cha gala 2012

this past saturday our school held it's annual gala fundraiser.  bobby and i have been to every gala since we started at the school.  the last two years they have been held at our school.  you can read about those here and here.

this is our big fundraiser for the year. this year the theme was vintage california and it's the first year that i was on the planning committee. it was a lot of work to pull this event off but it was fun to be a part of the planning and creative process.

the event centered around a taste of california.  the invitations were vintage california postcards, the party favors had wine from a california winery and chocolates from ghiradelli in san francisco. the centerpieces were crates filled with oranges and a plant from the different regions.

our pto president made the crates and i decopauged a vintage fruit crate image on the side.  then my friend marisol and i filled them with oranges and cuties, moss and an olive tree, mini pine tree, protea, and beach grass.

mari and i worked on them saturday morning and then took them to the hotel to set up the tables.  it all looked great once we set them up with the party favors, and table signs.  each table had a name from a place in california.  we sat at the sonoma table.

the silent auction had such great items; an electic guitar, a bbq, wine, and dodger tickets.

we went in on those with mari and jay.  yeah we are going to a dodger game! sorry guys we broke into the peanuts and cracker jacks in the hotel room.  we owe you one. 

there were time with teacher items, and class projects.  this was sofia's class project.  they usually go over our budget but it's fun to see people bid and drive the prices up.

this year the gala honored one of our families who has contributed so much to the success of our school.  as vice president of the pto i got to present them with an award created in their honor, the PTO's volunteer of the year.  i was so touched to be a part of this special moment.

and of course there was dancing.  it would not be a cha event without bobby and i hitting the dance floor with friends and teachers.  that's one of the highlights of the night for us, kicking off our shoes with our wonderful friends and the faculty and staff that make our school so special.

there are already plans for next year's gala.  after a wrap up meeting and a little break i'll be ready to start on that one too.

thanks to those that helped put the gala together.  it was a great night for a great cause.