InterVol held its annual Off the Vine fundraising auction dinner on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Memorial Art Gallery in Downtown Rochester. Benefits of the evening will be used to support InterVol’s three major programs: Recovery of Unused Medical Supplies, Volunteer Medical Professionals, and Friends Across Borders.
The Off the Vine Auction dinner consisted of a silent and live auction, a raffle for a ring gifted by Mann’s Jewelers, cocktail hour, and a gourmet meal catered by Max of Eastman Place. Silent auction items included 107 various gifts donated by both local and global donors. The 16 live auction items included once-in-a-lifetime experiences, vacations in beautiful destinations including Florida and France, exclusive culinary opportunities, and more.
Dr. Richard and Mrs. Josie Gangemi were excited and proud to lend their support for the organization by serving as this year’s Honorary Chairs. Richard Gangemi, M.D. gave a speech about his history of service with InterVol before founders Ralph Pennino, M.D. and Tim O’Connor, M.D. addressed the audience. Ginny Ryan of WHAM13 also partook in the evening’s events as the Mistress of Ceremonies.
Highlights of the evening included California-based professional auctioneer, Matt Chung who led the live auction during dinner and helped to raise over $235,000.00 for InterVol. Additionally, The Djangoners provided music for the cocktail hour while accomplished pianist Dunja Vukosavovic performed during dinner.
The team at InterVol would like to express their gratitude for the Humanitarian Hero Sponsors of the event, Constellation Brands, Rochester Regional Health, and One Foundation. The success of the 2018 Off the Vine fundraising auction dinner is in large part thanks to the generous support received from these event sponsors and the team of volunteers from the University of Rochester and St. John Fisher College.