LITTLE ROCK — Wallets were opening along with wine at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Wine Opener on Feb. 15 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Bentonville.
More than 700 guests at the fifth annual tasting event helped raise more than $200,000. The foundation’s mission is to assure the development of a cure for cysticfibrosis and help improve quality of life for those who have the disease.
The benefit included tastings of wine, craft beers and food from NorthwestArkansas restaurants, including Crabby’s Seafood Bar and Grill, Flint Creek Steakhouse, Johnny Brusco’s Pizza and Table Mesa.
Items on the live auction block included a goldendoodle puppy and a Napa Valley wine tour for four.
Next up for the nonprofit organization are Great Strides fundraising walks in Fayetteville (May 4), Fort Smith (May 11) and Bentonville (May 18).
Those seeking a cure for cystic fibrosis while opening wine included Jenny and Jason Reiser, Carol and Bob Dufour, Kathy and Joe Farnan, Christen and Scott Chamberlain, Kimberly and Greg Parker, Karen and Scott Klane, Christy and Jason Jobe and Sandy and Tracy Kinsey.
Crimson, Cream and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art proved to be a winning combination for the ladies of the Northwest Arkansas Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. The sorority’s annual Crimson and Cream Scholarship Gala on Feb. 16, “The Diamond Luxe Experience,” raised some $20,000 to help fund Dr. Nola Holt Royster Living Legacy Scholarships and Bethany Danielle McClendon Graduate Scholarships.
More than 200 guests filled the museum’s great halls for dinner, scholarship presentations, a community service award for Havenwood and a special celebration of the sorority’s centennial.
The evening was not without star power and included as special guests radio host Tom Joyner and Grammy-nominated singer Marsha Ambrosius, who participated in a panel discussion that evening, History Teaching History - “Our Community and Conversation” - A Black History Month Celebration. Also on hand was gospel singer Jason Nelson.
Royster Scholarships are for African-American graduating senior girls in Northwest Arkansas who display leadership and plan to pursue a college degree. McClendon Scholarships are awarded to African-American women attending graduate school at the University of Arkansas. Applications for 2013 must be postmarked by March 2.
Among those supporting scholarships were Chapter President Kimberly McGee, Sharonda Britton, Latoya Trader, Stephanie Adams, Peggy Boyles, Earvin Young, Phyllis Harris and Claire Babineaux-Fontinot.
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 02/24/2013