SAN DIEGO – The holidays are a time of traditions and this year was no exception. For the 11th year in a row Martinis Above Fourth Table + Stage and The San Diego LGBT Community Center presented an evening of holiday festivities and fun, all in the name of fundraising, with their annual Charity Wreath Auction Monday, Dec. 8.
The two organizations, along with other local sponsors including the Imperial Court of San Diego, broke last year’s record by raising an additional $2,500 for a total of more than $32,500. Almost $220,000 has been raised in the 11-year history of this event.
The Charity Wreath Auction has become an institution for the community and raises money for The Queen Eddie Conlon Youth Fund, which benefits in-crisis LGBT youth. The fund provides scholarships, education-related expenses, housing, books, supplies, clothing and services for LGBT youth, some who have been turned away by their families and need the care and resources the fund provides. Funds also go to help the residents of the Sunburst Youth Housing Complex, which is for youth ages 18 to 24. Many of the residents were kicked out of their homes for being LGBT and some are living with HIV.
Individuals, organizations and businesses donated 40 creative, festive and outrageous wreaths that were modeled by the “wreath boys” and auctioned off. The event also included a silent auction, opportunity drawing and a new “silent giving” station.
The Charity Wreath Auction began in 2004 by the previous MA4 owners Dale Dubach, Chaz Weathers and John Osgood who had been friends with Queen Eddie Conlon before he passed away. The Queen Eddie Conlon Youth Fund was established in honor of LGBT community leader, Army veteran, columnist and entertainer Eddie Conlon. Current owners Jim Simpson and Doru Tifui have continued the tradition. The first year the event raised $3,153 with just a handful of wreaths and this week they raised over $32,000 with 40 wreaths.
Wreaths were auctioned off for as low as $75 while bidding reached over $5,000 on others. One wreath was sold for $5,500, the most received for an item in the auction’s history. While some buyers purchase the wreaths for themselves or as gifts others donate the wreaths to needy families and local organizations.
The Silent Giving Station, a new addition to the event, also raised money by giving attendees opportunity to “purchase” backpacks, eye exams, haircuts and bags of groceries, among other items, that would be useful to a young person in need.
Event Coordinator Ian Johnson of The Center said, “ This is a great event, filled with a lot of love. The energy of the night is spectacular and everyone is there to help our youth. Each person who works the event is a volunteer – from the check-in to the wreath boys and Lady Ajax – there is a complete sense of community and the holiday spirit. I feel this event is exactly what everyone believes the holidays should be about. Even if an individual attends, with no intention of purchasing a wreath, they still feel the love that radiates from the auction.”
Plans are already in the works for the 2015 Charity Wreath Auction with the goal of raising even more money next year.
