Kelli Beasley
You could almost smell the sea salt in the air at the Second Annual Beach Bash presented by NRG Wealth Management to benefit Senior Village at SaddleBrooke. On Saturday, April 1, in the MountainView ballroom, 240 people came together in festive Hawaiian-style attire to raise funds for Senior Village. The outstanding décor, along with the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls inside the ballroom, created an atmosphere just perfect for the Beach Bash.
Guests were greeted by Flamingo Girls and nine tables filled with amazing silent auction items adorning the hallway outside of the ballroom where the event took place. The silent auction included more than 100 prized pieces, which included amazing pottery and ceramics by SaddleBrooke artists, Tucson staycation packages, shopping sprees, beautiful jewelry, themed baskets by Units of SaddleBrooke, certificates of services, and much more. In other words, there was something for everyone, and the winners went home very happy. More than $10,000 was raised from the silent auction.
Entertainer extraordinaire Chuck Moses ensured that the dance floor was never empty. Guests got their groove on and danced to the talents of one of SaddleBrooke’s favorite musicians. Chuck’s unique performance style took many of us back to the good old days of our youth.
This year’s Beach Bash introduced a Wine Pull, and it was a crowd favorite! More than 50 bottles of wine with values of $15 to $78 were offered. The catch was that they were all in brown bags, so guests didn’t know what they were getting. They did get to choose red or white, and they knew all wines were not under a $15 value, so it was a win-win to purchase one or more wine pulls at $15 each. All wine was sold in less than an hour!
A second introduction to Beach Bash 2023 was a live auction of two items: SaddleBrooke One’s coveted Library Dinner for Eight (won by Bonnie Westra) and Total Wine & More’s Private Wine Class for up to 20 (won by Theresa Chaney). The live auction was expertly presented by auctioneer and volunteer Jonathan Green.
Perhaps the most anticipated event of the evening was the announcement of the raffle winners. Tickets for two fabulous prizes had been on sale in SaddleBrooke for weeks in advance and resulted in a generous bottom line of $12,100. The prize of two nights for four guests at a Southern Arizona dude ranch, donated by True Ranch Hospitality, was won by Leslie Mehalek. Leslie commented that she and her husband Tom are relatively new to Arizona and have wanted to take weekend excursions to help them learn more about our beautiful state. The chance to visit one of three different luxury dude ranches will teach them a lot about Arizona and our cowboy heritage.
Guests anxiously awaited the 50/50 raffle draw of $3,500 at the end of the evening. Senior Village board member David Eisenhauer drew the winning ticket belonging to Jack Davis from NRG Wealth Management, the presenting sponsor for Beach Bash. Mr. Davis was so gracious as he accepted the $3,500 and said, “Senior Village means so much to our community and gives back by the services they offer the residents of SaddleBrooke. I am donating the $3,500 back to Senior Village, and I’m thrilled to support them in every way possible.” The crowd went wild, as did the staff!
The true winner of the evening, of course, was Senior Village at SaddleBrooke. This 501(c)(3) organization provides support services to more than 1,100 SaddleBrooke households. Senior Village’s motto “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” was evident in the generosity of all who attended, including the presenting sponsor NRG Wealth Management and other sponsors of the event: Splendido at Rancho Vistoso, Stone Canyon Painting, and SaddleBrooke Remodel.
Beach Bash was all about bringing the SaddleBrooke community together to connect, have fun, and give back. The evening was made possible by a team of incredible volunteers who planned, organized, and created this unbelievable event. Unit reps mobilized their units who created gift baskets overflowing with goodies for the Silent Auction.
It was an inspiring evening. Until next year!