The theme this year was “Cirque du Sabres” which made for a fun atmosphere. Along with the excitement of meeting Ryan Miller and fellow Buffalo Sabres players (who were dressed in proper circus attire) there was a Cirque show that took place before the auction featuring two very talented acrobats.
Many local restaurants took part in the evening by preparing all kinds of food from pizza to sushi. Blackbirds role was to perform the live auction in which all proceeds went directly to the Steadfast Foundation. Auction items included a trip to Los Angeles, a Buffalo Zoo tour, restaurant tours and dinners, press box access with Hockey Hall of Fame Announcer Rick Jeanerette during a hockey game, a lunch date with Ryan Miller himself, lots of autographed memorabilia, and even a puppy! Overall the auction was a great success.
My favorite part of the evening was seeing Blackbird’s own Don Hecht and his wife Aimee on stage for the presentation of a check to Carly’s Club and to benefit the kids at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Don and Aimee’s son Jonathan is a patient at Roswell and is making great progress. The generosity from the people at the event was astonishing. We cannot thank Events to a Tee, Ryan Miller and the Steadfast Foundation enough for putting on a such a fantastic and important fundraiser. Blackbird is proud to be a part of this charity and our entire staff looks forward to next years event.