Another Fun Auction on the Books for Sons & Daughters of Italy

The Annual Charity Auction hosted by the Wakefield Sons & Daughters of Italy Lodge # 1734 was a sell-out again this year! The total raised was more than $2,400 and the best in recent memory. Several scholarship recipients and their families from the Class of 2019 were present. Everyone enjoyed dinner and dessert as well as wine and appetizers, which were new additions to the event.

As in the past, people ‘blindly’ bid on wrapped items donated by members. Winning bids yielded anything from Red Sox gear, cookware, liquor, a picnic blanket, picture frames, a backyard game, a Coach wallet, Boston Marathon apparel, outdoor lanterns, jewelry, garden accessories, and small appliances. A collection of $50 in scratch-off tickets was raffled off to a lucky winner.

###h2Professor’s Market and Calareso’s Farm Stand of Reading gave much appreciated gift cards. Tickets to see Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes from the Great Boston Stage Company, a manicure from Perfect 10 Nail Salon, and a gift card from The Daily Scoop all of Stoneham were a big hit. A delightful gift basket from Future of Dentistry of Wakefield, several pounds of coffee and gift cards from Honey Dew Donuts on the Lake made other bidders happy. One lucky bidder will get a cord of wood delivered from Keith’s Tree Removal of Wakefield. A unique opportunity was donated by Laurie’s 909 this year. The winning bidder will get a cooking lesson and meal from the very talented chef (and Lodge Vice President), Laurie Rizzo. All of these items were auctioned off in the traditional manner, and the bidding was fierce! Special thanks go out to all the businesses. ,>

The location this year was back at the Americal Civic Center. A delicious buffet dinner was served thanks to special pricing from our friends at Harrow’s Chicken Pies of Reading. Before the bidding began, three scholarship recipients were announced: Aiden Connelly, who will attend the University of Massachusetts to major in Sports Management; Joseph Connelly, who will attend the University of South Carolina to major in Finance; and Lauren Cavanaugh who will attend Assumption College to major in Health Sciences. (A fourth recipient, Francesca Frate, was not able to attend. She will attend Rivier University and major in Nursing.)

This year’s auction included a contest for the Most Creative Bidding Paddle. There were some interesting ones including pinwheels, a fly swatter, paper signs, a tambourine from Naples, Italy and a simple napkin on a stick. Contest winners Toni Encarnacao and Jim Marino took home several scratch tickets.

Some of the charities the club will support with the proceeds, in addition to the college scholarships, are the Alzheimer’s Association, Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, Casa Monte Cassino, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wakefield and Stoneham, and the Wakefield Council of Clubs. Don’t worry if you missed it this year because the Lodge holds this charity auction annually. Be on the lookout for an announcement of the date and time for June 2020 so you don’t miss out!