The CSC Gala Happenings

When I signed up to coordinate the Gala, I don't think I fully comprehended what people said about the auction items flooding in right before the deadline for the program. We still accept auction items after the program is typeset, and those additional items will be displayed online, but the majority of the items arrive about a month before the Gala (March 7 was the deadline).

Little did I know that the vast majority of those auction items would come in on March 7!

It's human nature to acknowledge generosity when it comes in one big package instead of lots of little packages. The billionaire who gives a $10 million grant to help cure AIDS gets more press than the millions of people who contribute small amounts to the same cause. Thus I was overwhelmed with the generosity of donors, both local and remote, as those items flooded in on Friday. My desk and office were piled high with items--I couldn't log them at the rate they arrived.

But I don't want to overlook the fact that there's not just one generous donor or one hardworking solicitor--there are literally hundreds of people who chose to give to the Gala in this way, and a whole team, led by Jeff Buchek, of people who asked for those people to give. Some would say that it's harder to ask to give than just to give, and I applaud the courage and devotion of Jeff and his team to make this year's auction the best ever.

Wouldn't it be great if you could click back to www.cscgala.org and look at all of these wonderful items? It certainly would. But not yet. We're compiling the program this week, and as soon as we have those files, we'll upload them to the website. So we're probably looking at later this weekend or early next week. Holy Week isn't the best time to covet, so wait until after the celebration of Easter to check your bank account to see what you can want.

Until then, after the program is uploaded, just admire the items and remember the generosity of both the donors and the solicitors.