On Thursday, one of the biggest wine tasting events will take place at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach for a good cause. The sixth annual Keep the Promise wine tasting fundraiser is a successful benefit event for The Wooden Floor, an arts-based after-school program for low-income youths in Santa Anna.
The wine tasting fundraiser has been successful in raising funds with the help of Wooden Floor supporters John Markley, a Newport Beach businessman and his wife Janice, who collect rare bottles of wine years in advance, exclusively for the annual event.
Markley has even discovered showcased wines like the 2006 Kistler chardonnay, Kistler Vineyard, ($110 a bottle) and the 2009 Kosta Browne pinot noir Sonoma Coast ($65 a bottle) for this year’s event. Just last year Markley spent $30,000 for the party, with all ticket proceeds to benefit The Wooden Floor.
This after-school program has obtained a wonderful success rate since 2005; every student in the program has managed to graduate high school and to go on to attend college. In order for admission into the Wooden Floor program, all students must try out, but once selected have the opportunity to attend free. In addition to the free program, pre-collegiate mentoring and college scholarship help is also provided.
According to the people in charge of the program, “Dance education and performance are the core transformational elements through which youth change the way they think about themselves and aspire beyond the grip of the poverty cycle.”
Last year’s fundraiser was a complete success, with having raised $150,000; the program was able to help 375 low-income youths to attend a special arts immersion program, focused on academics and dance, so we can expect the very best for this year’s event as well.
All tickets are available for sale for $350 per person. For more information, contact 714.541.8314 ext.124 or visit www.thewoodenfloor.org.
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