The 30th Anniversary Leukemia Ball presented by PhRMA reigns as one of Washington, D.C.’s largest non-political, black-tie fundraising galas—the extraordinary star studded evening is expected to raise $3.5 million for the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma.
Nearly 2,000 attendees will laugh along with the comedy of Jim Gaffigan and dance the night away to the music of Andy Grammer. The festivities also include dinner, a world-class silent auction and the Mercedes-Benz raffle. All proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), National Capital Area Chapter.
For more info, please visit: www.leukemiaball.orgEntertainment & Media
Among those anticipated to be in attendance:
Jim Gaffigan; Grammy nominated comedian
Andy Grammer; Platinum-selling recording artist
Lindsay Czarniak, Co-Emcee; ESPN SportsCenter Anchor
Craig Melvin, Co-Emcee; MSNBC Anchor and Today Show National Correspondent
Bruce Allen, President of the Washington Redskins
Ryan Kerrigan, Washington Redskins Linebacker
Bobby Mitchell, NFL Hall-of-Famer, Former Washington Redskin
Holly Morris, Anchor, Fox 5
Jim Lokay, Anchor and reporter, Fox5
Loo Katz, iHeartMedia Radio Host of 97.1 WASH-FM Morning Show
Business Leaders
Dr. Brian Druker, M.D., Director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Dr. Louis DeGennaro, Ph.D. President & CEO, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Steve Ubl, Presenting Sponsor; CEO, PhRMA
Wayne Berson, Co-Chair; CEO, BDO USA, LLP
David DiLuigi, Co-Chair; Market President, Greater Washington & Central Virginia for Wilmington Trust, N.A.
Ed & Donna Offterdinger, James L. Eichberg Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; Executive Managing Partner of Baker Tilly
Beth Gorman; Executive Director, LLS National Capital Area Chapter
WHEN:Saturday, March 11, 2017 6:00 p.m. – Chairman’s Reception 6:30 p.m. – General Reception & Silent Auction open
7:30 p.m. – Dinner
9:00* p.m. – Entertainment by Jim Gaffigan & Andy Grammer (Approximately*).
Celebrating its 30th year as one of the Washington area’s most prominent charity events, the Leukemia Ball, presented by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) will be held Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Since the first Leukemia Ball in 1987, the event has raised more than $52 million and continues to dedicate efforts to raising money for life-saving cancer research and patient programs funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). PhRMA, the trade association representing the country’s leading innovative biopharmaceutical research companies, is continuing its presenting sponsorship.
“PhRMA is proud to continue our partnership with LLS to further its mission of improving the outlook for cancer patients and their families, particularly in this milestone year for the Leukemia Ball,” said Stephen J. Ubl, president and chief executive officer, PhRMA. “Together, we are dedicated to finding new treatments and cures for cancer patients. Significant advances in recent years give us hope that we are closer than ever to a world without blood cancers.”
Guests at the 2017 gala will enjoy entertainment from actor, New York Times bestselling author and Grammy nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan, known for his family-focused “clean” comedy. In 2015, Gaffigan became one of only ten comedians in history to sell out the famed Madison Square Garden arena for the finale of his “Contagious” tour, he opened for Pope Francis in front of more than one million people in Philadelphia, and his television show, “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” debuted on TV Land to enormous ratings and reviews. Most recently during Super Bowl 50, it was revealed that Gaffigan is KFC’s new Colonel Sanders.
The crowd will also sing along to triple platinum smash hit “Honey, I’m Good” and other songs from pop star Andy Grammer. Grammer famously began his career as a street performer, logging 10,000 hours of practice on the boulevards of Los Angeles with his car battery powered amplifier and acoustic guitar. Named one of Billboard Magazine’s 2011 Artists to Watch, Grammer now resides at the epicenter of the music industry. Fresh off a tour with Gavin Degraw, Grammar recently released a new single, “Fresh Eyes,” which has become an online phenomenon with more than 70 million streams.
