Norman's Le Tour de Vin to raise money for The Share Center

Kyle Phillips, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

May 22—Norman's Rotary clubs are offering an evening of wine, food and fun with the 20th annual Le Tour de Vin fundraising event.

The event, started by the Cross Timbers Rotary Club in 2003, is a collaboration with three other local Rotary clubs — Norman Rotary, Sooner Rotary and Legacy Rotary — to raise money to help local nonprofits while giving people a way to get to know their neighbors.

Norman Cross Timbers Rotary Club executive Sara Kaplan says as the event grew, it brought an opportunity for the clubs to come together and raise more funds for the community.

"It stated with the Cross Timbers Rotary Club in 2003, and it basically outgrew us," Kaplan said. "It became an event that we needed more people to help us build and run. It is planned by all four Rotary clubs, all four of us are coming together to put this event on. It has grown over the year which is exciting, so it is definitely a big collaborative effort."

This year's event, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. June 8 at The Riverwind Casino, Showplace Theatre is benefiting The Share Center at Food and Shelter. The Share Center is a free grocery store and resource center for individuals and families living in Norman, Noble, Lexington or McClain County.

"This is our second year with them," Kaplan said. "Typically when we pick our beneficiary they get to be for two years. Last year we raised $50k, so our goal is to do the same this year."

Past beneficiaries include Food & Shelter, Mary Abbott Children's House, Thunderbird Clubhouse, Bridges, CCFI and The Studio of the Sooner Theatre.

In order to raise the money for The Share Center, Le Tour de Vin will have two auctions, a silent auction and a live auction featuring items donated by local businesses in Norman.

"We have a lot of really great stuff from local businesses," Kaplan said. "There are some vacations and trips you can bid on, sot here is a lot of exciting stuff."

While the auctions are going on, guests can sample dozens of different wines, as well as whiskey tasting, plus food from local restaurants as they stroll around the room.

"We have several local restaurants that will bring bite-size stuff," Kaplan said. "We have about 9-10 restaurant that will bring little sample sizes, so it not a full size dinner but there will be snacks."

With the support of the community, Kaplan says the clubs are confident they can meet their goal of raising $50,000 for The Share Center.

"We think this is a great event," Kaplan said. "So it's cool to see all of the larger parts of the community coming together for the event and raising money for a great cause."

To register for the event, visit letourdevin.com. Reservations for food and wine tasting cost $150, while reservations for food, wine and whiskey tasting cost $200.