It was simple back then, just like everything else.
In 1998, Live Oak High School cross country and track hosted a wine auction to raise money for their upcoming seasons. It was spearheaded by one of the athlete’s parents, Dr. Jon Hatakeyama, a Morgan Hill dentist and wine connoisseur, and held at Guglielmo Winery across from Live Oak High School. The event raised about $3,000, a handsome sum for a program that couldn’t afford sweats the year before.
“We didn’t look like a team,” then-LOHS coach Dean Raymond said. “At that point, we thought, ‘Wow, three grand. This is great.’”
Over the years, the wine auction was refined, as Raymond and his peers expanded their list of contacts; at one point, former Morgan Hill mayor Dennis Kennedy was on board. Local cooks donated their services. Autographed sports memorabilia were auctioned. Other local wineries donated their wines.
“It became a big social event,” Raymond said. “One year, I think we grossed $52,000.”
The event grew so much, it was moved to the palatial Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, where today 12 of the city’s finest restaurants and wineries will be represented at the 14th annual South Valley Wine Auction & Food Fest, starting at 6 p.m today.
What began as a simple wine auction to raise money for sweats has grown into the lifeblood of Live Oak and Sobrato High School’s entire athletic programs. Budget cuts, rising expenses and a sluggish economy are threatening after-school programs throughout California, leaving them at the mercy of private funding. East Side Union high school’s sports were nearly axed in 2009 until the district’s board of trustees’ eleventh-hour overturning of an earlier decision to cut the district’s athletic budget. The situation in Morgan Hill isn’t as dire, but fundraisers have never been more vital.
“There’s always that cloud hanging over our heads,” said Wine Auction & Food Fest co-president Donna Brusaschetti, a former LOHS booster club president. “We see what’s going on with other districts. The writing’s on the wall. We don’t have anything handed down to us.”
Regarded as the premiere wine and food event of South Santa Clara County, the Wine Auction & Food Fest raises funds to help cover expenses ranging from uniforms, equipment, field maintenance, travel and game officials – because they have to drive so far south to Morgan Hill, Sobrato and Live Oak pay a premium – for all teams. The event brings in between $20,000 and $30,000 each year, according to Brusaschetti. Part of that goes to the athletic programs at Britton and Martin Murphy middle schools and to scholarships.
“It’s rewarding to hand over that check,” she said, “to know we all did it together. We get a lot of help for that. The old saying is, when someone sees someone down, they want to pay it forward.”
Starting in August, heads of the LOHS and SHS booster clubs put rivalries aside to plan the four-hour soiree of eat, drink and bid. They recruit sponsors in August, reach out to wineries and restaurants in fall and have everything in place by January.
“It’s a great group of people to work with, and we all work together. It’s something we believe really strongly in,” Brusaschetti said. “We’re affiliated with the boosters, and we know how much we need to raise.”
Many of the event’s organizers are parents of current student-athletes at Sobrato and Live Oak, but most of them have already seen their children graduate. Some have been involved since its inception. They are always looking for new volunteers.
“I just believe in the cause,” said co-president Mitch Baio, whose daughter, Nina, played basketball at Sobrato and graduated in 2008. “For Nina, sports were tremendous. It was a big part of her life.”
There’s Becky Obbema, who’s been great at finding sponsors, Brusaschetti said; Andrea Pasek and Leslie Hartl, who handle donations; Sharon Stoner, the treasurer; wine pundits Martin Groen and Jeff Conforti and restaurant specialist Eva M. Serna, to name a few. Their allegiances lie with different schools, crosstown rivals at that, but their goal is the same: To give every Live Oak and Sobrato student a chance to play sports.
“It’s nice to be able to bring people together for the same cause,” Brusaschetti said. “It’s something we feel strongly about doing together. It becomes a way of life. Saying no gets harder and harder. It’s something that’s fun and rewarding.”
Sponsors and funds have been increasingly difficult to attract in recent years because of the recession. That has led organizers to “branch out,” Brusaschetti said, and turn the Wine Auction & Food Fest into more of a cultural event.
The 2012 edition, sponsored by a plethora of local businesses, pairs delicious foods from Maurizio’s, CreAsian, Bubbles, Huntington Station, Mr. Falafel, Odeum, Rosy’s at the Beach, Harvest Coffee House, Mr. Hong’s, Fuzia, Trail Dust, Ladera Grill with fine cabernets, syrahs, merlots, pinots and zins by Guglielmo, J. Lohr, Fortino, Morgan Hill Cellars, Sarah’s Vineyard, Aver Family, Clos LaChance, Paradise Valley Vineyards, Jason Stephens, Kirigin Cellars and Sycamore Creek, plus suds from El Toro Brewing Co. For the cost of $60 at the door, one can enjoy unlimited food and drink.
The event features a silent auction, with entertainment bargains and services, and a traditional one hosted by KBAY’s Jona Denz-Hamilton with more exciting prizes such as gourmet dinners, golf packages at local courses, winery tours and artwork.
“It’s a great deal for a great cause,” Brusaschetti said simply.
Teams host their own car washes, crab feeds and golf tournaments to raise funds as well.
At the annual Mushroom Mardi Gras, Live Oak boosters host a 10K and a 5K Fun Run/Walk, beginning at the Coyote Creek bike path.
Like the Wine Auction & Food Fest, the event grew from funding the cross country and track programs to all teams at LOHS.
It attracts about 300 runners each year.
“It’s really important because it’s the second-biggest event the boosters put on,” said former race director Miki Matsumoto, whose three kids all played sports for Live Oak. “Nowadays, almost everything in school activities has to be raised. It’s just the way it is now.”
The entry fee is $30 for adults and $20 for contestants under the age of 18 prior to the day of the race, May 26. Registration includes a Mushroom Mardi Gras T-shirt, with a $100 gift certificate to the overall male and female winners in both races, which are broken up into age groups.
“The most rewarding part about it is putting on a family-friendly race, where you can run with your friends and enjoy yourself,” Matsumoto said.
Another major fundraiser for local sports is the upcoming Firefighter’s Chili Cook Off, scheduled for 11 a.m. June 11 at the Outdoor Sports Center.
The event benefits the San Jose Firefighters Burn Foundation also the Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance, which has offered to help sponsor it. The Cook Off will feature 50 competitors and possibly a performance by professional motorcycle stunt jumper Bubba Blackwell, MHYSA president Jeff Dixon said.
Parents of student athletes have taken fundraising into their own hands.
Last year, Rich Firato used his vibrant, pirate-themed Morgan Hill home known as Morgan’s Cove to host two fundraisers for the Sobrato girls basketball team, a “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” premiere party in May, and a costume social the week of Halloween.
Together they raised about $4,300, which went toward new uniforms, tournament fees and hiring a trainer for offseason conditioning.
“Funding is down right now, so we definitely need it,” said Firato, whose daughter, Alyssa, plays forward for the Bulldogs. “Every team is behind the eight ball.”
Firato rented two theaters at CineLux for the premiere party, while members of the team combined to sell about 200 movie tickets. For the costume party, players’ parents each brought two or three friends.
“It was really just a simple way to raise money,” Firato said. “The kids need it. Without the funds, we don’t have anything.”
