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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Saturday, April 27, the community came to the Boylston Schul-Verein German-American Club in Walpole for a good cause. For the second year in a row, CF West Fest was a great success in raising money and awareness for cystic fibrosis research.
CF West Fest began last year when Alexis Argiros wanted to find a new way to fundraise for cystic fibrosis. In years prior, Argiros had hosted several 5K races in five years in order to raise money. However, she wanted to find a way to increase the turnout for fundraising and decided to host a nighttime event. “People tend to like drinking more than they like running,” Argiros said with a laugh.
Tables in the function room were filled with people, talking amongst themselves and listening to Just Another Guru, a band providing the event with popular tunes. Other guests, dressed in Bruins jerseys, kept up with the playoff hockey game playing in a corner of the room. Everyone at the party enjoyed laughs and bonded together over food and drink.
For everyone, though, the greatest reward was knowing that they may make a difference with their contribution to cystic fibrosis research.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that leads to lung infections and limits lung function. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 30,000 people are living with the disease in the United States alone. Over 75 percent of people with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed by the time they reach the age of two. Though recent efforts have enabled doctors to treat the disease, there is still no cure. All proceeds from CF West Fest went to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The night was filled with activities and food, entertaining everyone attending the fundraiser. One of the most popular activities for the night, and a new addition to this year’s event, was the wine pull. Guests were encouraged to pick a wine cork from one of two bowls symbolizing red and white wine. Each cork had a number written on it that matched a wine bottle that the winner would get to take home with them at the end of the night. Some of the wines came with additional prizes, like gift cards for Amazon, popular restaurants, and, fittingly, a wine tour. The new addition was a great success: one bowl was empty before the celebration was even half over.
Another popular activity of the night was a silent auction with an abundance of items and experiences up for bid. From boxing and yoga classes, to sports posters signed by popular Boston players, to ski trips and hand bags, the silent auction had something for everyone. The ultimate prize was a one week stay at a luxury house in Machiasport, Maine.
Attendance at CF West Fest was clearly high; half an hour into the event, there were no more parking spots in the lot.
Furthermore, Argiros’ suspicions that the community preferred partying to running seemed to be completely true. Just an hour into this year’s event, she and her group of volunteers had raised over $11,000, out-matching the amount of money raised last year. “I’m humbled by the support of everyone,” said Argiros.
“It’s great seeing how generous people are - to actually see it as a physical form is amazing,” she added.
