Hosted by Air Force veteran and Keller Williams REALTOR Marlene Hall and Samuel Beckett’s to benefit The Aleethia Foundation.
Raffle Drawing at 8pm. Raffle sales from 630pm-7:59pm.
The Aleethia Foundation plays a role in supporting wounded/injured/ill service members and their families through the early phases of the healing process. They are a small, volunteer non-profit dedicated to helping the wounded/injured/ill service members recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (“WRNMMC”). http://www.aleethia.org/index.
We will have dinner, drinks, socialize and partake in our raffle prizes!! Beckett’s donates proceeds from our dinner to The Aleethia Foundation too!
Raffle Prizes (so far):
-Sweet Fire Donna’s gift certificate
-Gift certificate Copperwood Tavern
-Rodan and Fields Regimen (premium skincare)
-Ladies DC Membership or Ladies DC Conference
-“Sailor Jerry” Gift Basket – Bottle of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum;
-Leather bound journal w/SJ logo; SJ key chain; SJ dog tag bottle open…etc
-$100 Tesoro Ristorante gift card (4400 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC – 2 blks from Van Ness Metro
-Autographed 2010 Redskin Game Day Program – Autographs by #18 WR Terence Austin; #35 RB Keiland Williams; #60 OT Selvish Capers
-Autographed official die-cast of NASCAR stock car/Joe Gibbs Racing team driver Matt Kenseth #20 (2014 Camry – Dollar General)
-“Tee it Up” – Golf Gift Basket — Titleist Pro V1 golf balls ; golf towel; “Geko” golf club cover; and more
-“Date Night” – $50 Dinner & Movie Gift Card
-“Spa Gift Tote” – $100 Spa Finder Gift Card and Tote filled with spa items and more…
-“Sailor Jerry” branded patio umbrella with built in Bluetooth for music
-Two Section 115 tickets to Washington Nationals vs NY Mets baseball game on Tuesday, September 13
BlackRock Center for the Arts will hold its annual gala on Friday, May 6 from 6:00pm–10:00pm. The gala theme is “An Evening of Wonder: Celebrating the Magic of the Arts at BlackRock.” In recent years, BlackRock has emerged as a noteworthy community asset, establishing Upper Montgomery County as a sought-after destination to live, work, and play, with its stellar performances, professional quality, and diverse offerings. Though it may seem the Center’s success happened overnight—like magic—it is instead a result of years of hard work and civic leadership in a forward-thinking community, one whose residents value the arts, their impact on the human spirit and their role in creating vibrant communities. Members of the public are invited to attend the event and celebrate the arts in Upper Montgomery County. Individual tickets to “An Evening of Wonder” cost $195 and can be purchased online at
The evening’s schedule for “An Evening of Wonder: Celebrating the Magic of the Arts at BlackRock” includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, a three-course dinner, live entertainment, fund-a-need, dessert, and an after-party with dancing. In addition, there will be an awards celebration honoring Therrien Waddell and Jean Casey for their outstanding dedication to the arts in our community. The gala is co-chaired by Jennifer Russel and Chester Anderson and this year’s Honorary Co-Chairs are the Honorable Isiah Leggett and Mrs. Catherine Leggett.
Gala sponsors as of February 9, 2016 include: Lauren Kay Pollin; Dataprise; Adventist Health Care; Hughes, an Echostar Company; John and Sheila Compton; Montgomery College; Shops at Town Center; Sugarloaf Trails; Clarksburg Premium Outlets; Bethesda Magazine; Black Hill, a project of Lerner; Minkoff Development; Matan; Sugarplum Tent Company; Wegmans; &pizza; Elm Street Developments; Jade Solutions, LLC; M&T Bank; Melane and Tom Hoffmann; Margie and Tom Quelet; Zoes Kitchen; and wine sponsorship by Randy and Kathy Scritchfield. Jean Casey, Beth Daly, and Hammet Hough are Individual Sponsors of the event.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) commemorates its milestone 35thanniversary with Carmina 35 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall onSunday, May 8, 2016 at 8 p.m., under the direction of Artistic Director Thea Kano. For more information, visit www.GMCW.org.
GMCW partners with New York’s Gallim Dance and 40 members of the New York City Master Chorale to perform a perennial favorite of classical music, Carl Orff’s canonical Carmina Burana. Soloists lending their talent to this performance are soprano Paige Cutrona, tenor Robert Baker, and baritone Young Kwang Yoo. The performance will also feature new choreography by the industrious Andrea Miller, Artistic Director for Gallim Dance.
