Update 8/29/19 – Elmwood Self Storage & Wine Cellar and Grande Krewe Fine Wine and Spirits are co-hosting the third annual “Wine Around the World” fundraiser on Sept. 26 to raise money for Children’s Hospital. The event will include wine and indigenous hors d’oeuvres from seven countries: Argentina, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. It’ll also feature live jazz music, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes and a silent auction.

Attendees will be given a “passport” and world map, allowing them to sample and learn about each nation’s wines and grapes. Those who obtain a fully stamped passport will be entered to win the grand prize, a Caribbean cruise for two.

Tickets are $40 in advance and can be purchased through Children’s Hospital, Dawn Busters Kiwanis Club, Elmwood Business Association, Elmwood Self Storage, East Jefferson Business Association and Grande Krewe. Tickets can also be purchased for $50 at the door.

10/2/18 – Elmwood Self Storage & Wine Cellar in Harahan, La., hosted a “Wine Around the World” fundraiser on Sept. 13 to raise money for Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit pediatric medical center in New Orleans. It’s the second consecutive year the operator has hosted the event. About 200 people, including Children’s Hospital CEO John Nickens, attended, according to the source.

The fundraiser featured food as well as wine from seven countries: Argentina, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. The spirits were provided by local retailer Grande Krewe.

“We partnered with Grande Krewe for this event because of their large selection of wines from around the world,” said Christine Alba, communications manager for Elmwood. “The event was held in seven of our air-conditioned storage units and the adjoining hallways, and attendees were given a map, a glass and a passport in order to visit each unit that was decorated as one of the participating countries.”

Elmwood’s partners chose regions that are famous for wine. “Since we are the only public wine cellar in town and we do a lot of charity events, it was a natural for us to do this fundraiser,” said Al Gardes, director of operations for Elmwood. “We had our high-end caterer pair food with each country represented. Our wine partners provided two wines from each country for guests to try along with a representative in each unit to answer questions about the wine.”

Gardes was also involved in choosing a charity for the fundraiser. “Children's Hospital has always been close to my heart,” he said. “My family spent some time at Children's because of an incident that happened to my son when he was a child. He is 36 now. I will never forget what the hospital did for us. Anything we can do for Children's Hospital is worth it.”

After sampling the food and wine, guests received a “stamp” in their passport and were entered to win a Caribbean cruise for two. “In addition to the big prize, we also had a duty-free shop on site with items that attendees could place ‘burgundy dollars’ in a bowl for a chance to win a particular item. The burgundy dollars were purchased in advance to be used at the shop,” Alba said.

Plans are already underway to host a larger event next year. “We like to do fun things for our customers throughout the year, and we have had great feedback from the evening,” Gardes said. “It was great seeing our staff dressed up in costumes from each of the countries; it added to the overall experience of the evening. The most fun costume was one staff member, representing Australia, dressed in a full kangaroo costume; all you could see was her face. It was great.”

Opened in 2004, Elmwood contains nearly 1,500 storage units, a 730-square-foot wine cellar, safe deposit boxes, and vault and gun storage. Additional customer amenities include a conference room, delivery acceptance and 24-hour access via a biometric system and code.

Source:
East Jefferson Community News, Guests Enjoy 'Wine Around the World' for Children's Hospital
 WGNO, Wine Around the World Benefiting Children’s Hospital