The Roane Alliance Eighth Annual Gala “Best Gala Ever”!
Friday November 20, 2009
KINGSTON -The Roane Alliance's Eighth Annual Gala this year may well have been the "best Gala ever" according to many of the participants who attended the big fund-raising event Friday, November 13. This year's Gala featured 1940's music, singing, dancing and costumes, the Alliance's largest auction ever, a wine and beer reception and a delicious gourmet meal.
The Roane Alliance Gala is held each year to raise money to fund the programming at The Roane Alliance-Roane County's partnership between the industrial development board, visitors bureau and chamber of commerce.
Although it is too early to tell if the financial goal of $50,000 in profit was met, President and CEO of The Alliance Leslie Henderson said that "we are very close" and maybe even more importantly, "this year we had twice as many auction items donated as ever before.
"That kind of support from the business community speaks volumes," Henderson said. "The last two years have been difficult for us all, so this increase in participation in this day and time is really phenomenal. All of us here at the Alliance are truly overwhelmed with the support we received this year."
The gala was held at Rothchild's in Knoxville, with auction items ranging from weekend getaways, pedigreed puppies, clocks, sports memorabilia, estate jewelry, Persian rugs, Jim Gray paintings, Christmas decorative items, spa baskets and much, much more. Bear Stephenson was the auctioneer. The more than 200 guests enjoyed a dinner of stuffed chicken breast and beef tenderloin while they viewed stunning diamond jewelry, and luxurious furs -- such as a full-length mink and a bobcat vest -- modeled by Alliance staff member Maggie Wisden and volunteer Diana Knobloch. The live auction then produced some lively bidding on such popular items as an seven-week-old male pedigreed Labrador Retriever puppy donated by Mark Morgan, of CSGI and Tony Whitson of Kel-san, Luxury Limousine Service in Classic Rolls Royce complete with Liveried Chauffeur donated by Regal Carriages, and a dinner for eight at the Whitestone Country Inn donated by Whitestone owners Paul and Jean Cowell.
Among those in attendance at the gala were: Senator Ken Yager and his wife Malinda Yager; County Executive Mike Farmer; Kingston Mayor Troy Beets and his wife, Carolyn Beets; Rockwood Mayor James Watts, and his wife, Vicki Watts; Roane State Community College President Dr. Gary Goff and his wife, Heidi Goff; Jim Gann, Chief Administrator at Roane Medical Center, and his wife, Donna Gann; Sharon Templeton-King, from EnergySolutions, and her husband Ron King; Regions Bank Barney Dickey and his wife Phyllis Dickey: AGA Insurance's Jerry Stephens and his wife, Charlotte Stephens, Griffin Insurance's Johnny Griffin and his daughter, Stacey Griffin, Roane Alliance Board Chair Keith Uselton and his wife, Penelope Uselton, and Roane County Chamber Board Chair Kim Harris and her husband, Rick Harris.
Also attending were ORUD's Ben Andrews and his wife, Gayle Andrews; Dr. Bert Cunningham and his wife, Lynn; Dr. Linda Hunter; Dana and Sally Peterka; Citizens National Bank's Lynne Spires and Frank Knies and his wife Joanne.
The Gala was sponsored by a number of local businesses that made the event possible. The Platinum Sponsors were: CROET and Emergency Coverage Corp. of Team Health; Bronze Sponsors were: EnergySolutions, Oak Ridge Utility District, Regions Bank, and United Community Bank; and Gold Sponsors were: Bechtel Jacobs, Covenant Health, Kimble Chase/ThermoFisher, McGill Associates, Roane County Government, Roane County Industrial Board, Pro2Serve, City of Rockwood, Food City, Diversified Scientific Services, Morgan Keegan, TVA Kingston Fossil Plant, ORNL Federal Credit Union, Coldwell Banker/Omni Visions, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, USEC and Daniels, Uselton & Clay.
##
