Please join us for ...

Give Us Wings 8th Annual Celebration & Silent Auction
Saturday, March 24, 2007
5:30 - 10 pm
McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

We'll gather in the beautiful McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and enjoy a sit-down dinner catered by D’Amico with appetizers, African cuisine and dessert.

This year's MC will be Cathy Wurzer from Minneapolis Public Radio.

And of course, we'll have great Silent and Live Auction items including:

• a remarkable, restful & restorative one-week vacation in an Italian Villa
• African artwork and jewelry
• theatre tickets
• sports packages
• gift cards to salon/spas and restaurants
• plus lots of other unique treasures!

This Year's Designated Giving Project

The Nyaoga Village Clean Water Project.
Unite with one hundred families in Nyaoga, Kenya to bring clean water to thousands of people. Together we’ll bring clean water back to Nyaoga Village, restoring hope and health.

How to Buy Your Tickets

Tickets will be available for purchase online until March 22.

You may also order by calling us at (651) 789-5606.

$40 in advance ($45 after March 16 or at the door)
$500 Reserved Patron Table for 10

Evening Schedule

5:30 PM - Social Hour, Cocktails, Boutique, Designated Giving, Silent Auction, Live Music

6:30 PM - Welcome – Cathy Wurzer, Minnesota Public Radio
Sit-down African-themed dinner served by D’Amico

7:30 PM - Give Us Wings Presentation – Mary Steiner Whelan
(Silent Auction closed 7:30 - 8:30 PM)

8:30 PM - Silent Auction, Designated Giving, Boutique

9:00 PM - Dessert served, Silent Auction closes Live Auction

9:30-10:00PM- African Drumming by Timothy Berry

10:00 PM - Checkout ... Enjoy music, Designated Giving, and Boutique
shopping until 11:00 PM!

If you love the great outdoors, you'll love this great live auction item!

You and a guest are invited to join “fisherfolks” Jeff and Missy Anderson on a private guided fishing tour on beautiful Lake Pepin. The Anderson’s have lived and fished in the area for years and will share all the beauty and the secrets of Lake Pepin with you.

Valued at $400, this package includes five hours of fishing, plus lunch, snacks, refreshments, beer and soda. You can come with your own equipment or they will provide it for you. What more could you ask for? Date and details to be determined with guides.

This is the perfect way to get away without having to really go very far at all! This package valued at $300. includes deluxe room accommodations for two at the historic Saint Paul Hotel in downtown St. Paul. Turndown service, mineral waters and special room preparations will await you and your guest.  In addition, you'll receive dinner for two at the renown St. Paul Grill (up to $100) located in the hotel.

The Saint Paul Hotel is located in the heart of St. Paul’s charming Rice Park entertainment district.  Guests can conveniently visit Ordway Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Xcel Energy Center and RiverCentre.

We asked the proprietors of Il Mulino di Torrigiani to share all the intimate details of this year's featured Live Auction item: a one-week vacation at their idyllic Italian villa.

Here's how Doris described it ...

We are centrally located in Italy for convenient day trips to Lucca (20 minutes), Pisa and the ocean-side beaches of Viareggio (40 minutes) and Montecatini, the famous spa town (20 minutes). We are about 45 minutes by car from Florence, or you can drive your car to a nearby train station and from there, it is a pleasant hour by train to the Florence station in the center of town, thereby avoiding traffic jams and parking problems. We are about an hour and 15 minutes from Siena and one hour from Greve, the heart of Chianti country with delicious wine tours! There are several small lovely restaurants among the vineyards near us for a relaxing dinner after a day's travels.

There is a small grocery about 2 kilometers in the village of Segromigno, about 3 kilometers down the hill that offers all services such as a pharmacy, post office, supermarket, weekly and fruit/vegetable market.

There is also a back-area garden where one can wade in the brook and a waterfall up the trail behind the house that is fun to climb over, stand under and take a natural shower. In summer, it is 3-5 Celsius degrees cooler than the average temperature.

We have patio furniture and lounge chairs for relaxing in the areas next to the brook. The bridge in front is also a long patio spanning the house with table and chairs, which enables you to dine outside.
The view in the front of the house is the brook and the church of Tofori which sits prominently on the hill in front of us. A short walk to the top of our driveway opens to a view of the olive groves, and vineyards.

Our totally private vacation home features its own kitchen, living and dining room and 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a studio with a desk and extra daybed.

Our home accommodates 6 people perfectly, with 3 bedrooms and another sitting room on the bedroom level with a day bed for an extra guest or reading and relaxing... Bedroom one (San Matteo) has a full size double bed; bedroom two (Skylight room) has an extra wide double bed; bedroom three (Nonna Room) has 2 single beds that we specially designed to attach and become one large king-size bed. There are 2 large full bathrooms with tiled shower rooms and modern plumbing.
There is also a door on the bedroom corridor that divides 1 bedroom, sitting room and bath from the other 2 bedrooms and bath in order to create separate suites.

The first floor has a living room with new comfortable sofa and upholstered chairs, baby-grand piano, fireplace and dining room/kitchen.

The interiors have terra cotta floors and chestnut beamed ceilings, with charming antique furnishings and comfortable beds, all new plumbing, electrical systems and new appliances, including a laundry.
Our house rests on its own bridge, in its own valley, with a bubbling brook that runs beneath the house.

We are on-site owners (English and Italian speaking) and live in an attached apartment for any needs you may have.

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Wow! What an experience that will be. So join us for our 8th Annual Celebration and Silent Auction and let the bidding begin!

This package, valued at $250, includes general admission to a Saint Paul Saints baseball game and tailgating for ten people.  Experience the true spirit of the Saint Paul Saints with a two hour pre-game tailgating party in the parking lot before the game.  Enjoy a BBQ, snacks, and beverages along with Frisbee, games, and prizes.  Gather up some friends and get ready for some Minnesota fun!

Donor: Shannon Lacy