Bodega Bay Community Benefit for Grandmother Raising Quadruplets

This Saturday night we're going to a wonderful community event here in Bodega Bay. You may have read about Marilyn Collins, a grandmother who is singlehandedly raising eight-year-old quadruplets since the passing of her daughter last October. After the Press Democrat wrote a feature article in January, A Grandmother’s Life Alters Course, a number of locals came forward and planned a fund-raising dinner to help out.

Saturday, March 20, 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall, $10 ($5 for kids under 12) will get you live music, a dinner of clam chowder or pozole stew (spicy Mexican dish) with all the trimmings, and my personal favorite, a silent auction!

According to Deanna Osborne, one of the organizers, the outpouring of community support has been amazing. The event is being sponsored by the Bodega Bay Grange and Rotary Club of Marin Sunrise, and local businesses and residents have donated dozens of generous prizes for the Silent Auction.

Just look at these items, and this is only a partial list to whet your appetite. I can't wait until they open the bidding!

• One Week Timeshare in Las Vegas (Yes!)
• 4 Giants tickets
• Private VIP wine tasting and garden tour plus a magnum of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (I want this!)
• 2 nights stay at Bodega Coast Inn
• 2 nights stay at Bodega Harbor Inn (my parents stayed here and loved it)
• Stay at vacation rental house, "Bella Casa" (we've stayed there, it's right across from Portuguese Beach!)
• Sonoma Coast Villa & Spa, 1 night stay plus 1/2 hour horseback riding
• Two nights at North Cliff Hotel in Fort Bragg
• 2 rounds of 18-holes of golf from The Links at Bodega Harbour
• Kayak rentals from Bodega Bay Kayak
• Dinner at Terrapin Creek Restaurant plus a bottle of wine (I want this too)
• Lunch from The Dog House (yippee, my daughter will be bidding on this one!)
• Two pizzas from Diekman's Bay Store (best pizza in town, get the garlic sauce)
• Dinner from Dinucci's Restaurant
• Lunch from Island Deli
• Meal at Lucas Wharf Restaurant
• Whale watching from Bodega Sports Fishing Center
• Crab Trip For Two from Fish on Bait and Tackle
• Trip for Two on Miss Anita Fishing Charters (fishing, whale watching, bird watching, eco-tour, or harbor cruise)
• Books from Copperfields Bookstore in Sebastopol
• A series of 3 1-hr massages from Yoga Bodega Studio
• Gift bags from Second Wind Kites
• Autographed baseball, card, & photo by Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, 2005, playing for Cleveland Indians

Plus clothing, fine art prints, paintings, jewelry, handmade dolls and many other exquisite items by local artists!

And if that's not enough to coax you, I should mention that the desserts included with the dinner are being donated by local restaurants including Bluewater Bistro, Terrapin Creek Cafe, The Sandpiper, and Brisas del Mar, plus more baked by talented volunteers. With my sweet-tooth, that alone is worth the price of admission.

Remember all this fun is for an important cause, the proceeds go the Lisa Collins Memorial Fund to help Marilyn raise her four grandchildren. Their mother Lisa was diagnosed with a rare cancer and died suddenly last fall, and the five now live together in the two bedroom house that was meant to be Marilyn and her husband’s retirement home in Bodega Bay.

Dedicated volunteers have been working hard to plan, produce and publicize this event. In fact you can catch Deanna this Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. on KRCB-FM 91.1 spreading the word and drumming up additional support!

Tickets are available in Bodega Bay at Business Services Unlimited, the Sonoma Coast Visitors Center, Bodega Bay Elementary School and Tomales Elementary School. For more information, contact Deanna Osborne at 707-875-2798.