Over 1,200 people packed the National Building Museum on Saturday, November 23 for the 27th Annual Gala Dinner and Auction to benefit So Others Might Eat (SOME).
Gala Chairs Lea and Wayne Berman graciously greeted guests and while co-chairs Liz and Tom Donohue encouraged friends over to the auction tables. As the crowd quickly grew, no one seemed to mind a little bumping while racing to get their bids down on everything from Redskins tickets to artwork to a week in Spain.
Past honorees never go far from SOME. Bill Conway, of The Carlyle Group, readily talked to old and new friends about SOME’s mission. 2012 honorees Pat and Bob Schieffer, of CBS’ Face the Nation, presented the 2013 McKenna Humanitarians of the Year for their extraordinary service to the Wheeler Family: Leslie Hortum, Clint Wheeler, Rainey Foster and Louise Wheeler.
Due to the work of Susan O’Neill and her associates since 1998, this event has continually expanded… and outgrown several venues! Last year it reached over $1.3 million which helped to meet immediate daily needs of the men, women and children, who go to the non-profit for help.
SOME provides food, clothing and healthcare and helps to break the cycle of homelessness by offering services such as counseling, job training and affordable housing to the poor, the elderly and individual with mental illness.
While it might be suggested that the issues it combats are “chicken and egg,” SOME volunteer/architect Bob Gotthardt, who enjoyed Wolf Blitzer and the live auction, then continued the fun dancing to the 19th Street Band with his wife, Denise, says it’s ALL egg to him. Gotthardt travels from Frederick, MD a couple of times a month to make breakfast for the organization, and after the Gala fun, he happily went back to cooking over 300 eggs for SOME’s families the next morning. He said, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”
*Lead image Teri Galvez, Miss DC 2013 Bindhu Pamarthi and Mark Shields
