Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Balik.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Barbara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story is about turning a volunteer position into a lifelong professional career, 45 years ago. I began looking for a volunteer opportunity with a catastrophic children’s disease. Frankly, I had never heard of cystic fibrosis. I attended several meetings, but nothing felt like a good fit until one day. I ran into my neighbor at our local market. She asked how my search was progressing and when I told her I was a bit discouraged, she told me about her cousin whose baby had just been diagnosed with CF. A small circle of family friends had formed a group called the Valley Guild with the sole purpose of raising money to fight the disease. There was a meeting the next day, and I decided to tag along. That decision and the subsequent meeting I attended, was the beginning of an extraordinary 20-year volunteer experience during which I became president of the Valley Guild, vice president of the Southern CA CF Chapter and ultimately, executive vice chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s National Board of Trustees. After some years as a national trustee, I was asked to switch hats and join the national staff as director of special giving, a position I have held for 25 years. In 1990, my husband Allen founded “A Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters” benefiting the CF Foundation. My fundraising efforts switched from major gift giving to focusing full time on the development of our fledgling event. The very first “Winemasters” event was held on the rooftop of the Bel-age Hotel in West Hollywood. We expected 125 guests and 250 appeared. Our net proceeds amounted to $42,000, and everything that could go wrong did! 29 years later, “Winemasters” has raised more than $30 million net dollars for the CF Foundation’s research and care programs. The event is now held at Warner Bros. Studios where 1,400 guests attend from all over the country. We showcase 75 of California’s premium wineries, 55 international chefs and almost 800 auction lots. We are now one of the largest charity wine auctions in the world. Occasionally, I think about that serendipitous meeting in the market and thank my lucky stars.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are definite highs, lows and everything in between when working in the non-profit world. For starters, I had never volunteered and knew nothing about raising money. I had a lot to learn. I began my volunteer career as recording secretary for the Valley Guild. That was easy. All I had to do was take notes at every meeting. We were in the middle of planning only the second event held by this group – a big gala at the home of Conrad Hilton. The centerpiece of the event was a huge Mercado where instead of an auction, we solicited hundreds of businesses for donations and then sold all the merchandise at the event for bargain prices. One day, during a meeting about the upcoming gala, there was a vociferous disagreement between the president of the Valley Guild and the fundraising chairman. I was busy taking notes but stopped when the fundraising chair announced she was leaving the group. And just like that, she left. The president turned to me and said, “Well, Barbara, I guess you’ll have to take over the fundraising position.” I stammered something about being a good recording secretary with no ability to solicit gifts. There were 35 women in the room, and no one said a word. The president happened to be the mother of the baby with cystic fibrosis whose friends had rallied around her and formed the Valley Guild. She turned to me and said, “You mean you’re telling me, the mother of a baby with this disease that you can’t pick up the phone and ask for a donation?” That was the last time I said I couldn’t attempt something new. Once I learned not to take rejection personally, the “ask” became easy. There are always challenges that can feel like struggles in the non-profit world. A downturn in the economy such as the market crash is ’08 turned into a huge challenge that tested all our abilities. Any struggles I have experienced pale in comparison to what our CF families live with every day. That fact is never out of my mind.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters” – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I work for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We may be a non-profit organization, but we operate like a for-profit business. That sets us apart from many other non-profits. We have the best fundraising record of any health organization, because we put more money directly into our vital programs than any other health-related non-profit. When I began my volunteer career, the average life expectancy of a child with CF was 3-5 years. Today, our patients are looking at a median age into the late 40s. Many years ago, we established what was called the CF Foundation Research Development Program. An uncomplicated name with a brilliant concept. We began providing grants to establish center of CF research at existing institutions. No bricks and mortar dollars were awarded. This meant that institutions had to find space within their established buildings to accommodate CF researchers. Further, we insisted that all scientists working on CF projects who were receiving our grants must share their information with all the other CF researchers. The program worked and became a model touted by the National Institutes of Health for all other health organizations.
“A Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters” was a standout event even in the beginning. In 1990, there were very few wine and food events. Every event had the same format. The wines were in one location, food in another and auction lots were situated in a third location. We were the first event of its kind to integrate food, wine and auction lots. We quickly became known for our wine and food pairings which is how we are recognized even today. Our guests know that as they enter the Midwest Street back lot at Warner Bros., they are going to discover sparkling and white wines with perfectly paired dishes. As they progress into the event, they find bolder and heavier red wines along with their tasty food offerings. And, as importantly, you can’t step more than 10 ft. before running into an auction table featuring lifestyle, wine, or travel lots. Every aspect of “Winemasters” blends seamlessly.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Next year – 2019 – is the 30th annual “Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters.” We are bringing back some our original honorary culinary and wine chairmen – icons in their respective industries. Planning for the 30th anniversary bash is already in the works even though we have the 29th annual event ahead of us this year on May 19th.
Pricing:
- Regular price tickets which include reserved seating: $400 per ticket
- VIP tickets which include reserved seating, early entrance, valet parking: $500 per ticket
Contact Info:
- Address: 4929 Wilshire Blvd.
Ste 760 Los Angeles 90010 - Website: www.californiawinemasters.org
- Phone: 323.939.0758
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/californiawinemasters
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/californiawinemasters
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/calwinemasters
Image Credit:
Sheryl Stack, Brian Valente, David Skernick, Jackie Rosenthal, Scott Friedman
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
