Boys & Girls Club Blog

April 25, 2023

On Saturday, April 22, 600 guests gathered to support the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh’s biggest fundraiser of the year, WineFeast. Sponsored by Community First Credit Union, WineFeast returned to the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center where attendees enjoyed a 5-course dinner and wine experience with proceeds going to support the 3,000 children and families the Club helps each year through services like providing healthy meals and snacks, clean clothes, mentoring and much more. Guests also heard from the Club’s 2023 Youth of the Year Representative, Savana, about the difference the Club has made in her life.

“WineFeast proceeds make such a positive impact on our Boys & Girls Club,” said Boys & Girls Club, CEO, Tracy Ogden. “I often have guests, who are maybe not as familiar with the Club, come up to me during this event and tell me they are in awe of all the Club does to support children and families in our community. It makes me so happy when people ask to come and tour our building and learn how they can help.”

During the Cellar Select dinner, guests enjoyed a 5-course dinner with wine and bid on exciting live auction packages, including a Virginia Wine trip and a vacation to anywhere in the world, diamond jewelry from Tennie’s Jewelry, a Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concert package, a Farm to Table dinner experience and more!

Attendees were given an opportunity to pledge to sponsor Club members and an incredible number of attendees rose to the occasion to support our community’s youth. Thank you to our friends at Oshkosh Corporation and a Friend of the Club for matching the first $110,000 in donations raised during the evening.

WineFeast featured a silent auction and several attendees walked away the winners of wine, and prizes from our Faris Gourmet popcorn, Simon’s Specialty Cheese curds and Hughes’ Home Maid Chocolates raffles. Four lucky winners won cash prizes from our Reverse Raffle, with the grand prize being $1,000. In addition, and new this year, one lucky winner won their choice of four vacation destinations as part of our Building Great Futures Raffle in support of the Club’s Building Expansion & Community Center project.

See photos from WineFeast on our Facebook page here. Make sure to mark your calendar for WineFeast 2024 on Saturday, April 27.

The Boys & Girls Club would like to extend its sincerest appreciation to the following 2023 WineFeast sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: Community First Credit Union, Cellar Select Sponsor: Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel and Convention Center, Great Futures Start Here Sponsor: Oshkosh Corporation, Dinner Sponsor: CR Meyer, Night Cap Sponsor: Bergstrom Automotive, Wine Sponsor: Baker Tilly US LLP, Mission Moment Sponsor: MARCO Promos, Live Auction Sponsor: First Weber Foundation, Silent Auction Sponsor: Verve, a Credit Union, Reverse Raffle Sponsor: Craft Coating, A Toast to Our Youth Sponsor: TDS Telecom, Glass Sponsor: Fox Communities Credit Union, Entertainment Sponsor: Menasha Corporation, Raffle Sponsor: Silver Star Brands, Décor Sponsor: Pacur, Wine Raffle Sponsor: Festival Foods, Community Partner: Pinnow Sheet Metal, Inc., Guest Experience Sponsor: Oshkosh Coil Spring, Inc., Media Sponsor: 103.9 WVBO Cumulus, Publicity Sponsor: Oshkosh Herald, Beer Sponsor: Lee Beverage, Décor Partner: House of Flowers, Salute the Kids Sponsors: Brookfield Badger Insurance, Game Time Sports Bar, OEC Graphics, Omni Glass & Paint, Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction, Rhyme, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, and Sure-Dry. Photography Partner: Katelyn Wilson Portraits.

Thank you to our Cellar Select and Night Cap food and beverages partners for their in-kind support of WineFeast: Dublin’s Irish Pub, Festival Foods, Fifth Ward Brewing Company, General Beverage, Greene’s Pour House at the Granary, La Sure’s, Lee Beverage, Mara’s Brazilian Cuisine, Premier Waterfront Catering by the Best Western, Teriyaki Madness, The Roxy, The Taqueria, TJ’s Highland Steakhouse and Suzy’s Cream Cheesecakes.

Thank you to those that generously donated to our Live Auction and Silent Auctions. Live Auction donors: Brookfield Badger Insurance, CR Meyer, KV Nails & Lashes, Kwik Trip, Menasha Corporation, Reimer Jewelers, Steve Brandes, Steve Mosling, Tennie’s Jewelry, Verve, a credit union, Werner Electric, Katelyn Wilson Portraits and Friends of the Club. Silent Auction donors: Arise, Art Haus, Brinkley’s Boutique, Britton’s Walk-Over Shoe Store, Camera Casino, City of Oshkosh, Dave & Sue Elbing, Discover Oshkosh, EAA Foundation, Escape Oshkosh, Faris Gourmet Popcorn, Fox River Brewing Company, Geri Grine, H Bomb Textiles, Heather Holly-Pinnow, Jolene Heuchert, Kitz and Pfeil Hardware, KJ Woodworks, Leif Larson, Lindsay Achterberg, Milwaukee Admirals, Molly Billman of Studio 142, Omni Glass & Paint, Oshkosh Police Department, Oshkosh Service League, Quest Interiors, Shea Electric, Silver Star Brands, Stannard Dry Cleaning, Sue & Al Ackerman, Green Bay Packers, The Paine Art Center & Gardens, Van Vreedes, Valois Brothers, Wines for Humanity, Wisconsin Herd, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 103.9 WVBO Cumulus and Friends of the Club.

A special thank you to all of our volunteers, our Emcee, Tony Blando, Brenda Haines who worked with our Youth of the Year, Savana, Heather-Holly Pinnow, Todd Ruess, the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center staff and everyone that gave their time and talent to make this event possible!