrose Christmas Benefit Dinner and Auction |
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The night will begin with a cocktail hour and the opening of the silent auction. Guests may browse the silent auction while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Dr. John P. Milbauer, pianist, and the St. Ambrose schola, led by Marilyn Zipsie, will entertain guests throughout the evening with Christmas carols and other songs. Dinner, a humorous skit written and performed by St. Ambrose students, and a raffle of various gift baskets will follow.
The silent auction this year will feature items ranging from a week-long Rocky Mountain vacation to religious gifts, jewelry, lodging, entertainment, and St. Ambrose student artwork.
Bob and Nancy Arntz, auction organizers, were pleased with the wide variety of items donated and added, “It will be a great way to do some Christmas shopping and support the school,” they said.
Some of their favorite items include a collection of books for the Year of the Priest, special rosaries, an original St. Francis of Assisi icon, a one-week vacation at a house on Blue Spring Lake in Palmyra, Wis., and four tickets to the Children’s Theater of Madison’s production of Narnia.
Auction items will be listed on www.ambroseacademy.org after December 6 for early bidding by those who cannot attend.
Business opportunities
Businesses have the opportunity of advertising at the dinner by donating a tax-deductible gift, experience, or service to the auction or by sponsoring a table at the dinner.
Businesses donating items to the auction will have their business cards included in the auction catalog, which will be given to all of the dinner attendees and which will also appear on the school Web site.
Businesses may also sponsor a table and have their company logo appear on the table card. Paul Matenaer, St. Ambrose Academy development director, noted that the size of the event makes it a desirable venue in which to advertise. “Given that well over 200 people are expected to attend, it’s an excellent place to advertise,” he said.
Those interested in donating to the auction or sponsoring a table are invited to contact the school as soon as possible.
Dinner reflects state heritage
The dinner itself will reflect Wisconsin’s culinary heritage. St. Ambrose board member Joan Carey described the menu as including “Cornish hens on a wild rice bed with cranberry relish and herbed winter vegetables, salad and soup, and fresh breads and a delicious chocolate cake from the Yodeling Baker, a bakery operated on a Swiss family’s Wisconsin homestead.”
She noted that even the wines that will be served will have been made from grapes harvested from Wisconsin vineyards.
Scott Kisting and his wife, supporters of St. Ambrose, attended the benefit dinner last year and had warm memories of the evening. “My wife and I enjoyed the meal a great deal,” he said, adding that he most enjoyed having dinner with the bishop and hearing some of the St. Ambrose students speak about their education and experience at the school.
Kisting supports St. Ambrose because he feels “it is important to have a truly Catholic education available” for his children.
To attend the St. Ambrose Christmas Benefit Dinner, contact Katie Haun by December 4 at 608-827-5863 or e-mail [email protected]