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Kiwanis wine pairing dinner raises funds for Boys & Girls Club

By Toni Milbourne - For the Chronicle | Oct 1, 2021

Kevin Robertson shared his childhood remembrances of attending the Boys & Girls Club at the annual Kiwanis Wine Pairing Dinner last Friday. Toni Milbourne

HARPERS FERRY — Members of the Kiwanis Club of Shepherdstown were excited to return to an in-person format for their annual wine pairing dinner fundraiser to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle. Held Sept. 24 at the Clarion Hotel in Harpers Ferry, the event featured a wine pairing of six wines over a five-course meal.

Wines were provided by Mountain State Beverage, and Matt Myers shared information about each selection. Dinner selections were presented by Sam Mumper, the chef at White Horse Tavern.

Welcoming guests for the evening was Kim Walls, president of the Shepherdstown Kiwanis Club. Walls shared a bit of information about the club and the organizations who benefit from their various fundraisers.

“All of the money we raise goes back to the community,” Walls said, mentioning some of the organizations the club has supported include Operation Christmas Child, Unicef, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the Shepherdstown Library and the Stuff a Bus campaign.

“Tonight is for the Boys and Girls Club,” Walls said, before welcoming Stacie Rohn, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle to the stage.

A dozen themed wine baskets were part of a silent auction to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle last Friday night. Toni Milbourne

“This is the fourth annual event, but it’s the fifth year your club has supported the Boys and Girls Club,” Rohn said.

“You didn’t let a little thing like COVID deter you from supporting us,” she went on, referring to the online auction the Shepherdstown Kiwanis Club hosted last year, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

According to Rohn, much of the Boys & Girls Club funding comes through grants, funding which is not always guaranteed. Funds raised and donated, such as those raised at Friday’s event, help support children who come to the club.

“Young people that come to our clubs every day are so very worth it,” she added.

Kevin Robertson also took the opportunity to speak to those gathered. Robertson recalled his days of walking in to the Boys and Girls Club, beginning in 1971.

“It was a safe haven where my parents knew where I was. I learned to get along with people there,” Robertson said, adding that he met a lot of good people there as well.

“Kids are your future,” he told those attending the dinner. “I’m an example and I think I turned out pretty good. I can’t say enough about the Boys and Girls Club.”

Throughout the evening, attendees had the opportunity, not only to enjoy the delicious wine and food, but to also bid on a dozen wine baskets put together for a silent auction. The baskets were themed around everything from Christmas to BBQ and wine at the beach. The bidding had attendees watching closely and slipping back for one final bid, before the auction closed prior to the end of the evening.

The Kiwanis gratefully recognized the sponsors for the evening, including the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, City National Bank, Dandridge Realty Group, Jefferson Security Bank, Kubic Construction and the Shepherdstown Pharmacy.

More information on the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle can be found at www.bgcepwv.net or by calling 304-728-3143.