Spirits were high -- and so were the bids on items being auctioned off -- at the Feb. 7 "Grimm Gala," a fundraiser for the Grimmster Endowment, which helps pay for uncompensated expenses such as travel and lodging faced by families whose children are treated at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

Actor Sasha Roiz, who plays Portland Police Captain Sean Renard on NBC's "Grimm," which is set and filmed in Portland, was inspired to help create the "Grimmster Endowment" -- named after the show's fans -- after arriving in Portland to film the show, and visiting patients and their families at Doernbecher.

(Related: Read about a visit Roiz, and some of his fellow "Grimm" cast members, made to Doernbecher this past fall.)

Roiz hosted the fundraising gala, which was held at the Exchange Ballroom, and attended by his "Grimm" castmates David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Bitsie Tulloch, Reggie Lee, Bree Turner, Claire Coffee (who is pregnant in real life, though not on "Grimm") and Portland's own Danny Bruno, who plays Bud, the excitable Eisbiber Wesen, on "Grimm."

The crowd included sponsors and attendees who didn't hesitate to bid -- and bid again -- on a selection of auction packages and items donated by "Grimm," Nike, the Portland Trail Blazers, Comcast, NBCUniversal and the Universal Orlando Resort. Comcast and NBCUniversal also underwrote the costs of the gala.

The evening began with visitors passing Aunt Marie's Trailer -- the repository of all "Grimm" knowledge -- which was positioned at the entrance. Inside, the "Grimm" cast posed for photos, and Giuntoli and Tulloch -- who play a couple on the show, and are dating in real life -- held hands.

Roiz got things rolling by introducing his castmates, who came onstage to take a bow. Roiz thanked Portland for its support, saying, "The success of 'Grimm' could not be had without this city." (The show has just been renewed for a fifth season.)

Speaking for the cast, Roiz went on to say that Portland has allowed the actors to "create a home here."

The Grimm Gala, and the fundraising it provided for the "Grimmster Endowment" was, Roiz said, like a microcosm of the city at large. "It comes together, and it supports its own."

After showing a video about Doernbecher, featuring members of the "Grimm" cast talking about the hospital's work and impact, an auctioneer joined Roiz onstage to oversee bidding on the auction items, driving up the bids into the thousands for such packages as a "Grimm" set visit for four; one-of-a-kind red leather Nike Rosche boots designed by Tinker Hatfield, with laser images of five of the "Grimm" characters, in their human and Wesen form; a Sunday dinner for six at Imperial Restaurant (where "Top Chef" top-three finisher Doug Adams is Chef de Cuisine) with Roiz and one other "Grimm" cast member; and watching the April 4 Blazers vs. New Orleans game in a luxury suite at the Moda Center with at least two "Grimm" cast members.

Audience members -- including "Grimm" executive producers and cast members -- also raised their bid cards to donate money to the endowment.

At one point, Mitchell -- who plays Monroe on "Grimm" -- came onstage to add that it wouldn't be right "if there were not a moment to thank Sasha," as the actors hugged, and the crowd stood to applaud.

After a touching video and appearance by Jake Dering, a young Doernbecher patient with a smile that lit up the room, Roiz announced that more than $310,000 had been raised for the Grimmster Endowment.

"Thank you, Portland!" he said.

-- Kristi Turnquist



kturnquist@oregonian.com

503-221-8227

@Kristiturnquist