Money and wine glasses to be raised tomorrow during annual event
at Paicines Ranch
Let’s make it 50.
It’s that time of year again, when a gathering reminiscent of
the days of Gatsby captures the spirit of Bacchus at the Gabilan
Charter’s 50th Annual Kinship fundraiser, to be held Saturday from
4 to 7 p.m. at the historical Paicines Ranch.
Money and wine glasses to be raised tomorrow during annual event at Paicines Ranch
Let’s make it 50.
It’s that time of year again, when a gathering reminiscent of the days of Gatsby captures the spirit of Bacchus at the Gabilan Charter’s 50th Annual Kinship fundraiser, to be held Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the historical Paicines Ranch.
The elegant event draws up to 1,600 charity-goers to the south of the county, where they taste the finest in local and regional wines, sample tasty noshes from San Benito’s best restaurants and bid silently on big prizes and fine art while strolling through the landscaped grounds of the former Law family ranch.
Now owned by Matt Christiano and Sally Calhoun, the sprawling ranch – a template of alternative ranching practices – serves as a perfect backdrop for the yearly event that raises tens of thousands of dollars for the Kinship Center based in Salinas, a nonprofit that works to help foster children and their adoptive families in Monterey and San Benito counties.
There was a time – 50 years ago – when this charity event was staged in Angie Annotti’s backyard off Airline Highway, where some 50 participants drank Almaden wine.
“It actually started as kind of a tea party,” said Vicki Fortino, who co-chairs this year’s event with Kathy King. “It was a group of homemakers with a lot of energy, and they decided to fundraise for the children’s homes. Angie Annotti donated her backyard for years and as we grew we lucked into the Paicines Ranch.”
So it was in 1956 that this group of women started raising money for what was called Children’s Home Services. Then in the 1980s, the group joined forces with the nascent Kinship Center, and became that organization’s “Gabilan Charter.”
Today, the single 3-hour event raises up to $65,000 a year for the Center. Fortino also said the wing-ding is widely acknowledged as the “longest consecutive wine tasting event in California.”
The Kinship Center was established in 1984 to serve Central Coast families and children in Monterey and San Benito counties. The nonprofit was founded by community leaders from the private and public sector who decided to create an agency dedicated to the belief that children need permanency to heal and grow to their potential. Over the years the agency has identified a variety of specific needs to support permanent families for children, and offers education, counseling and other post-placement support services to nurture success.
“The critical services that Kinship Center provides would not be possible without the support of a caring community,” said Olivia Yates, vice president for development at the Center. “The women of Gabilan Charter have devoted for many years their energies and devotion to helping Kinship Center find permanent, safe homes for abused, abandoned and neglected children.”
With the help of the Gabilan Charter, the Center has grown and now has offices throughout Southern and Northern California. The organization’s motto is “every child deserves a family.” While much progress has been made toward that goal, there still are more than 600,000 foster children in the United States. California holds 16 percent of those – about 92,000 foster children.
“Children are so important,” Fortino said. “Kinship Center provides foster care for kids in dangerous situations. They also provide counseling for teens, before they’re pregnant and when they become pregnant. It’s just a great way to give back to the community and help kids.”
It’s not too late to get tickets, which are $50 per person and obtainable at Fortino’s Total Home, 351 Tres Pinos Road in Hollister. Fortino’s is open until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are not available at the event, except under will-call. For more information, call Fortino’s at 831-637-0061.
Kinship Center Salinas headquarters can be reached 800-454-6744. Also, visit the web site at www.kinshipcenter.org.
