Region's fundraisers report no chilling effect from snow

Schools and governments may shut down because of snow and ice, but the shows apparently must go on.

A little bit of white stuff isn't stopping nonprofits from raising a little bit of green stuff at holiday galas scheduled over the next couple of days.

Fundraisers for Providence Health System and the Children's Hospital Guild Association will go on as planned at downtown Seattle hotels. Organizers of tonight's Providence event are working from a contingency plan, advising guests to arrive at 4 p.m., before it gets dark — one hour earlier than the gala's scheduled start time.

"We're telling people to come early, stay all night and have a great time," said Patricia Szabo, executive director of O'Christmas Trees, a three-day Providence fundraiser at the Westin Seattle that is to culminate with a $275-a-person black-tie reception, dinner and silent auction. Tonight's 22nd annual gala sold out in advance at 700 tickets.

Twenty decorated live Christmas trees and one original tree by glass artist Dale Chihuly are to be auctioned off.

"If for some reason people were not able to get here, our contingency on the contingency is that we would do phone-call bidding," Szabo said. "But we will auction off the trees [tonight]."

About 95 percent of the approximately 600 people who donated $40 each for a Providence luncheon at the Westin on Tuesday attended that event, Szabo said.

A sold-out fundraising dinner and auction for the Japan-America Society took place Tuesday night inside the same ballroom.

At the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the 25th annual gala to raise money for Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center is scheduled to take place Thursday evening — no matter what the weather. The $165-a-person gala includes a five-course dinner and dancing to a live band.

"Everyone already has prepaid," said Teri Quaranta, event co-chair. "We can't give refunds. We've already paid for the band. The hotel needs to get paid. It's not something that can be rescheduled."

But it really would be something to have to reschedule a city celebration because of winter weather when "winter" is part of the event's name.

So it's fair to expect that Thursday evening's 11th annual Civic Lights Winter Celebration at Lynnwood's civic campus undoubtedly will go on, said Sarah Kane, events and marketing supervisor for the city's parks, recreation and cultural arts department. The city apparently won't need to truck in a fake snow mound for the kiddies this year, she said.

Not all winter events are going with the flow of snow. Tuesday night's exhibition hockey game between Bellevue and Seattle firefighters at a portable ice arena in downtown Bellevue got called off because of, well, icy conditions.

Several firefighters live in outlying areas and didn't want to risk driving into town on dangerous roads, said Chris Burgner, spokesman for Bellevue Magic Season, the city's annual downtown holiday celebration.

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293