A leading contemporary dance company based in New York, this collaboration complements the ethos of Gallim Dance, which celebrates the human spirit through works deeply rooted in the human experience of love, struggle and spirituality. Miller created a loose narrative for nine dancers, harnessing the passion and physicality that the music inspires to explore different relationships—same sex and heterosexual, romantic, platonic, and familial. She channels a spectrum of emotions—passion, sexuality, tension, struggle, joy—through characteristically big, bold movement.
This production of Carmina Burana will also be performed at Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Orff’s sweeping masterwork is paired with touchstones from GMCW’s history. The second half of the concert will be bookended with significant works commissioned by GMCW— “Build A House” fromAlexander’s House and “This House Shall Stand” from Songs of My Family. The Chorus will also perform favorite selections from past concerts, as well as “This Train,” the first song rehearsed at GMCW’s inaugural rehearsal in 1981, GMCW’s anthem “Make Them Hear You” from Broadway’s Ragtime, and “We Kiss in Shadow,” performed by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus at the Kennedy Center in 1980, which served as the inspiration to start a DC-based gay men’s chorus.
Historical significance
A torchbearer and consistent, unified voice for equality, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has been a steady presence in its community and at historic events that have impacted LGBT people. In 2013, GMCW sang on the steps of the Supreme Court when the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down, and returned in 2015 to sing jubilantly when the court ruled in favor of marriage equality. That same year, GMCW was the first LGBT chorus invited to perform in Cuba on a 10-day cultural and educational tour, helping to spread awareness about equality. The chorus sang at the Lincoln Memorial in 2008 for the first inauguration of President Barack Obama, performing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” with Josh Groban and Heather Headley. Additionally, GMCW vocal ensemble Potomac Fever performed at the White House in 2012 for the first-ever LGBT reception honoring rising LGBT leaders.
The chorus has grown from 90 members in its first season to more than 200 singing members today, educating and entertaining more than 10,000 patrons annually.
Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce An Evening with Ana Gasteyer, an exclusive celebration that includes the inaugural presentation of the Beth Newburger Schwartz Award, Monday, May 9, 2016 at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW).
Born and raised in D.C., Gasteyer has appeared on Broadway in Wicked and The Threepenny Opera and is widely known for her memorable roles in film and TV, including six seasons on Saturday Night Live. For the benefit cabaret performance, the comedienne will perform hits from her new jazz album “I’m Hip” with members of her band, delivering saucy and fun-loving renditions from the American songbook.
The evening kicks off with a VIP cocktail reception and three-course seated dinner, followed by the performance, after which guests will enjoy a music, wine and dessert reception.
Dinner will feature the presentation of the inaugural award in Arena Stage Board Chair Beth Newburger Schwartz’s honor, for her invaluable work at Arena Stage and throughout her career to promote and recognize women’s roles throughout American history. This will be awarded annually to a female leader who strives to better the community in which she lives through her own unique strengths and talents.
All proceeds from the evening support Arena Stage’s award-winning artistic and community engagement programs. Space is limited.
Complimentary valet parking will be available.
Event Schedule
Monday May 9, 2016
5:30 p.m. Cocktail reception and seated dinner
8:30 p.m. Cabaret performance by Ana Gasteyer
Post-show music, wine and dessert reception following the performance
Individual Tickets
Dinner Ticket – $1,000
Performance Ticket – $500
Young Professional Ticket (35 or under) – $150
For additional event details visit arenastage.org/donate/special-
For information on individual ticket or table purchases please contact Maria Corso at 202-600-4025 or email mcorso@arenastage.org.
For information on corporate sponsorship packages, please contact Char Manlove-Laws at 202-600-4030 or email cmanlove-laws@ArenaStage.org.
An Evening with Ana Gasteyer is sponsored in part by GEICO.
