A celebrity chef from Anchorage and an Uncruise Adventures cruise to Baja Mexico were among the many auction items that helped the Cordova Chamber of Commerce raise $10,000 during their gala fundraiser and awards event last month.
“We wanted to create an event that could highlight the work of the Chamber and the business community and celebrate the victories and give out business awards,” said Cathy Renfeldt, executive director of the Chamber. “We also needed a fundraiser for the chamber.”
The event, at The Cordova Center on Nov. 16, with its Copper River sockeye dinner entree, sold out all 75 tickets and got such good feedback from guests that Renfeldt and her staff are already planning on third gala fundraiser for the Chamber next year. While this event was attended mostly by local folks, one goal was to get more corporate sponsors to come from out of town to meet with local business owners, Renfeldt said.
“We’re hoping to make it even better every year,” she said.
Chamber award recipients at the event included a winner and honorable mention (HM) in five categories:
- Chamber Champion – Winner: Cordova Arts & Pageants; HM: Prince William Sound Science Center;
- Excellence in Business (Small Business) – Winner: Copper River Brewing; HM: Dutch Marine Industries;
- Excellence in Business (Large Business) – Winner: Cordova Telecom Cooperative; HM: Nichols’ Backdoor Co.;
- Community Outreach – Winner: Native Village of Eyak; HM: The Net Loft;
- Quality of Life – Winner: Current Rhythms; HM: Children’s Pallas.
Renfeldt, one of the city’s biggest hometown boosters, began working on the event months ago, and it paid off, she said. Celebrity Chef Shane Moore – of the upscale South Restaurant in Anchorage – prepared the dinner.
Tickets for Chamber members were $75, and $85 for non-members. Sponsors donated from $250 to $1,000 in support of the event and area residents donated their best recipes for a dessert auction.
“We got really good feedback from everyone this year,” Renfeldt said. “They had a lot of fun and want to do it again next year. We need to continue to find good sponsors and good prizes.”
The fundraiser and gala event comes as the city continues deliberating a $40,000 budget cut to the Chamber’s operating budget for next year. Renfeldt has said the slash will be tough manage, but that the organization will do the best it can to continue its offerings and programs.
In 2025 the Chamber gala plans to expand the fundraiser gala event to allow for 100 guests, said Renfeldt, who also served as auctioneer this year. The multi-day Baja Mexico cruise in the Sea of Cortez – an $11,000 value donated by Uncruise Adventures – sold for $6,250, she said.
The Chamber is also already promoting its Moonlight Madness shopping events this month, wherein participating businesses will hold special sales from 6-9 p.m. on Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. It’s part of the “Shop Cordova First” initiative to encourage residents to support local businesses this holiday season.
