Truly a Gala: SBNH Benefit and Auction

by Rick Winterson

Once upon a time in 1773, there was a “Boston Tea Party”. To say that it was America’s first recorded party celebration as well as being a historically memorable event is no exaggeration. Well, it’s 2023 now – exactly 250 years later – and a major celebration is taking place here on Friday evening, March 31, from 6 to 10 p.m. It’s the party known in full as “The South Boston Neighborhood House Benefit and Auction”. Like the Tea Party, it’s also located on Boston Harbor – in the Seaport Hotel’s Plaza Ballroom. It’ll be a gala get-together.

We mention all this to emphasize that our local Neighborhood House is quite historic itself. It was founded 122 years ago in 1901. As one of the original settlement houses, it welcomed newly minted American citizens from everywhere in the world. The South Boston Neighborhood House is affectionately named “the Ollie” after its founder Olivia James – what a joyful and affectionate epitaph this is to her memory. And nowadays, “the Ollie” still continues to perform a multitude of good works all over our community.

Among the high points during the evening of Friday, the 31st, will be the conferral of two Awards. Jerome Smith, Senior Manager of Public Policy in New England for Amazon, will receive the Joseph “Dodo” Nee “Champion” Award. Yanni Tsipis, WS Development’s Senior Vice PresidentDevelopment, will receive the Amy K. Murray “Angel” Award. Prior to joining Amazon, Jerome Smith served as Chief of Civic Engagement for Marty Walsh, then Mayor of Boston. Before that, he was Chief of Staff to State Senate President Therese Murray. Jerome holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut. Yanni Tsipis currently oversees WS’s Boston Seaport Project, a 33-acre, 20-block mega-development in South Boston. He’s a Boston historian; he has written four books about the City’s transportation infrastructure. Also, Yanni is a faculty member at M.I.T.’s Center for Real Estate.

After a recent telephone interview,

Yanni emailed us. In part, he wrote, “Community is the core of everything we do. We are so humbled to have our work recognized … by an organization (the Neighborhood House) that has served the neighborhood of South Boston for over 100 years … We have always tried to find ways to support the incredible work that the Ollie does … helping out with meals for seniors during the pandemic, coats and toys for kids every winter, a new HVAC system for their community center, or in many other ways …”. The Neighborhood House is also pleased to extend a warm invitation to take part in the ceremonies to Jeremy Sclar. He is the noted Founder, CEO, and Chair of WS Development – the largest of the Seaport’s developers. The Ollie would really be honored if you’ll attend, Mr. Sclar; they hope you can join us in the Seaport Hotel on the evening of March 31. We mentioned the word “AUCTION” above. It’s in the title of Neighborhood House gala – and what an incredible Auction it’ll be!

First of all, Tom Tinlin will be the Auctioneer. There’ll be both Live and Silent Auctions for you to enjoy. Take a ramble through the stunning array of Silent Auction items – it’s better than Holiday window shopping. Then be prepared to enter your own bids. And you can do this in advance, if you’d like – the Silent Auction opens for remote bidding on Friday, March 17. The Ollie’s “Golden Raffle” will indeed be golden, as in pure gold! A $100 Golden Raffle ticket qualifies you to take part in a drawing for a trip for two adults to your choice (yes, your choice!) from three elegant locations – Cabo, Mexico (four nights); Las Vegas, Nevada (three nights); or Tuscany, Italy (six nights). Not so incidentally, the Golden Raffle winner will also receive $1,000 towards the necessary airfare. The Ollie is working on even more extravagant Live Auction items – right up until March 31. So far, these range from a Greek Cooking Class for four (4), to mid-ice Premium Seats (with food and drinks) at Bruins games, on up to a Bermuda cruise for two! Stay tuned for more!

To place a bid on your own good feelings and win every time, please consider contributing to the Neighborhood House’s “Dodo Ask”. It’s named for Joe “Dodo” Nee and his legacy of always giving back to those who need it most. Think of Dodo when you decide to help those who need just a little extra when times are tough (or perhaps inflationary?). As one example, this year’s “Dodo Ask” will support the Ollie’s Diaper Depot – thousands of diapers to needy babies and their families. Your own good feelings are guaranteed to follow every contribution you make in Dodo Nee’s memory. And that’s not all. To round out the South Boston Neighborhood House Benefit and Auction on Friday, the 31st, you will enjoy indulging in a complementary cocktail hour, followed by food, music, and dancing. We aren’t exaggerating when we call it “Truly a Gala!”