An Evening with Ana Gasteyer:
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW)
Monday, May 9, 2016
5:30 p.m. VIP Cocktail Reception
6:30 p.m. Dinner and the inaugural presentation of the Beth Newburger Schwartz Award
8:30 p.m. One-night-only performance starring Ana Gasteyer
Sips and Sweets post-show party with desserts and dancing immediately following
Complimentary valet parking will be available
Cocktail Attire
Sponsorship Levels
Producer Sponsor: $50,000
Star Sponsor: $25,000
Director Sponsor: $10,000
Playwright Sponsor: $5,000
Individual Tickets
Ensemble Sponsor: $1,000 (VIP Cocktail Reception, dinner/award presentation, performance and post-show party)
Patron Sponsor: $500 (Performance and post-show party)
Young Professional Ticket: $150 (Ages 35 and under, performance and post-show party)
The 3rd Annual Best Buddies Prom, a night of music and friendship for young people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, will be held Friday, May 13 in the Carnegie Library, Washington DC.
“This is a night of friendship and celebration for young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities [IDD] and their typical peers,” said Karen Glasser, regional director of Best Buddies Capital Region. This event gives local students of all abilities the chance to enjoy an evening of dancing, food, beverages and friendship. “The evening is also a joyous fundraising event for adults,” Glasser said, “who believe in Best Buddies mission of inclusion.”
The Best Buddies evening will be hosted by Prom Committee Chairman Tommy McFly of FRESH 94.7 FM’s The Tommy Show. Music will be programmed by popular local disc jockey DJ Neekola. A video of last year’s Prom can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUCOF06Xv4
2015 Best Buddies Prom. Photo credit: Best Buddies Capital Region
BEST BUDDIES PROM
WHERE – Carnegie Library, 801 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
WHEN – Friday, May 13 from 6:30 – 11 pm
6:30 – 8 pm: VIP Reception for adults
7:30 pm – 11 pm: Doors open for students and general ticket holders
TICKETS now on sale at www.BestBuddiesProm.org
$20/student. (With complimentary food and beverages)
$150/adult. (With complimentary open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres)
$175/VIP adult (Includes access to VIP Reception featuring hors d’oeuvres prepared by area top chefs and buddy chefs, as well as a complimentary open bar)
Although students are the stars of the evening, adults will enjoy their own celebration including a complimentary open bar, an assortment of delicious passed hors d’oeuvres, and an exciting silent auction. VIPs will have the opportunity to sample sweet and savory bites prepared by DC’s most celebrated chefs alongside student “sous chefs” from local Best Buddies programs during an exclusive VIP reception prior to the event. The adult celebration will allow guests to unwind while witnessing Best Buddies’ mission of social inclusion first-hand.
2015 Best Buddies Prom. Photo credit: Best Buddies Capital Region
Food at the VIP reception will be provided by:
- Executive Pastry Chef Padua Player – SugaChef
- Chef Christianne Ricchi – iRicchi Restaurant
- Chef Brazil Murphy – SPYCE Catering Co.
- Chef Jerome Grant – Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe
- Chef Adam Howard – corporate chef of Mike Isabella Concepts
- Chef Nate Waugaman – America Eats Tavern by Chef Jose Andres
- Chef John Melfi – The Oval Room
- Chef James Woznuik – Maketto’s Chef De Cuisine
The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF), is hosting its fourth annual IN THEIR SHOES 5K Run/Walkin Alexandria, Virginia on Saturday, May 14th to benefit Iraq’s most vulnerable children – its orphans, street children and kids fleeing ISIS. Funds raised provide social services and legal aid to children at risk of trafficking and recruitment by terrorist organizations. This 5K unites diverse advocates in an unprecedented nonpartisan coalition to support these children.
The Honorable Allison Silberberg, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia and His Excellency Lukman Faily, Ambassador of Iraq to the U.S.will kick off the fundraising 5K event that brings runners, walkers and families together in support of this worthwhile cause. Check-in is at 7:00 AM, race time 8:00 AM, starting at theUS Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 600 Dulany Street Old Town Alexandria, VA 22314.
Register here or make a tax deductible donation to the ICF effort here.
Former US Ambassador to Iraq and Medal of Freedom recipient Ryan C. Crocker (ret) who is on the 5K honorary committee observed, “While I was in Iraq in March, it was evident a new generation is emerging, unlike any other Iraq has ever known. With access to the Internet and the right to think and speak freely, they can reshape this nation and the region. They need our help to change history.”
IN THEIR SHOES 5K honorary committee members include Ambassador Lukman Faily, Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie (Ret.), Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker (Ret.), Ambassador James F. Jeffrey (Ret.), Ambassador Richard Schmierer (Ret.), Ambassador William Taylor (Ret.), Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann (Ret.), General David Petraeus (Ret.), Major General Jeffery Buchanan, Dr. Jeremy Kohomban, Janice Chance, Gold Star Mother; Tony Culley-Foster and Shameem Rassam.
