Holiday tree auction supports local causes

On Nov. 15, the San Luis Obispo Rotary Club hosted an event called  ‘Enchanted Evening at the Dallidet.’ SLO Rotary partnered up with nine different nonprofit organizations to create this fundraising event, which featured a holiday tree auction.

This event also had live music, festive food and drink, tours of the adobe and a wine grab. In the wine grab, people paid $40 for a bottle of wine, then picked an ornament which had a number on it. That number corresponded with a bottle that had the same number on it. Some of the bottles were worth up to $100. 

Lisa Mackenzie is the board director of memberships at the SLO Rotary Club, and she explained how their holiday tree auction functioned. 

“So, each non-profit is here with a Christmas tree and an auction package with that tree,” Mackenzie said. “So, we’ll be having an auction and the proceeds go to each one of those nonprofits,” 

This event was created to raise funding for the Rotary Club, which gives out scholarships to students and grants to the nonprofits involved. In addition to the auction, the event also had a giving tree where people could help out a child in need.

The Christmas trees that the nonprofit organizations made were all decorated in a unique way. The YMCA decorated their tree with ornaments made by children, and Woods Humane Society decorated their tree with images of adoptable pets at their shelters. 

Emily L’herueux is the CEO for Woods Humane Society and represented the nonprofit at the holiday event. 

“Woods exists only because of the generosity in our community and we were so happy to partner together with SLO Rotary to give back at this really fun holiday tree fundraiser,” L’herueux said.

More information about future events hosted by the SLO Rotary Club can be found on their Instagram.