YMCA Camp Onyahsa will host its 11th annual dinner dance fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 10.
The event will feature dinner, an auction and live music in honor of the YMCA's recipient of the Lifetime for service award. The event begins at 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail hour in the camp's restored 1938 Darrah Hultquist Dining Hall, located on the shore of Chautauqua Lake in Dewittville.
The event will celebrate the camp's mission and its goal to foster excellence in youth development through quality camp experiences. It will also honor Roberta Thompson as recipient of the YMCA's 2012 Paul B. Sullivan Lifetime Service Award. The award will be presented to Thompson for her years of service to the Jamestown Area YMCAs. Mrs. Thompson has been a longstanding member of the YMCA since 1974 and became a board member in 1984. In 1986 she was elected the first female board president in the history of the Jamestown YMCA and served for three years.
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Roberta Thompson
She serves as a trustee on the board and is also a member of the feasibility committee. Mrs. Thompson is an associate broker with Real Estate Advantage in Jamestown, a member and past president of the National Association of Realtors and volunteer with the Chautauqua County Humane Society.
The event will be catered by Michael Flowers and his son, Robert Flowers, the New York Mets executive chef. Michael Flowers is an associate broker for ERA Vacation Properties Real Estate who, during the summer months, serves as food service director for Camp Onyahsa. Robert Flowers began his culinary career helping in his parents' Bradford, Pa., restaurant and bakery. He attended culinary school at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts and completed internships at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.
Flowers will donate proceeds from catering the event to Camp Onyahsa in memory of his late mother, Marsha Flowers, who in past years catered the fundraising dinner while employed at the Village Casino in Bemus Point.
The evening will also feature live music provided by Richie Leeper and Soul Revival, as well as a variety of live auction items. Items range from box tickets to a New York Mets game during the 2013 season to a helicopter ride over Chautauqua Lake. Proceeds will help with camp development activities and year-round activities. .
The public is welcome to attend. Tickets are $75 a person and are available at the YMCA Camp Onyahsa office or from any camp board members. For more information, call Itza Morales at 664-2802, ext. 238, email office@onyahsa.org or visit the camp's website at www.onyahsa.org.