The cause was serious, but the mood was festive at the Wine & Shine event which raised $60,000 for Volunteer Ministry Center. From left, Megan Venable, Benny Smith, and Gay Lyons yuck it up!
Volunteer Ministry Center had another sold-out Don Sproles Wine & Shine fundraiser to support the ongoing operations of the “housing first” program that combats homelessness in our community.
Although the event, which features both a wine tasting and a moonshine tasting, is always entertaining, the cause is super serious. Every year more than 9,000 individuals access homeless services in Knoxville. As a downtown dweller, I see the problem every day. But it’s not just an urban problem anymore. You see apparently unhoused people all over town now — from Bearden to deep west Knoxville and the other suburbs.
Volunteer Ministry Center’s philosophy is that people need to be provided with housing before they can address the problems that caused them to be in that situation in the first place, whether it’s mental health or substance misuse.
The Wine & Shine event, in its 13th year, is named in honor of the late restaurateur Don Sproles who, along with his wife, Karen, founded the popular Lunchbox cafes. Don was a longtime board member and supporter of Volunteer Ministry Center.
More than 250 folks attended Wine & Shine, which was held recently at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Knoxville. As always, the evening started with cocktails and mingling.
And a silent auction! I almost bid on this Tony Vitello photo!
From left, Alan Carmichael, Charlie Daniel, and Zan Schriver. Charlie is a former board member and longtime supporter of Volunteer Ministry Center. Zan is a development and digital media manager for VMC.
Dr. Jan Henley, left, and Susan Morris.
Ed Shouse, left, and Bill Morris. Shouse is former Knox County trustee and Knoxville City Council member.
Mary Ann Venable knitted this cute toboggan that was offered in the silent auction.
Mary Beth Ramey, left, and Karen Sproles, Don Sproles’ widow. Mary Beth is chief compliance officer with Volunteer Ministry Center.
Elizabeth Grant, left, and Madeline Greer.
Lauren Karnitz, Don Sproles’ step-daughter, donated this cool wreath to the silent auction.
Rebecca and Alan Williams are at all the fun events!
From left, John Buckingham, Mary Fran Darwin, and Kathy Buckingham.
Kristin and Scott Reed.
Another great silent auction item: the famous photo from 1964 of Muhammad Ali and the Beatles. Ha.
Alan Carmichael, right, with Steven and Leslie Ressler.
Charlie Daniel, center, with Mack and Cheryl Gentry.
Megan Venable, left, and her mother, Mary Ann Venable.
Great Americana tunes (and more) were provided by the Vaden Landers Band.
They were great!
Dinner time!
But, first things first!
Wow! Look at the wines and moonshine samples on every table!
These four nibbles were designed to be paired with four different wines. From left, rosemary cornmeal pancake and charred buttery corn puree paired with Ferrar-Carano fume blanc; pecan-goat cheese mushroom cap with fried prosciutto paired with Wente Baily Hill pinot noir; smoky beef meatball paired with Wente Southern Hills cabernet sauvignon; and chimichurri grilled apple tartlet with honey custard paired with Ferrari-Carano chardonnay. They all were great matches.
Candace Viox of Water into Wine restaurant, and Matt Krawczyk of Empire Distributors, led us through the pairings.
Then, the buffet was opened up for dinner.
Alan’s chicken dinner plate.
Charlie Daniel, right, consulting with auctioneer Bear Stephenson. At left is Stephenson’s girlfriend, Shirley Elder.
Here are Shirley and Bear at dinner.
Sam and Mary Ann Venable. He was getting ready to be our emcee for the night.
Here Sam is calling out a birthday boy in the audience!
It was Mack Gentry celebrating 80! A hearty rendition of “Happy Birthday” ensued.
Time for the moonshine donated by Sugarlands Distilling Company in Gatlinburg. They all went great with the Moonshine Mountain cookies!
Jim Greer and LaVerta Sandlin applying themselves to the task!
Candace Viox, left, poses with VMC CEO Tracey Williams, right, and Andrea Warren, center. Great job, everybody!
Cartoonist Charlie Daniel signing an original piece of his work for Mack Gentry. At right is Madeline Greer.
Alan Carmichael saying goodbye to our friends Amy Styles, left, and Mary Fran Darwin in the lobby as we were leaving. What a fun evening! Thanks to Charlie Daniel for having us at his table.
Hi Cynthia, thank you for the great photos! What a fun table we had. Best regards, Madeline
Madeline: What a fun — and profitable — event for VMC. Agree about our convivial table!
Cynthia, you are always such a joy to see and being around you is ALWAYS fun! We adore you. ❤️
Oh, Shirley: How sweet! We love seeing you, as well! Always a party, of course!
Great event! About that opening photo, you asked us to “emote,” and I think we delivered. All for a good cause!
Gay: Yes! You all are great “emoters!” Thanks for the fun pic!
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