Quail Valley Charities hosted another activity-filled, two-week fundraiser, with events held at the Quail Valley River Club, the newly renovated Quail Valley Golf Club and Quail Valley at the Pointe.
“In our 21st year, our entire team has once again rallied around to support the community and children and educational programs. I think the thing I’m most impressed about is, each year our members get more involved, both from a philanthropic, monetary level as well as volunteering,” said Kevin Given, general manager.
Their fundraising goal this year was $900,000 to support the grant requests of nearly 40 local agencies.
“We’ve given out $10.3 million and so this year, with a goal of, $900,000, we should cross the $11 million mark in funds distributed,” said Given.
Festivities began with a superb Mikkelsen Gourmet Guest Chef and Wine Dinner at the Quail Valley River Club. Guests savored every morsel of the four delicious courses, prepared by Quail’s Executive Chef Joe Faria and his invited guest chefs, Uffe Mikkelsen and Paw Mikkelsen. The dishes were paired with equally lovely wines from Villa Creek and Maha Estates in Paso Robles, curated by winemaker Oliver Mikkelsen.
“I want to tell you: That dinner could have had a Michelin star rating,” said Trudie Rainone, vice chairman of Quail Valley Charities and that evening’s sponsor. “Everything was so tasty; it was stupendous.”
The Saturday morning 5K Run/Walk and Children’s Fun Run at the River Club boasted some 600 participants, many of them from the numerous children’s charities supported by QVC.
“The one great thing about having all the nonprofits here is watching how they’re making connections with each other. It’s not often to have all of the nonprofits together,” said Wanda Lincoln, QVC chair. “Another good thing is, I see some of the same people coming back every year with larger groups. They realize it’s a fun time to reconnect.”
There were tournaments of all variety over the two weeks, including golf, tennis, bridge and Mah Jongg, and a Pheasant Tower Shoot at the Blackwater Creek Ranch. Other Quail members showed off their talents at an Art Show and Sale.
New this year, guests dined al fresco at Dining Under the Stars, seated at long banquet tables at Quail Valley at the Pointe. That lovely four-course, wine-pairing dinner, sponsored by Andrew and Jean Taylor, was grilled outdoors by Quail’s talented chefs at a pop-up kitchen.
Another evening with a twist was Dining with Drs. Harold Cordner and Seth Baker, sponsored by George and Elke Fetterolf. The two doctors, good friends who each love to cook, had taken a turn in the kitchen earlier in the day, working with Chef Joe and his staff to create a menu and devise a delicious four-course meal of their favorite dishes. Quail staff dressed in scrubs for the occasion, and even the dessert had a humorous physician’s twist – raspberry sauce served in syringes.
Festivities concluded with a black, white and red-themed gala, Celebrating 21 Years with Blackjack, with guests “gambling,” and children’s charities and education the ultimate winners.
“Again, from our leadership and our ownership here at Quail Valley, we just want to thank our membership and the community for their continued support of the impact that we’re making in the children and educational programs here throughout the county,” said Given.
“We view many of the organizations as community partners, because at this point some of them have been a continuous recipient of this. It’s very rewarding for all of us to watch the impact these organizations are making.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis and Mary Schenkel
