Libby and Bill King with Catherine Reichert, and Susanne and Doug Sweeny

Elegance and philanthropy came together recently as more than 180 members of the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program gathered at the exquisitely transformed Grand Harbor Club for their seventh annual Dinner and Live Auction Gala: On Angels’ Wings.

Tuxedos and gorgeous gowns were the order of the evening, as attendees mingled in the soft – one could say heavenly – glow of blue and white lights, amidst captivating décor that featured snowy, feathery wings in several iterations.

Guest dined at tables centered with graceful angel wings and purple blossoms, on a gourmet dinner that featured ‘Heavenly Chicken’ with ‘Angel Wings’ for dessert. Dinner was accompanied, appropriately, by celestial music played by harpist Gretchen Cover and pianist Jacob Craig.

Prominently displayed about the hall were six eye-catching posters, each featuring a portrait of one of the many individuals who have been helped by Grand Harbor Outreach, and enumerating the various ways their lives have been changed as a result.

Event chair Susanne Sweeny, looking radiant in gold, and husband Doug have been involved in Grand Harbor Outreach, principally in leadership roles, since 2008. She said this year’s theme served as a reminder that the 400 generous ‘angels’ of Grand Harbor are “helping transform the lives of thousands of their neighbors in need.”

The effort that began 18 years ago, with two Grand Harbor ladies creating and selling a cookbook, has grown exponentially, currently raising about a half-million dollars a year, according to Doug Sweeny.

This past year, through donations to 35 local agencies, Susanne Sweeny said the organization has “touched the lives of over 9,400 people,” principally in the areas of homeless families, veterans and at-risk youth.

Their current community partners are the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, United Against Poverty, Hope for Families Center, the IRC Veterans Council and Camp Haven.

Recipients can change each year, said Doug Sweeny, stressing that very careful vetting is done before decisions are made. Employing the motto of ‘a hand up, not a hand out,’ he says, focuses on their determination to “close the dignity gap,” by assisting individuals to become self-sufficient.

The gala, said board president Dale Jacobs, “is our biggest single fundraising of the year.”

Significant funds this year were raised through a trio of very successful, well-orchestrated auctions: silent, live and the finale, an Angel auction.

Throughout the evening, crowds gathered, placed and upped bids on jewelry, art, Waterford crystal and other alluring items. The live auction was ably and often hilariously conducted by local attorney and auctioneer extraordinaire John Moore, whose charisma and humor proved as hard to resist as the 10 fabulous dining, golf and travel packages offered. And with the Angel auction, guests could choose from among the organization’s three focus areas.

For more information, visit ghcop.org.