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Guests Will Feel Like Kids Again at Annual Ball
March 29th, 2012
Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 49th annual Ball will take guests through the looking glass, into a royal castle, through a fairy garden and to other imaginative venues as part of this year’s theme, “Through the Eyes of a Child.” Organized by the Foundation’s Junior Board, the Ball will transform the Country Club of Virginia into visions of childhood fantasy during the Nov. 2 event.
Planning for this year’s event began last fall with the theme selection. The Junior Board’s 50 members were then divided into 11 committees to handle everything from corporate and ad sponsorships to public relations and reservations.
“Everyone chips in and does what she can,” said Martha Bowden, who is co-chairing the Ball with Cameron Cummings. “Our board members share a passion for wanting to help children.”
With the guidance of the Ball’s Decorations Co-Chairs, Kristen Goode and Kate Houck, each room, walkway and terrace at the Country Club of Virginia will showcase a different childhood theme. Local artist, Liz Kellinger, created design outlines, and in March, Junior Board members began painting wall scenes including an old fashioned carousel, characters from The Nutcracker ballet, and images from the book, Where the Wild Things Are, to decorate various areas of the club. Rooms will have different color schemes, and some will feature cardboard cutouts of wild things, shields, beach balls and sand castles, thanks to donations from Richmond Corrugated Box.
“Martha and I have a real passion for children and the hospital,” said Cameron, whose teenage daughter was a Children’s Feeding Program patient as a toddler, “and we wanted our theme to reflect that.”
A white tent featuring strategically-placed lights and wide use of blues, greens and corals will take guests under the sea while rope ladders and other props will transform one of the club’s dining rooms into a two-story treehouse. Images of the children who benefit from hospital programs will be displayed on the transformed porch playground, and Children’s Hospital Foundation’s della Robbia symbol will be featured in a stained glass window being designed for the castle area.
This year’s Presenting Ball Sponsor is Davenport & Company LLC. Corporate sponsors as of April are Alterra Specialty; Ampa Events; Car Pool, LLC; Cellular Sales, Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer; circle S studio, Strategic Branding & Design; LeClairRyan; Kinloch Development Company; Luck Stone; NewMarket Corporation; Owens & Minor, Inc.; VCU Health System; and Worth Higgins & Associates.
Proceeds from the 2012 Ball will benefit the establishment of the Pediatric Obesity Treatment Center at Children’s Hospital of Richmond’s Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. For ticket or sponsorship information, click here or call 804-228-5814. The Ball will also be promoted through social media channels, Facebook and Twitter.
Photo - Decorations Co-Chair, Kristen Goode (seated), Ball Co-Chair, Martha Bowden (middle), and local artist, Liz Kellinger, painted the old fashioned carousel scene during the Junior Board’s Ball decorating workshop in March. Behind them is one of the decorations for The Nutcracker room.
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