By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
As the holiday season approaches, here's a roundup of fundraising events offering ways to give back.
CASA Christmas Cram
Amarillo Area Court Appointed Special Advocates will collect toys for its 230 child clients in a four-day CASA Christmas Cram toy drive ending Dec. 2.
Toys in original packaging and gift cards will be accepted between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at WalMart, 4610 S. Coulter St.
Call 806-373-2272.
Christmas in the Gardens
The glowing gardens return to Amarillo Botanical Gardens, and not only are they a twinkling thrill for attendees, they're a major fundraiser for ABG.
This year's attraction will open from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 23 at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.
Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
Call 806-352-6513.
Holiday Silent Auction
Amarillo Women's Network will host its annual Holiday Silent Auction Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Abuelo's banquet room, 3501 S.W. 45th Ave.
Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson and council members Elaine Hayes and Freda Powell will speak about leadership and the community.
Cost is $20; reservations are due Nov. 28.
Proceeds benefit the organization's scholarship fund for area high school students.
Call 806-374-5058 or email loretta.williams@suddenlink.net.
Rotary 100th Anniversary Celebration
The Rotary Club of Amarillo will mark its centennial with a fundraising dinner.
The international service club's first Amarillo chapter was founded Dec. 1, 1917, and current members will throw a 100th Anniversary Celebration at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in Tash Parish Hall at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, 4100 S. Coulter St.
Texas Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) and other dignitaries will speak about the club's history and accomplishments.
Tickets are $50.
Call 806-352-3108.
Black Light Drag Queen Bingo
Everything's more fun in the dark, right? And with sassy queens?
City Studios will host a special game night — Black Light Drag Queen Bingo — from 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 1 to raise funds for community LGBTQ organizations.
Drag queens will run the the game in their inimitable style, as first made popular in Seattle in the 1990s for AIDS fundraisers.
The venue is located in Suite 25 inside The Galleries at Sunset Center, 3701 Plains Blvd.
More details will be announced soon.
Call 806-282-6573.
Together We Can Holiday Food & Fund Drive
High Plains Food Bank will kick off its annual Together We Can Holiday Food & Fund Drive on Dec. 4.
The drive — which hopes to raise $200,000 and 125,000 meals — will run through Dec. 9 at Market Street, 2530 S. Georgia St. Donations of food and cash will be taken between 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Dec. 4 to 8 and 9 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 9.
Most-needed items for the food bank warehouse include canned tuna, canned chicken, canned veggies, canned soups, peanut butter, rice, beans and pasta/boxed dinners.
Donors can also give at hpfb.org/donate, and United shoppers can give at the register between Nov. 29 and Dec. 10. HPFB officials say that every $1 donated provides five meals.
Call 806-374-8562.
Poinsettia Luncheon and Style Show
Southwest Amarillo Garden Club will add some stylish flair to the holidays with a Poinsettia Luncheon and Style Show.
The luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m. Dec. 5 at Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.
Sheryl Anderson Model and Talent Agency will provide the style show.
Tickets are $35 for lunch and the show, or $50 with a poinsettia. Extra poinsettias are $20 each. Tables are $280 or $400, which include poinsettias for each guest at the table, or $500 for sponsorship-level tables. Reservations are due Dec. 1.
Proceeds will benefit the gardens' Christmas in the Gardens event.
Call 806-352-6513.
The Wall That Heals
In the conclusion of a months-long Vietnam War project, Panhandle PBS will host a visit from The Wall That Heals in December.
The Wall is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a mobile education center.
It will be open to the public to visit 24 hours a day from 7 p.m. Dec. 6 to 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at John Stiff Memorial Park, 45th Avenue and Bell Street, to honor U.S. armed forces service members who fought in the Vietnam War, the more than 58,000 service men and women who lost their lives in Vietnam/Southeast Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the war.
A welcome ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Dec. 7, and a closing ceremony is set for 1 p.m. Dec. 10.
Donations will be taken at the wall to support its mission, and opportunities to donate to Panhandle PBS also will be available.
