Advocacy Center benefit
The 17th annual Celebrate the Children dinner dance and auction is being held at the Best Western Agate Beach Inn on Saturday evening Feb. 4.  This is an evening filled with mouth-watering cuisine, entertainment and dancing to the tune of Portland’s own Swingline Cubs. Community ties are necessary, but neckties are not.
The evening’s live and silent auctions will help fund the Children’s Advocacy Center, where hundreds of Lincoln County’s child victims of abuse are helped every year.
True to form, the auction portion of the evening is brief, but packed with high-quality and unusual items. Attendees will get a chance to bid on an unforgettable New York Broadway experience for two, including roundtrip airfare, three night stay, tickets to a Broadway show of choice, and dinner at Sardi’s or the 21 Club.
Guests may also bid on a weekend, two-night Seattle Mariners baseball game package for two via Amtrak. And don’t forget the family with a Portland weekend package to see the award-winning play “Wicked” and visit the Oregon Zoo. For those who love Oregon seafood, there is the “Ocean’s Bounty” package with seasonal fresh seafood for a year. 
Guests will also be encouraged to peruse myriad silent auction items as they dine on the hearty buffet and mingle with the attendees. Afterwards, you can count on a lively performance from the Swingline Cubs, where everyone is encouraged to put their best dancing foot forward.
Tickets for the event are $85 per person and available by contacting the Children’s Advocacy Center at 541-574-0841 or online www.childrensadvocacycenter.net.

Aquarium hosts mane event
Why the long face? You haven’t missed the Hearts for Horses Benefit Dinner and Auction. This family-friendly event will be held at the Oregon Coast Aquarium from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Guests are welcome to tour the aquarium exhibits, enjoy a variety of appetizers and desserts from some of Newport’s finest eateries. The event will include a silent auction as well as an oral auction, plus live music by the Lucky Gap Band.
Bright Horizons, founded in 2004, is both a non‐ profit organization and Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemen member center. Through its therapeutic riding program, Bright Horizons helps individuals of varying ability levels opportunities to challenge themselves, physically and emotionally, and to set goals to improve their quality of life via the horse.
All proceeds raised at the Feb. 11 benefit will go toward rider scholarships and the care of the center’s horses. Tickets cost $40 per person, $75 for a couple, and children under 12 are $10. Tickets are on sale at the Feed Corral in Newport, online at brighthorizonsriding.org or by contacting Amy Cline at 541‐961‐4156 or info@brighthorizonsriding.org.

Last call for Seafood & Wine Fest volunteers
Is that you, whining that you never get the chance to attend the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival? Put a cork in it!
The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce has issued its final call for volunteers, to serve in the 35th annual Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, Feb. 23-26 in South Beach. This year’s festival has one more day – opening on Thursday, rather than Friday as in previous years – so they need more help than ever.
You must be 21 or older to volunteer. Committee heads are looking for people who can work at least one four hour shift, in one of the following areas: cashier, clicker/counter, check-in assist, re-entry stamp, wine glasses, committee tent, and chamber booth helpers.
This year’s SWF will be held in two connected tents adjacent to the Rogue Brewery, 2320 OSU Drive. So far, Thursday’s work shift has been filled, but there are a number of slots still available during Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As a token of appreciation, volunteers will receive a commemorative wine glass and free admission for Friday through Sunday’s event.
Festival hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 23; 2 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 25, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 26.
If you are interested or would like additional information, contact the chamber at 800-262-7844 or e-mail: mike@newportchamber.org.

Charity runs rings around, for hungry families
Food Share of Lincoln County is cleaning, sorting and pricing donated jewelry for BeJeweled, its annual costume and collectible jewelry sale. The sale will take place on Feb. 11 at the Shilo Inn in Newport.
“The need for emergency food services has grown tremendously while USDA food allotments have been cut severely,” said Nancy Smith of Food Share. “We are again asking for help. Supporting Be Jeweled by donating jewelry you no longer wear is a great way to feed hungry families.”
Donated items can be taken to the following drop points in Newport: Food Share, Newport Chamber of Commerce, Nye Cottage Beads, Hair Love, Canyon Way Bookstore and Restaurant, and the Newport Senior Activity Center. In Lincoln City, drop points include the Lincoln City Cultural Center and North Lincoln Sanitary Service. In Toledo, donations are being collected at Quilter’s Cottage. All Oregon Coast Bank branches are drop-off points. Each donation point can provide receipts for tax purposes.
Food Share of Lincoln County distributes emergency food boxes throughout Lincoln County through six affiliated pantries in Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Siletz and Toledo. It also provides food assistance to nine other local agencies. 
For more information about Be Jeweled or Food Share, call Smith at 541-265-8578.