Altrusa’s Holiday Extravaganza was a smash hit and a roaring success! This is no surprise to Santa Maria ladies who look forward to this colorful, exciting, and fun event every year. Tickets went on sale March 1, reported past president Diane Alleman-Stevens, and were sold out by April 1.
Held Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, the 18th annual dinner and Christmas tree raffle attracted 672 ticket-buyers. The only way to serve more people is to set up tables in the parking lot! The Elks provided their wonderful barbecued chicken with baked potatoes, jazzed-up green beans, salad, rolls, and cheesecake.
When I walked into the Elks dining room, I saw a wonderland of trees ablaze with lights. Scattered all around the Elks main room, and in the bar, and in the hallway, were 59 artificial trees festooned with all sorts of decorations and laden with gifts from the trees’ sponsors. Dinner guests bought raffle tickets (10 for $5 bucks) and inserted them in the buckets in front of the various trees. Winner takes all—the tree, ornaments, lights, and presents.
The gifts that accompanied the trees were many and varied. Enticements included children’s bicycles, large barbecues, gift certificates for meals at well-known restaurants, gift certificates for food, and a gift certificate for a barbecue for 20 (Community Bank of Santa Maria did that one).
There were children’s books and toys, baby items, Ugg slippers and boots, several pieces of gorgeous gold jewelry, garden flamingos, and my personal favorite: a vintage vanity table painted in silver accompanied by a vintage chair, also painted in silver. Now who would have thought to do that? (Judith Wahl, that’s who!) Imagination runs amok at the Extravaganza.
Tami Gaussoin was chair of Altrusa’s biggest fundraiser of the year, assisted by Altrusa President Anna Sorenson and a committee.
There are two Altrusa clubs in town. The Holiday Extravaganza is sponsored by Altrusa International, Inc. of Santa Maria, which meets at night and is the original local Altrusa entity. The Extravaganza group recently took on a project that sent more than 50 boxes of socks, toys, personal hygiene items, and the like to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The ladies really are generous,” president-elect Pauline Skiba told me. She hosted a fund-raising dinner at her home to get together enough money to pay for postage—the boxes cost $11 each to ship.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Dec 4-11, 2008.