The Leukemia Ball is one of Washington, D.C.’s largest non-political black-tie events and is expected to raise more than $3.5 million for LLS’s National Capital Area Chapter and its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
“LLS recently committed $40.3 million in new research investments which is comprised of 75 new research grants that will fund a diverse array of cancer research to find better treatments and cures for patients,” said Beth Gorman, National Capital Area Chapter Executive Director. “Fundraising events such as the Leukemia Ball make that research possible, are critical to raising awareness, and directly impact the lives of blood cancer patients everywhere.”
The 2017 Leukemia Ball is co-chaired by Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO, and David DiLuigi, Market President, Greater Washington & Central Virginia for Wilmington Trust, N.A. They lead an esteemed volunteer Executive Committee of more than 50 high-ranking executives representing major organizations across the Washington, D.C. area who volunteer their time and efforts to create a memorable evening and raise millions of dollars in support of LLS’s mission.
“I am inspired by the Washington, D.C. metro community and the ability of the most influential companies to come together to support the cancer research and programs that are funded by LLS,” said Berson. “The mission of LLS is of personal importance to me but also critical so that we may see cures to cancer in our lifetime, and as such I am truly humbled to continue serving as the Ball’s co-chair especially for the 30th anniversary.”
Seventy-four cents of every dollar spent by LLS funds its mission, and LLS’s commitment to funding innovative research projects has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates over recent years. For example, today, the five-year survival rate for the most common form of childhood leukemia is more than 90 percent, up from 3 percent in 1964.
“LLS has been at the forefront of advances in blood cancer treatments for decades. With the support of LLS funding and advocacy, nearly 40 percent of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA since 2000 are being used to treat blood cancers,” said DiLuigi. “However, the fight is not over. Nearly one-third of all blood cancer patients still do not survive five years past diagnosis. I am committed to supporting LLS’s goal of a world without blood cancers.”
The Leukemia Ball has long been recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s most popular black-tie galas. The silent auction, which raised nearly $265,000 in 2016, is one of the area’s largest, featuring a variety of travel packages, including American Airlines air travel to exotic locations. The event also boasts a Mercedes-Benz raffle featuring a first prize of 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic Sedan (MSRP$52,150) and second prize of 2 spots at AMG Driving Academy at Laguna Seca Raceway in Salinas, CA including hotel & airfare (Value: $6,300) Tickets are $100, and only 5,000 are printed.
The event’s popularity over the past 30 years is also largely due to the featured entertainment. Past headliners have included Howie Mandel, Diana Ross, Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, John Mellencamp, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Seinfeld, Reba McIntyre, Jim Belushi, Dan Ackroyd and Lionel Richie.
N Street Village, the award-winning social services agency that provides shelter and support to homeless and low-income women in the Washington, DC metro area, is hosting its Annual Gala to honor the clients, volunteers and supporters of the organization on Tuesday, March 14 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The event will feature special musical guest, two-time Grammy-nominated artist, Andra Day.
Hillary and Tom Baltimore are the Gala Honorary Steering Committee Chairs together with Sandra and Tom McCoy. N Street Village will be honoring Ruth and Arne Sorenson for their incredible and continuing support of N Street Village. Those efforts have provided new opportunities for the most vulnerable in our society.
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
6:00pm EST: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
7:30pm EST: Program and Dinner
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces a free celebration of the 20th anniversary of Millennium Stage to thank the audiences, artists, donors, staff, ushers, fellows, and more who have made this one-of-a-kind venture a continued, resounding success. The March 19event, utilizing both the north and south stages, will feature performances by Celtic rock band Scythian and New Orleans funk band Big Sam’s Funky Nation in a massive party overtaking the Center’s Grand Foyer.
Founded in 1997 by former Kennedy Center Board Chair James A. Johnson, the Millennium Stage remains the only venue in the world to offer a free performance every day of the year that is also streamed live on the web, fulfilling the Center’s mission of making the performing arts available to everyone. It has proven to be a perfect representation of the diverse and multifaceted performing arts offered by the Kennedy Center, with such past performers as Gladys Knight, Christoph Eschenbach, Aaron Goldman, Manzari Brothers, Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin, India.Arie, Circo Para Todos, Phil Wiggins, Smokey Robinson, and Kailash Kher & Kailasa.
