Almost $50,000 worth of merchandise, including travel packages, gym memberships, art, jewelry and a private concert with a Eugene Symphony cellist will be auctioned off Sunday, Dec. 10, at the HIV Alliance’s annual Gifts From the Heart, An Affair to Remember benefit.
The event runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be held in the ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel.
Lindi Endicott, a volunteer coordinator, said, “It’s just a lot of fun to see all the different things.”
The silent auction begins at 2 p.m., followed by the oral auction at 4 p.m.. Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 at the door.
The event includes dinner, a dessert buffet featuring food from 20 Eugene restaurants. Ballroom dancers will also give an exhibition.
The Ed Coleman Jazz Trio, led by retired University professor Ed Coleman, will also perform throughout the evening.
This is Coleman’s second year playing at the event. His wife serves on the board of directors and will sing a few songs with the band.
The Colemans became involved with the organization because people are still dying from AIDS.
“If you ever experience a good friend that is dying of AIDS, as you watch them deteriorate, it’s something you’ll never forget,” Ed Coleman said. “It’s so important that people know there are still lots of people dying from this.”
HIV Alliance organizers said they hope to raise $45,000 this year to continue funding a wide array of social services for Eugene residents living with HIV.
The Alliance supports a program in which volunteers called angels provide services for HIV and AIDS patients. Some angels visit patients at home, while others provide free haircuts, lawn and garden care, massages, counseling and arts and crafts instruction.
The Alliance’s Acorn Center serves dinner nightly to Eugene families affected by the disease and provides support groups and community outreach services. This year the benefit will feature an awards ceremony to thank the 230 volunteers who donate their time.
Four special awards will be given, but David Bernstein, the auction coordinator, said, “It’s a way of publicly acknowledging the goodness of all our volunteers.”
Endicott noted that the 12,000 hours volunteers provide each year are equivalent to hiring twelve full-time staff members.
“For every kind of person there’s a different reason they volunteer,” Endicott said. “Some to get to know people, some may have had a personal experience with HIV, but the common ground is they all have big hearts.”
For more information call the HIV Alliance at 342-5088 or visit www.hivalliance.org.