Key sponsors of IN THEIR SHOES include Khudairigroup, BH Defense, The Children’s Village, Magnolia’s On King and Sallyport. All sponsor funds go directly to providing care to Iraqi children. This event is also supported by an array of veteran led organizations that serve as strategic partners for IN THEIR SHOES, including Team Red White and Blue, EPIC, Goals and Dreams, and the Karadah Project.
Chairman Jonathan Webb, a founding member of ICF, who served in the Marine Corps and the United States Army, describes the healing impact it can have on veterans to be a part of IN THEIR SHOES. “It is said that when it comes to conflicts, especially those where we have not been successful in restoring peace, engaging with the children and supporting their needs can have an indelible impact on veteran’s psychosocial healing.For many veterans, the 5K provides an opportunity to make sure that the sacrifice of thousands of American men and women is not wasted, and to reach back in love to help these voiceless children. We want them to know they are not forgotten.” Link to photo here. Find ICF logo here.
By participating in this event, or making a donation in support of the cause, one can make an enduring impact in the life of a child. A donation of just $20 can be vital in helping a child get off the street and back into school, or provide access to their government food rations, while a donation of $100 can help save a child that is at risk of human trafficking or being recruited for terrorist activities. ICF has a goal of raising $200,000 in 2016, which will enable them to impact the lives of 2,000 at risk children in Iraq.
Calvary Women’s Services will host its 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner on May 18, 2016 and celebrate the accomplishments of women who overcome homelessness and empower one another to reach their goals. All proceeds from the event will support Calvary’s housing, health, education and employment programs for women who are homeless. More than 300 guests from diverse backgrounds and sectors of the region are anticipated to be part of this exciting night for women in our community.
Erica May-Scherzer will deliver a keynote address and be presented with the Hope Award. Erica is an activist, feminist, social justice and human rights advocate who works with nonprofit organizations around the U.S. As an ambassador for Polaris, she advocates on Capitol Hill for the integration of human trafficking into a variety of policies.
The Hope Awards Dinner will be held in the Atrium Ballroom of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception. Giselle Hidalgo-Gato, bartender at Jose Andres’ China Chilcano, will prepare and serve specialty cocktails. The event continues with a silent auction followed by dinner, live auction and program.
WHO: More than 300 individuals are anticipated to be in attendance, including event sponsors, community and business leaders and past Hope Award honorees.
WHAT: Calvary Women’s Services 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner
WHEN: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Atrium Ballroom
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
WHY: All proceeds raised from the event will support housing, health, education and employment programs that empower homeless women.
Calvary Women’s Services 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner
When: May 18, 2016 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004
Cost: $250.00
Calvary Women’s Services will host the 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner on May 18 in celebration of women who are overcoming homelessness and changing their lives. Join Calvary for an uplifting event that includes a cocktail reception, silent and live auction, dinner and inspirational stories shared by women who are impacted by Calvary’s programs.
This year we are delighted to present the Hope Award to Erica May-Scherzer for her active engagement in nonprofit issues and causes including women’s empowerment, education and at-risk youth.
Proceeds from the Hope Awards Dinner will support Calvary’s housing, health, education and employment programs for women who are homeless.
The David Lynch Foundation hosts the SUPER MIND CONVERSATION featuring veteran political correspondent Candy Crowley and renowned DC-based psychiatrist and NIH researcher Norman E. Rosenthal, MD
WHEN: Thursday, May 19, 8:00 pm
WHERE: Avalon Theater 5612 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015. The event is free and open to the public and media
THE STORY: Dr. Rosenthal, the New York Times and Washington Post bestselling author of Transcendence, will speak with TV news icon Candy Crowley about his new book, Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation(TarcherPenguin, May 17). He explains that far from being a fad from the past, Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a powerful tool for overcoming stress—even severe PTSD—and enriching all areas of life. Rosenthal weaves the latest clinical research together with the results of over 600 personal interviews he conducted to define the SUPER MIND state, which is achieved by meditators through their regular practice.
“I thought I’d shared all I had to say about TM in Transcendence, but I was very wrong. The personal growth continues to unfold in terms of success and synchronistic good luck accompanied by inner happiness and peace. It feels like the perfect antidote for the craziness that’s all around us!”
–Dr. Norman Rosenthal
