by Fiona Wren
Apple Magazine, May/June 2004
Carlo and Rhonda Bellusci have always wanted to give back to their community.
They never imagined that when they set out to plan their first fundraising
event they would find so many people willing to give.
“Philanthropy is something we’ve talked about ever since we got married. It’s never been about how much money we have,” says Rhonda, who regularly gives her time and energy to a variety of causes. “I love being involved in my community.”
Both Rhonda and Carlo know firsthand that there are plenty of fundraising events for Calgarians to choose from – in fact, they attend a variety of events each year. “We knew if we were going to do this, we’d have to do something different,” says Carlo. “Something people haven’t seen before.”
The Great Italian Wine Encounter, far surpassed their original fundraising goal of $30,000 to raise $150, 000 toward cancer treatment in Calgary.
“It probably wouldn’t have come about if we hadn’t worked with the Foothills Country Auction and knew about the Calgary Health Trust,” says Rhonda. The Trust helped plan the event, but they also helped Carlo and Rhonda choose an area of health care to support. The Apheresis Clinic provides cancer patients with life-saving treatment, similar to dialysis, often used in stem-cell transplants.
The elegant evening, which featured fine Italian wine, haute cuisine, and a silent auction, was a natural extension of the Belluscis’ business – Vendemmia International Wines, a wine agency that brings some of the finest Italian wines to Calgary.
“The wine-tasting was Carlo’s idea,” says Rhonda. “We wanted to get the word out about Italian wine. We also wanted the evening to be different from European wine-tasting – more casual and fun.”
The Belluscis soon found that with the help of friends here and in Italy, they had all the ingredients for a different kind of fundraiser. Rhonda’s friends helped her sell tickets and get the word out. Carlo’s carefully forged relationships with wine producers in Italy prompted a group of them to not only donate their wine to the tasting, but to offer trips to their homes as silent auction items – and to give their time by flying in for the event.
“Wine agencies don’t normally hold philanthropic events,” says Carlo, “so the wine producers were really excited about it. Some of them got here at five o’clock and came straight to the event. They were jet-lagged, but they had a great time.”
The efforts of Rhonda’s friends paid off, too. “I only knew about half the people there,” she says. “But it seemed that all the people who were there really wanted to give.”
Discovering the generosity of friends, business associates and perfect strangers has been an eye-opener to the Belluscis. “You learn a lot about people and how they feel about philanthropy when you put together an event like this,” says Carlo.
With the success of the event still fresh in the minds of everyone who attended, Carlo and Rhonda are now thinking about their original goal, and how the $150,000 they raised will help cancer patients who use the apheresis clinic.
"We chose to put the money towards cancer because it’s something that will probably touch us all,” says Carlo. “Think about all the grandparents, parents and kids who will live because of the apheresis clinic…It’s great to give to something that will make a difference.”