Dear Readers,

Yvonne Sangiacomo, a native San Franciscan with hereditary roots in Lucca, Italy is the daughter of the late, great nightclub impresario, Agostino “Bimbo” Giuntoli. Mother of seven, wife to Angelo Sangiacomo, a real estate developer with Ligurian roots and Angel to the Little Sisters of the poor, she followed thru on her vision and founded the Red Tie Gala, to benefit the work of the Little Sisters, which is caring for the aged poor.

Since Signora Sangiacomo, leads by personally persuasive example, much is donated or underwritten by generous donors and a remarkable 100% of ticket sales for the Red Tie Gala goes directly to Little Sisters of the Poor – St. Anne’s Home for the Aged at 300 – Lake Street in San Francisco.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, an international organization founded in late 1839, by now Blessed Jeanne Jugan, in the small Breton town of Saint Servan, after she carried an aged, blind widow named Anne up a flight of narrow stairs and placed her in her own bed as an act of charity, is seen as the beginning of the Congregation of Little Sisters of the Poor which now operates 209 Homes around the globe.

Yvonne Sangiacomo recently chaired her twelfth Red Tie Gala, to benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor.
This little band of French sisters whose life’s calling is to care for the elderly poor, found a patron in 1982 when Mrs. Sangiacomo embraced them as her number one cause. At the time, she did the unimaginable, by persuading the upscale Neiman Marcus department store at Union Square in San Francisco to host a party for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Neiman Marcus was only the first stop on what would become her lifelong mission. Since then, Mrs. Sangiacomo has twisted arms, cajoled CEOs, pleaded with celebrities, solicited politicians, beseeched restaurants and flattered donors, all to raise money and attention for the Little Sisters and their work with the elderly poor at St. Anne’s Home, in San Francisco.

Along the way, she has single-handedly grown the Red Tie Gala into one of San Francisco’s premier social events. This year, the biennial party attracted nearly 3000 guests to newly remodeled Neiman Marcus Union Square store and raised more than $1 million for the Little Sisters.

Not surprisingly, Mrs. Sangiacomo deflects credit for her accomplishments on behalf of the Little Sisters. She mentions all of the people that have helped her through the years, beginning with Gina and George Moscone and Cyril Magnin who facilitated her first meeting with Neiman Marcus back in the early 80’s when Red Tie Gala was just an idea in her head.

But perhaps Mrs. Sangiacomo’s greatest inspiration was her father, Bimbo Giuntoli, who taught her how to throw a great party.
“My father was always a little part of the show itself, and people were drawn to that”.

The same could be said for Mrs. Sangiacomo whose infectious enthusiasm and generous heart has attracted hundreds of new volunteers and thousands of guests to her cause. "I have to believe in what I do if everyone else is going to get on the band wagon," she says. And everyone has indeed done just that.
Sangiacomo assembled a committee for Red Tie Gala 2006 of over 80 volunteer members, all committed to making each event the best it can possibly be. "Words cannot describe how extraordinary our volunteers are," explains Sangiacomo.

"Their tireless efforts and dedication are a true testimony to what a tremendous organization and institution The Little Sisters of The Poor has become in San Francisco."

Sharing chair duties with Mrs. Sangiacomo this year were her husband, Angelo; producer, director and writer, Christopher Columbus; wife, Monica Devereux; former San Francisco 49er and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana; Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini and wife Sandy; and Hawthorne Lane restaurant owner David Gingrass.

Another 30 volunteer committees solicited restaurants, beverage companies, celebrities, designers and bands, ultimately transforming Neiman Marcus' six floors into a series of high profile travel, food and entertainment destinations. Themes for each floor included: Italy; California's Wine Country; Las Vegas; New York; San Francisco; and Paris.

Prior to each Red Tie Gala as she works the phones, Mrs. Sangiacomo reaffirms her goals for the event with her volunteers. "Number one: I want to make friends for the nuns," she says. "Number two: I want to deliver a party where the guests leave and can't wait for the next one. And number three: I want to raise enough money to sustain St. Anne's Home until the next Red Tie."

Ever the consummate hostess, Mrs. Sangiacomo takes nothing for granted, even after 12 Red Ties at the helm. "I tell the Little Sisters to keep their fingers crossed," she says. "And with a little help from our friends above (and below) everything will come together to make this year's Red Tie Gala the most successful event ever.”

I attended Red Tie Gala 2006, wearing comfortable if not high fashion shoes, so I could explore each of the six floors of Neiman Marcus, magically transformed by a team of designers to reflect the feel and style of six different locales including: Italy; California’s Wine Country; Las Vegas; New York; San Francisco; and Paris.
An all-star team of high profile chefs, led by event chairs Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere and David Gingrass of Hawthorne Lane, was assembled to prepare an amazing presentation of gourmet cuisine reflective of each of the storied locales.

Each floor also featured a diverse range of fantastic entertainment including: bands, Djs and other musical guests, to keep everyone dancing and on their feet well into the evening. If Yvonne’s goal was “to deliver a party where guests leave and can’t wait for the next one” (in 2008) I and over 2000 attendees would agree she succeeded.

Brava, Signora Sangiacomo!

 

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