Want a successful recipe for a fundraiser? Mix food with fashion, add a dash of silent auction shopping plus a splash of pink champagne and combine it all with a good cause and you’ll sell tickets faster than a charity auctioneer can reel in bids.

This is what the organizers of York Hospital’s In the Pink: Food, Fun & Fashion Fling discovered Tuesday night when the sold-out event attracted more than 600 people to the Ogunquit Playhouse despite the evening’s damp, chilly weather.

Additional Photos

Leslie Ware, who served on the party’s executive committee, Teri Hutchins of York and volunteer Barb Green, who works in the hospital’s emergency department Avery Yale Kamila photos

Rebecca Sacchetti and Emily Connors, who co-chaired the food committee

Sarah Holland, M.D., who is a plastic surgeon, and Nina Edwards, M.D., who is a general surgeon

Jennifer Clark and her mother, Kimberly Poulin, who is a nurse in the hospital’s surgery center

Now in its second year, the party raised more than $85,000 to support the hospital’s Breast Cancer Living Well program. The innovative program provides support services covering mind and body wellness to breast cancer patients.

The party was organized by more than 100 volunteers, under the direction of an executive committee made up of Ellen Baldwin, Cathy Barnhorst, Barbara Conda and Leslie Ware.

“There’s such a wonderful committee we worked with this year,” Baldwin told me.

She said the volunteers added new revenue streams, such as raffles, and did an excellent job soliciting restaurants and silent auction donations.

“York Hospital is very dear to everybody’s heart,” Ware told me. “A lot of energy is being put into the new breast care center.”

Ware said the decision was made to direct this year’s proceeds to the Living Well fund because “we found out a lot of (breast cancer) patients were having trouble financially.”

The party started off under an oversized tent on the theater’s grounds, where the largely female crowd enjoyed appetizers and desserts from more than 30 eateries.

“All the local restaurants and caterers are so supportive of York Hospital,” Emily Connors, who chaired the food committee with Leisa Smith, told me. “It’s amazing how they’ve stepped it up from last year.”

The food tables were mobbed with guests sampling from favorite restaurants and discovering new eateries they plan to visit.

“This year they’ve really dialed it in,” said Amanda Black, who serves on the York Hospital Women’s Committee. “The food is fabulous.”

During the cocktail reception, guests bid on more than 150 silent auction items, which included jewelry, wine, gift certificates, art and fitness gear.

“I’m impressed by the number of local businesses that came out to donate for the silent auction,” Jaime Buck of York told me.

“It’s great to see it grow,” Rebecca Sacchetti told me. “I’m so glad to see so many people here.”

As a urogynecologist, Deeptha Sastry, M.D., doesn’t treat patients with breast cancer, but she still sees its toll.

“A lot of my patients are breast cancer survivors,” Sastry told me. “It’s a wonderful event.”

“It’s really nice to see all the community out to support this event,” said Kimberly Poulin, who is a nurse in the hospital’s surgery center. “The hospital does rely so much on community support.”

After the reception, we all moved inside the theater, where WCVB-TV Boston news anchor Randy Price served as master of ceremonies. Joe Shanley took charge of the live auction with help from John Houghton, who works in the nutrition department at York Hospital.

When it came time to auction off four Boston Red Sox infield grandstand tickets and a special pregame tour, Shanley remarked: “Looking at the crowd tonight, they could have gotten rid of the tickets and given a tour of the locker room.”

Even with a pretty-in-pink crowd, after a bit of back and forth, the tickets brought in $550. But that was nothing compared to the gavel price fetched for a football signed by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. After a fierce bidding war, this piece of memorabilia valued at $1,500 sold for $1,750.

The live auction was followed by a high-energy fashion show featuring the latest looks from local boutiques. To view some of the fashions, be sure to check out my Society Snapshots blog.

Capping off the evening’s festivities was a salute to dozens of breast cancer survivors decked out in pink feather boas who took to the stage and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

As Price said, “Pink power is rising to the occasion to help everyone with breast cancer.”

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com

Twitter: AveryYaleKami

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