Co-chairs Britt-Marie Sundquist and Stacey Sundquist Anstead give new meaning to the term “Bond Girls” as they make final plans for “Casino Royale,” an auction and dinner fundraiser for St. Raymond School, to be held Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Menlo Circus Club.
The identical twins, who are both St. Raymond parents, have been working hard the last few months to make the event a night to remember, says committee member Tricia Mansur.
“Casino Royale” refers to the title of Ian Fleming’s first novel introducing super spy James Bond to the public in 1953. Agent 007 was famously portrayed in films by Sean Connery, the epitome of cool, who liked his martinis “shaken not stirred,” and referred to his women as “Bond Girls.”
The James Bond theme will be carried out at the Circus Club in Atherton with sleek cars from Ferrari/Maserati of Silicon Valley displayed at the entrance. Inside, along with the dinner and silent/live auctions, there will be “Casino Royale” gaming tables. This is the first year the St. Raymond auction and dinner has been held at the Circus Club. Previous fundraisers have taken place at the school’s Kennedy Center.
St. Raymond parent Craig Silverman is returning as the event’s auctioneer. Among the auction items is a custom playhouse modeled after Menlo Park’s new candy store, the Sugar Shack, owned by Beth Yancey and Susie Tinsley. Ms. Yancey’s children, Catherine and Christopher, are students at St. Raymond.
Other auction items are: a live walk-on appearance in the NBC television show “Scrubs,” one-week stays at vacation homes in Cape Cod and Las Vegas, and tickets and accommodations for the U.S. Open Golf Championship in San Diego next June.
Local parents serving on the benefit committee include Lisa Newton and Betsy Tripaldi of Atherton, and Gina VanDeVelde and Judy Keller of Menlo Park.
Family, friends and alumni of St. Raymond are invited to attend the Nov. 10 benefit. Tickets are $100 per person. Ticket deadline is Nov. 3. For more information, call Lisa Newton at 462-0801.
St Raymond School is a Catholic elementary school serving 246 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Sister Ann Bernard is principal of the school, which was founded in 1954.
Dramatic reading at Menlo Park Library
Seven readers will present a free reading of a new one-act drama, “A Play of Jonah,” by Joan Marx of Palo Alto, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St. in Menlo Park.
The play provides a new take on the Old Testament’s Book of Jonah, says Al Jacobs of Menlo Park. Mr. Jacobs will be one of the readers in the program, which he is co-supervising with Nancy Kiesling, owner of The Book Rack.
The evening is sponsored by the Menlo Park Library book discussion group and The Book Rack, a used paperback book store in downtown Menlo Park. The Book Rack has been hosting monthly literary presentations for the past three years.
For more information about the library’s book discussion group, call Lauren John at 327-6387. For more about the Book Rack’s literary programs, call Nancy Kiesling at 323-3877 or Al Jacobs at 543-3918.
Shopping for charity at Bloomingdale’s
“The Shopping Event” to benefit 14 charities will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at Bloomingdale’s at Stanford Shopping Center and in San Francisco.
Shoppers will save 15 percent almost storewide by purchasing a $10 Shopping Benefit ticket. When the ticket is presented at the door the day of the event, Bloomingdale’s will donate an extra $5 to the charity of your choice. Extra tickets can be purchased at the stores on the day of the event.
There will be special events and entertainment. Family & Children’s Services will host a tea party from 2 to 3:30 p.m. that will feature a tea demonstration and samples from Tea Time in downtown Palo Alto. Local charities to benefit are Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Family & Children’s Services, Family Service Agency of San Mateo County, Palo Alto Art Center Foundation, Peninsula Volunteers, Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, and TheatreWorks.
Rodin by Flashlight
In September it was “Rodin by Moonlight.” In November it will be “Rodin by Flashlight,” the fifth family flashlight tour of the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford University. The annual event, sponsored by Next Generation museum members, takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, at the garden, outside the Cantor museum. The tour will feature flashlight art tours, arts projects, and light refreshments.
Fee for the evening is $25 per member family and $40 per family for nonmembers. Reservations must be made by Oct. 26; call 723-3482.
