The Center of Hope Foundation rolled out the “Red Carpet” for supporters of the Talents & Treasures Charity Auction. 

On Friday, November 15, 2013, the Center of Hope Foundation hosted their 13th Annual Talents & Treasures Charity Auction at The Publick House Historic Inn located in Sturbridge.  Once again Dave Peterson, also known as Peterman from his days of announcing for the Worcester Tornados, welcomed and interviewed our Legends, Icons, Celebrities and V.I.P’s on the Red Carpet.  Patrons walked along the path of the Talents & Treasures Stars displaying our sponsor’s logos in true Hollywood fashion.

A guest appearance from Finz, the Worcester Sharks mascot, reminded everyone of the upcoming “The Sharks Support The Arc”- Center of Hope Foundation Event on January 25, 2014.  Over 3,000 bobble heads will showcase the Center of Hope’s logo and will be distributed at the Providence Bruins verses the Worcester Sharks game.

The Public House provided a delicious dinner and a lovely space for the evening’s silent auction event, as well as showcasing many of the live Auction items, one of which required a bit of a stage for a performance from “Poise, Style, and Motion” dance instructors, Jennifer Valois and Shaun Cianci.

“Pioneer Auction Company”, hosted by Bob Fowler and Michael Fors, focused the bidder’s attention to items such as a weekend getaway to North Conway, N.H., overnight stay packages from Courtyard by Marriott Hotel and the Hilton Garden Inn.  The biggest live auction crowd pleasers were the two round-trip travel tickets to any domestic city donated from Jet Blue, and a very close second in the bidding war was the one week vacation to the Historic Powhatan Plantation Resort in Virginia.

The net profits generated from this event benefits over 600 families that the Center serves and many more whom are affiliated with the Center of Hope.  Since the early years of service, the Center has developed the Holiday Giving Tree Project as a way to remember, appreciate, and offer assistance to families in need during the Holidays.  Many gently used toys and gift items have been donated to be refurbished and packaged for families to pick from for their loved ones.  As the years have progressed, the benefit of designating a fundraiser, ongoing generosity from individuals and businesses, and non profits such as Toys for Tots and St. Andrews Bobola’s Church have helped our families to receive, and in some cases ask for specific items for their loved ones during this season.   Many families are requesting the bare necessities, such as food, toiletries and warm clothing for the winter, and are overjoyed when they learn they may also receive a gift item.

The Holiday Giving Tree Project would not be able to handle such a need without the generous giving of our more fortunate community members, and the continued support and participation of this particular event, the Talents & Treasures Charity Auction, as well as our many other events.  The Center of Hope Foundation cannot express enough appreciation to the personal and business communities who have been vital in the support of such programs throughout the years.

Once again, the Center of Hope Foundation would like to say thank you to all of the event sponsors and participants.
Legends:  Angel Guard Products, Inc., Hanover Insurance Group, The Protector Group, Jet Blue and Style Imperatives
Icons: Hunter Foote – Gold for Hope and Sadie Greens.
Celebrities: All Set Solutions, Courtyard Marriott, Pioneer Auction Company, Quinsigamond Community College, Southbridge Savings Bank
V.I.P’s:   Country Bank for Savings, Hilton Garden Inn, Park Place Salon, Patrick J. Noonan Photography, Southbridge Credit Union, Worcester Sharks