Service club revives traditional Hearts in Harmony gala
The Hoover Service Club is returning to its traditional Hearts in Harmony gala at the Hoover Country Club this year after trying some alternative fundraisers last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s gala is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, and will include cocktails and a silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by a sit-down “surf and turf” dinner and live auction around 7:30 p.m.
The event is designed to raise money to support college scholarships and donations toward charitable groups and typically is the Service Club’s largest fundraiser of the year.
In past years, the event has raised amounts in the $50,000s and $60,000s and in 2019 raised as much as $73,000, but plans were altered in recent years due to the pandemic.
The Service Club held an outdoor fall Hearts in Harmony event at Aldridge Gardens in October 2020 that raised about $18,000 and then took in about $12,000 with a luncheon at Aldridge in May 2021, said Betty Daigle, one of the chairwomen for this year’s event.
The $30,000 total from those two events was disappointing because the group was not able to give as much in scholarships and charitable contributions to other groups, she said.
However, Daigle said she was proud that club members made up for some of the loss by bringing cash donations to their monthly luncheons, typically collecting about $500 per month. Two small online auctions this fall also raised at least $2,000, she said.
There was some hesitancy about moving forward with a traditional Hearts in Harmony event this year with the surge of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 disease, but club leaders believe the wave of infections will pass by March and have pressed on with plans, believing the community will be in better shape by then, she said.
If for some reason the situation does not improve by then, this year’s event could be canceled, modified or postponed, she said. Attendance is being restricted to about 160 people to allow for more space between guests at tables, she said.
The club is putting together numerous packages for the live auction, including:
► A sports package that includes tickets to the SEC Baseball Tournament, Regions Tradition golf tournament and Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
► A “Nashville Nights” package that includes a stay at the Fairlane Hotel and dinner for two at Ellington’s restaurant in the hotel
► A package that includes a stay at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel, dinner for two at J. Alexander’s Redlands Grill, brunch for two at Merk’s Tavern and tickets to the “Kinky Boots” show at Red Mountain Theatre
► A package that includes a stay at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and a fine dining Tasting TBL supper club experience for two at the Ross Bridge home of award-winning chef Tyler Lyne
► A package that includes a wine tasting for six and catered dinner by the Yellow Bicycle Catering Co.
► A package that includes a catered dinner by Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen
Other items slated for the live auction include venue rentals for Aldridge Gardens and the Hoover Randle Home and Gardens, jewelry from Steed’s Jewelers and a painting by artist Daniel Moore.
Silent auction items likely will include golf packages to the Hoover Country Club and Greystone Golf & Country Club, gift card packages to restaurants, art, handcrafted birdhouses and a personal protection handgun, Daigle said.
Silent auction items will be available for preview starting Feb. 1 on the Hoover Service Club website, and bidding can begin as early as Feb. 14 and continue until the night of the event, Daigle said. Some online auction items will have a “buy now price” that will enable people to purchase the items immediately, she said. Online auction participants do not have to be present at the Hearts in Harmony gala.
Live auction items also will be previewed online, Daigle said.
Former NFL and Auburn football standout Reggie Torbor is scheduled to be the emcee, and Hoover Council President John Lyda is set to be the auctioneer.
Tickets for the Hearts in Harmony gala cost $125, $50 of which is tax-deductible. Tickets can be purchased at hooverserviceclub.com through Feb. 25.