This year event organizers hope to break all of last year's records, according to sponsor Alan Aerts, the Monte Sereno resident who started the Alan and Bonnie Aerts Foundation with his wife many years ago. The third annual Evening from the Heart will benefit the American Diabetes Association, Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Nike Animal Rescue Foundation, Special Olympics Silicon Valley and the Capernaum Project, which has provided for severely disabled children since 1968. The project is now worldwide and offers such services as fun activities and even job training.

This year's event will return to Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell, and Aerts expects that more than 600 tickets will be sold. It is open to the public, and the ticket price is $125 per person. However, for that amount, Aerts promises an evening like no other.

Aerts says a four-course dinner will include a choice of a number of Villa Ragusa's finest and most expensive menu items, as well as dessert and wine. Live music will be provided by popular local band Mack the Knife, well known for its performance at last year's Los Gatos Community Foundation Bandstand Celebration at Oak Meadow Park. Special guests will include disc jockey Gary Scott Thomas of radio station KRTY, who will serve as master of ceremonies, and a raffle and silent auction are planned. Last year 172 items found new homes, from teddy bears to original Picassos. This year, Evening from the Heart will include such equally amazing items as a 1-carat diamond and a trip to Hawaii.

"The most important fact to stress is that, ahead of time, all expenses for putting on the event are paid for," said Aerts. "Therefore, every single cent raised goes to the charities we mentioned." Ticket prices and donations are tax deductible.

This year's third annual Evening from the Heart gala ball and silent auction will take place on Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Alan Aerts at Custom Vending Systems at 408.871.7000, ext. 2.