Garden Gala equals last year’s total

Covenant Hospice raised about $50,000 at its fourth annual Garden Gala last weekend, astonishing those who feared a downturn in sales, in keeping with the slumping economy.
Covenant Development Manager Jennifer Griffin said this week she was prepared for a reduction in the amount raised, but added the total is about the same as last year.
“I’m ecstatic about that, given the economy,” Griffin said. “People who support us are so faithful. They have heart-ties to us, and obviously they just reached out despite the challenges.”
The money will stay in Covenant’s service area of Jackson, Calhoun, Washington, Holmes, and parts of Liberty and Gadsden counties. It goes to help Covenant cover the cost of programs for which the organization is not reimbursed through state or federal sources.
Those include chaplain services, bereavement assistance, children’s services, volunteer services and indigent care.
The bulk of the money was raised through auctions of donated items, as well as 14 hand-painted swings, eight painted rocking chairs, three child-sized picnic tables, a playhouse and five painted antique windows. Local artists decorated the items, donating their time and labor.
The auctions also included everything from autographed pictures of celebrities to concerts by up-and-coming country music star Shane Owens. Owens and local band Sauce performed at the gala free of charge, to entertain a crowd of more than 300. In the auction, Owens offered to perform for two hours at a “Backyard Bash” that will include a Cajun shrimp boil by local standout outdoors cook Tommy Anderson
Food for the event, held at the National Guard Armory in Marianna,  was provided by caterer Brenda Woodruff of Something Special in Alford. Griffin said Woodruff worked “at a fraction of the cost” she could have charged.
Those attending paid $40 a person or $75 a couple for dinner. This included the opportunity to taste wines, coffees and chocolates, and to light a candle in a memory garden in honor of loved ones lost.
Oglesby Plants International also donated plants, which were sold from an indoor garden set up at the event.
Griffin said the event would not have been possible without the hard work of more than 50 volunteers, who worked eight months to put the gala together.