In the past two decades, more than three million audience members from the D.C. area, across the U.S., and around the world have attended a Millennium Stage performance, with countless others experiencing these shows via the live stream. This special event is part of JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Center’s yearlong programming initiative marking the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth and legacy, inspired by five ideals frequently attributed to America’s 35th President:Courage, Freedom, Justice, Service, and Gratitude. JFKC programming continues through the end of 2017.
“All of us at the Kennedy Center are incredibly grateful to our audiences for their enthusiastic support of Millennium Stage. In the past two decades more than 7,000 artists from across the globe have been presented, representing a diverse breadth of genres from established artistic traditions to the latest frontiers of performance,” said Deborah F. Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center. “Jim Johnson had a vision for what accessibility to the arts might look like. What resulted in our beloved Millennium Stage 20 years ago was brilliant and ahead of its time.”
The night will kick-off at 5:00 p.m. with a happy hour in the Grand Foyer, featuring half price beer and house wine. The first 1,000 guests at the happy hour will receive a special commemorative Millennium Stage 20th Anniversary t-shirt. Performances begin at 6:00 p.m. with Scythian, a band that plays roots music from Celtic, Eastern European, and Appalachian traditions with a thunderous energy that beckons crowds into a barn-dance, rock concert experience. Immediately following, at 7:00 p.m., the party will continue with Big Sam’s Funky Nation, a group of world-class musicians that are a driving force of urban funk, melding funk, rock & roll, Hip Hop, and jazz, gluing everything together with a brassy influence. For more information, visit tkc.co/mstage.
Event: 9th Annual DC-CAPital Stars: The Music of Prince
Date: March 29, 2017 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Location: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566
An evening of inspiration, the 9th Annual DC-CAPITAL Stars: The Music of Prince rolls out the red carpet to showcase the outstanding artistic abilities of college-bound students from DC public and public charter schools.This glittering “American Idol”-style talent and scholarship award event attracts over 1,000 guests, award-winning celebrity judges, and prominent civic leaders to support education through the Arts. A celebratory reception with live music and dancing follows the show. Proceeds benefit the DC College Access Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping DC public and public charter school high school students prepare for, enroll in and graduate from college.
Ticket Price: Performance plus gala reception: $500 ($350 is tax-deductible)
Event website: www.dccap.org/gala
Event Honoree: The evening is dedicated to The Boeing Company for their unwavering commitment to education and District of Columbia students.
Host Committee Chair: Ted Leonsis, DC-CAP Board Chair
Thursday, March 30, 2017, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
This illustrated lecture will explore the historical and political context of American-Russian relations during Henry Middleton’s post as American Minister to Russia in the 1820s and 30s.
$30, $20 Hillwood member, $20 student
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Wednesday, April 12 (7 p.m.)
“54” (Miramax, 1998, R-rated*)
An American drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher about Studio 54, a world-famous New York City disco club.
Events are free and open to the public. Free tickets are required for admission to all activities. Tickets will be available beginning at 10:00 a.m. on March 30at this website. A limited number of press credentials will also be available for reservation. The deadline to reserve credentials for lectures, the symposium, and the dance party is Friday, April 28. Some of the events will be live-streamed on the Library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/libraryofcongress and its YouTube channel at youtube.com/LibraryOfCongress. All programs will take place at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., or at its James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., both in Washington, D.C.
The excitement can be followed on Twitter at @librarycongress and #LCDisco.
