Chocolate lovers from around the Permian Basin will be in heaven at next week’s Aphasia Center of West Texas fundraiser.
On Jan. 27, the Aphasia Center’s signature fundraiser “Chocolate Decadence” returns.
The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
This year’s fundraiser will have even more importance as it will be a part of the Aphasia Center of West Texas’ 20 year anniversary.
“We started in 2003 so all of this year, we’ll be celebrating 20 years to the Permian Basin,” Aphasia Center of West Texas Executive Director Kitty Binek said. “We’re so grateful to the Permian Basin community for supporting us and helping us give a voice to people who know more than what they can say in the community. Aphasia strips people of so much. It’s a profound loss. I love how West Texans rally behind their neighbors. It’s because of their generosity that we’re able to offer the services and have been able to for 20 years.”
The premier event offers plenty of variety of different sweets from decadent chocolate desserts to cocktails and a plated dinner.
The evening also includes both a live and silent auction and a photo booth.
There will also be live entertainment provided.
“You know, it’s a formula that’s worked pretty well for us,” Binek said. “One thing that will be a little bit different is that we will have a jazz musician this year. We’re excited about that. We’ll have a little bit of jazz going on. We’ll have live music.”
This will be the second consecutive year that Chocolate Decadence will take place at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
The event used to take place at the Midland Horseshoe Arena.
In 2021, the event was held virtually due to the pandemic.
This year will also be the second time the event will take place in January.
“We used to do it in February,” Binek said. “There’s just so many events that are now in February and it just seems like in January, everyone has recovered from the holidays and they may be ready to get out and do something for the holidays. We thought that making it a winter wonderland would be fun because we don’t get that much cold weather here in the Permian Basin. So we thought it would be kind of fun to do a winter wonderland theme. So that’s our on-going theme. Late January just made sense and we’re pretty excited to be in Odessa. We’re thrilled to have this event in Odessa. We do serve the people in Odessa. A lot of people from Odessa utilize our services and we help the entire Permian basin. We’re excited to have our premier event in Odessa.”
Binek said the event makes for a great Valentine’s Day gift for couples.
“It’s beautiful,” Binek said. “It’s a fun thing for couples. They can celebrate Valentine’s Day early and then you’re done. They can spend the night and have this elegant evening that’s been transformed to look like a winter wonderland. Who doesn’t love chocolate?”
Some of the items featured in this year’s auction will be a hunting trip in Argentina.
“That’s a fun live auction item for our hunters,” Binek said. “We do have some different live auction items. We’re bringing back international trips. We didn’t do that during the pandemic since no one was really feeling like traveling … but we’re bringing that back so that’s fun.”
Another unique thing that people can bid on at the live auction is a children’s birthday party with the Midland Fire Department.
“That’s kind of a cool thing that our guests can bid on for their grandchild or child,” Binek said. “It’s only at Chocolate Decadence where they can bid for that.”
Binek says that Chocolate Decadence raises 20-30 percent of the Aphasia Center of West Texas’ operating budget.
“I hate throwing numbers out there,” Binek said. “What I like to tell people is that it raises 20-30 percent of our annual operating budget so it’s a really big night for us to continue services at the Aphasia Center.”
If you go
- What: Chocolate Decadence.
- When: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27.
- Where: Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
- Where to purchase tickets: tinyurl.com/267sxz84