School tours are available on Dec. 7 and 8. Contact Kathy Jones at 806-371-5479 or kathy823.jones@gmail.com to schedule.
Northside Toy Drive Black Tie Affair
Don your best evening clothes for a jazzy evening to benefit Amarillo children at the fifth annual Northside Toy Drive Black Tie Affair.
Dallas band Natural Change will perform, and attendees will enjoy dancing, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and casino games.
The event begins at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Grand Plaza, 401 S. Buchanan St.
Admission is an unwrapped toy, but reserved table seating is available for eight for $300 or $1,000 for VIP seating, which includes a plated dinner.
Proceeds benefit Northside Toy Drive, which provides presents for children in North Amarillo.
Call 806-676-7482.
Reed's Winter Chef Social
Amarillo culinary masters will cook for the Reed's Winter Chef Social on Dec. 8.
The event, which benefits West Texas Chefs' Table's philanthropic endeavors, begins at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at Reed Beverage, 3701 S.E. 25th Ave.
The evening will include hors d'oeuvres from 10-plus chefs, signature cocktails and craft beverages. A VIP cocktail hour at 6 p.m. will include a VIP-only specialty cocktail and premium hors d'oeuvres and more.
Tickets are $50; VIP access is available with a toy donation valued at $20 or more.
Call 316-761-4229.
Teddy Bear Toss
There's more than one reason to root for the Amarillo Bulls to score in their Dec. 9 game against the Shreveport Mudbugs.
After the Bulls' first goal of the game, audience members are encouraged to take part in the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Bring new or gently used stuffed animals and chunk them on the ice after that initial goal.
The stuffed animals will be given to Toys for Tots, which will distribute them to local children in need.
Tickets are $13 to $23 for adults and $9 to $23 for children. The game begins at 7 p.m. in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
Call 806-242-1122.
Cowboy Christmas Ball
Michael Martin Murphey will bring his annual Cowboy Christmas Ball back to Amarillo in a benefit for Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian.
The event opens with a dinner with Murphey and his Rio Grande Band at 5:45 p.m. Dec. 14 at the museum, 9151 E. Interstate 40.
The ball begins at 7 p.m.
The Christmas ball is a tradition dating back to 1885, when it was launched on Christmas night in Anson. The South Texas community revived the tradition in 1934 and has held it annually since then.
Murphey started his traveling version of the traditional ball in 1993, touring the Southwest and reminding ball-goers that the history of Texas music originated with the state’s first cowboys.
Tickets are $45 or $35 for general admission for the ball, and $25 for the dinner. Reservations are required.
Call 806-335-3715.
Herring Holiday Ball
A Roaring '20s party with Christmas jazz is planned for the 2017 Herring Holiday Ball on Dec. 21 at the historic Herring Hotel, 311 S.E. Third Ave.
The party begins with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by a seated dinner at 7 p.m. that's accompanied by a string quartet and the Amarillo Youth Choir.
The Fwoops and guests will perform for the dance at 8 p.m., and the evening also includes live painting, silent art auctions and a fashion show.
Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.
Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door for the dance, or $150 for VIP tickets that include cocktail hour and dinner.
Call 806-336-3078.
Winter Wonder New Year's Eve Gala
Ring in 2018 at the new Winter Wonder New Year's Eve Gala in downtown Amarillo.
The event is a collaboration between Heal the City, Our Children's Blessing and the Potter-Randall County Medical Alliance. It begins at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Amarillo Downtown, 550 S. Buchanan St.
The evening includes a seated dinner, open bar, music by The Fwoops, a midnight countdown and gaming tables.
Formal attire in winter colors of white, silver or gold are encouraged.
New Year's Eve Ball
Lost Pets of Amarillo will host a New Year's Eve Ball at Destiny's Garden, 1134 E. Loop 335 South.
The Roaring '20s dinner and dance begins at 8 p.m. Dec. 31. The Solano Project will perform.
Tickets are $60 before Nov. 30 and $75 following. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit agency.
Call 806-679-4720.
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
