Very Warm Thanks for a Hot Night in Havana

i-TPqM5MS-S¡ Ay dios mio! What a night it was! Saturday evening’s Hot Night in Havana was maravillosa. More than 130 parents, guardians, friends, Bigelow teachers and staff ate delectable Latin food, sipped mojitos, danced the salsa, bid on great items and most importantly, reconnected with old friends and met new ones. The event raised mucho dinero — close to $15,000— which will go towards curriculum-enriching programs such as the Creative Arts and Sciences, student scholarships, school grounds upkeep, classroom supplies, as well as gym and technology items not covered by the regular school budget.

Take a peak at the magical evening by clicking here: http://zaza.smugmug.com/Events/Big-Night-in-Havana/n-jhtcFg/

Muchas gracias to all who attended and to the people and businesses who donated goods, services as well as their time and talents to make our Hot Night one of the best ever.

Specifically, thank you to:

  • Our tireless co-chairs Tammy McKenna and Beth Panella who worked long hours to bring a great concept to fruition. Special thanks to Tammy, the head honcho at the Commander’s Mansion, for getting so many of her vendors to contribute to the evening.
  • Una Simmons for turning a white tent into a colorful Havana hot spot.
  • The other Hot Night Committee members for time and energy to make the whole night come together. They are: Leah Arteaga, Sally Brickell, Laurie Halloran, Alison Leary, Vicki Ritterband, Jen Siegelman, solicitor extraordinaire Joanne Tsao, and the kids and significant others who helped with set up and break down.
  • The volunteers who helped make the evening flawless and the solicitors who populated our auction tables: Stuart Arbuckle, Gary Bagnall, Carena Cremin, Heather Mehra, Claire Marre, Sami O’Reilly, Agi Sardi, Stacy Schwartz, Vicki Spetter, and Lex Van der Ploeg.
  • Our superb entertainers, salsa teacher Monica Schauweker, crooner Manuel “Coco” Torres and The Bigelow Bulldog Jazz Band led by the terrific Greg Livingston.
  • The wonderful Bigelow staff who donated one-of -a-kind items to the auction:  Jaime Alberts, Christopher Campbell, Joe Eckstrom, Todd Harrison, Greg Livingston, Meghan Martin, Kyra Mercado, Lora Papazian, Michele Parker, Danielle Pargoli, Bill Prendergast, Sue Schy, Patty Summa and Mike Whitman.
  • The local companies who donated or gave us discounts on delectable food, thirst-quenching beverages and various other things: BG Events and Catering, Hector Arredondo, Boston Beer Company – Sam Adams, El Pelon Taqueria, Murray’s Liquors, Blooms of Hope, Gordon’s Fine Wines and Liquors, Home Depot of Watertown, AA Rental Center of Watertown and Gray’s Daily Grind. Please frequent these businesses and use their services!
  • Our sponsors, Anonymous, Village Bank, All that Jazz Dance Studio and the Whitehouse/DeDominicis family
  • The evening’s photographer, mom Isabel Roeder, http://zaza.smugmug.com .
  • The many businesses and organizations who donated items to our silent auction. For a complete list, click here: http://bigelowpto.org/big-night-2015-donors/ Please support them!
  • To anyone else who contributed to the evening who we forgot to list. Our apologies!

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