Orphans Benefit from California Auction

It is a little-known fact that Russian explorers and settlers introduced some of the first fruit and grapes to Northern Sonoma County, in California. In one of those interesting twists in which history comes full circle, Imagine 2004, a charity auction held in Sonoma County in July, netted $1.1 million that will go to beneficiary organizations representing children’s causes, including to the Magic of Music, an outreach effort for Russian orphans.

The event was held at Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards and Winery and featured a private performance by the 85-member Russian National Orchestra (RNO), which runs the Magic of Music program in Russia. Attendees bid on everything from a private dinner with Sophia Loren (which brought in $240,000), a two-week stay at a Tuscany hideaway, a walk-on role in a Sydney Pollack film, and a day at the races with racecar driver Paul Newman.

“The entire amount goes directly to children’s charities,” said event co-chair Fred Furth, who is a famous San Francisco trial attorney and owner of Chalk Hill. “There will be no overhead or anything else deducted from what we raised here, and that’s what we are most proud of.”

Another winemaker highlighted the way in which this event reconnected the northern Californian region with its Russian roots. “The history of the Russian influence in this area is deep,” said Jess Jackson of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. “We’re bringing Russia back to the Russian River.”