4/25 – Washington, DC – Drafthouse Comedy – tickets
4/27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Arcade Comedy Theater – tickets
4/30 – Indianapolis, IN – White Rabbit Cabaret – tickets
5/2 – Nashville, TN – Zanies – tickets
5/3 – Asheville, NC – currently funding via Kickstarter
5/5 – Raleigh, NC – Kings – tickets
Shaw Main Streets will host its annual Taste of Shaw Gala on Tuesday April 25, 2017, from 7pm to 9pm. The annual event celebrates the neighborhood’s diverse businesses and residents, and is a fundraiser for initiatives that enhance and promote commerce within the Shaw neighborhood. DC’s beloved Howard Theatre will be the backdrop for live music and libations and delicious bites from some of DC’s best bars and restaurants. Proceeds from the event support Shaw Main Streets’ economic revitalization and historic preservation activities in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, which have helped bring about the transformation of central Shaw since 2003. This year’s hashtag, #LoveShaw, represents the comradery of Shaw’s business owners and the citywide support and accolades the neighborhood continues to receive. From Michelin stars to Rammy nominations and stellar reviews, Shaw’s bars and restaurants continue to help raise the Shaw neighborhood’s profile locally and nationally.
A hospitality renaissance led by top chefs and mixologists has been under way in recent years, bringing fresh concepts and perspectives in cuisine and beverage, as well as a host of new talent, making Shaw the city’s top dining and imbibing destination. Recent openings such as the neighborhood craft cocktail bar Service Bar DC (a new take on the local watering hole from veteran bartenders Chad Spangler and Glendon Hartley), the Chinese-French concept Kyirisan from husband and wife team Tim and Joey Ma, and neighborhood anchors such as The Passenger, DC’s favorite industry bar, and Convivial, which was one of 2015’s opening highlights; will be among the many participants in the annual Shaw Main Streets Gala. Shaw Main Streets invites the entire region to explore some of the best of the neighborhood has to offer at one venue, on one special evening.
Guests can expect a festive atmosphere, open beer and wine bar, and unlimited cuisine and cocktails from a Taste of Shaw’s stellar host committee of chefs, restaurateurs, and mixologists. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen will receive the 2017 Shaw Champion Award, chosen by the Board of Directors of Shaw Main Streets for his consistent support of economic revitalization in Shaw and SMS’ efforts to create the thriving community that Shaw is today. Appearances by Mayor Bowser and other public officials are also slated.
The 2017 Taste of Shaw host committee includes the following bars and restaurants:
The Brixton Buttercream Bakeshop Cava
Convivial Dacha Dino’s Grotto
The Tavern at Henley Park Eat the Rich El Rey
Etete French Quarter Brasserie Haikan
Half Smoke Kyirisian La Jambe
The Passenger Service Bar Seylou
Southern Efficiency Tiger Fork
Advance tickets are $80 and can be ordered online at www.smsgala17.eventbrite.com. On the day of the event, tickets will be $100. Tickets include unlimited food and cocktail tastings, beer and wine, and complimentary valet parking.
As much as Jonathan Larsen’s unprecedented Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent impacted popular culture, it also transformed the lives of the actors that embodied a group of young friends trying to forge a life for themselves in New York’s bohemian East Village. 20 years after Rent’s Broadway debut, original cast members Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp reunite at the Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, April 28, 2017 at 8 p.m. to commemorate this cultural touchstone and 20 years of friendship. The concert of duets and solos will include originals, reimagined Broadway classics, and favorites from Rent. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
Throughout the set, the duo will share stories about their careers, including what it was like working on one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history. Rent has proved a thread throughout their careers that has periodically brought the two back together—prior to the 20thanniversary concert tour, both reprised their Rent roles during the national tour in 2009.
Tony-nominated Adam Pascal recently returned to Broadway’s Nederlander Theater, where Rent lived for years, in the new musical Disaster! Since his days playing Roger in Rent, Pascal has starred in Aida, Chicago, and Memphis. He is currently playing Shakespeare in the national tour of Something Rotten!
After originating the role of Mark in Rent, Anthony Rapp went on to originate another character in If/Then alongside previous Rent co-star Idina Menzel, which debuted at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre. He wrote the book Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, about the demands of life in the theater during his mother’s battle with cancer, which he later adapted into a one-man show. It was recently announced that Rapp will star as “astromycologist” Lt. Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery for CBS All Access, the first series developed specifically for this platform and the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise (2005). Stamets is also the first openly gay character conceived for the Star Trek franchise.
