AROUND TOWN

Sal's Pals top $1M mark for charity

Sal's Pals celebrated its 12th annual dinner and auction April 12 at St. Francis DeSales High School. Sal's Pals: Committed to finding a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, was started when Jenny and Rick Pinardo's son Sal was born in 2001 with CF, an inherited chronic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system.

This year the organization surpassed the $1 million mark. The Pinardos recently returned from Washington, where they spoke to Congress for the National Institutes of Health about funding for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Family and friends came up with the idea of "Sal's Pals" charity event, which includes dinner, prizes, and live and silent auctions.

The Italian feast was donated by Sofo's Food. A hot auction item was a special table for next year's dinner that includes VIP treatment with wine and a server. The bidding war was so intense that three packages were sold.

Guest speaker was Sal, who is now 12. The big news is the life expectancy for CF is now 42, and new medications are being discovered every day.

The Pinardo family at Sal’s Pals Dinner and Auction, from left, Jenny, Olivia Fouty, Sal, Rick, and, in front, Giana, 8.

This year the event raised more than $85,000, thanks to the committee, 520 attendees, and many sponsors including sponsor of the year, RMF Nooter Inc.

All proceeds are given to the CF Foundation during the Great Strides walk-a-thon, the foundation's primary fund-raiser. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to research for a cure and to finding new life-saving medications for survival, said Mrs. Pinardo.

For more information, go to salspals.com or call 419-360-7732.

The Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center celebrated its 40th anniversary during its 14th annual spring luncheon April 4 at Inverness Club. It was perfect timing because this is national child abuse prevention month.

The 229 attendees lunched at pastel-covered tables centered with fresh cut tulips and shopped the silent auction.

Janis Kay, left, and Andrea Szenderski took Andrea’s daughters Isabelle,11, and Jillian, 7, to Sal’s Pal’s benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Guest speakers were a mother and daughter, Suzanne and Sydney, who talked about their abuse experience and how the center helped them.

The luncheon raised more than $30,000.

For information call 419-244-3053, ext. 232.

Dinner with the President, hosted by Joan Bayer, was April 5 in her Ottawa Hills home. This is an item that is offered for auction every year at Luminations, an annual gala and celebration of the area arts hosted by Lourdes University. Bob and Mary Arquette and Joan and David Livingston, Lourdes University president, prepare dinner for 12 guests at the home of the winning bidder.

Mrs. Bayer purchased the dinner last year. Guests included John and Sarah Bates, Paul and Elise Devers, Tom and Paulette Geiger, Jr., and Barbara Steele and Alan Kimple.

The menu included appetizers followed by an entree of individual beef Wellingtons and topped off by a Triple Chocolate Torte.

From left, Joan Bayer, hostess of the ‘Dinner with the President’ through a winning bid at Lourdes University’s Luminations fund-raiser last year, with David Livingston, president of Lourdes University, Bob Arquette, Joan Livingston, and Mary Arquette.

A special treat was an impromptu medley of songs sung by Paulette Geiger, a former operatic singer, who played the piano as she wooed the guests with her talent.

Luminations, slated for April 26 this year, will again offer a Dinner with the President package in the auction.

Bob Evans Restaurants across the nation topped their goal of raising $100,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation T1D research, ending their campaign with a total of $101,325.51. The effort was supported by 561 restaurants in 19 states including those in the Toledo area, which raised $2,894.65. The project included JDRF signature paper shoe sales in each restaurant as well as the March 19 national community fund-raiser with 15 percent of sales going towards the cause.

Contact Blade Society Writer Barbara Hendel at 419-724-6124 or at bhendel@theblade.com