The 20th Century Club has a special place in the hearts of those who support it, and those attending the club's only annual fundraiser, the black-tie Hope Ball, broke records across the board at this year's ball, held Feb. 25 at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Executive director Elizabeth Clogston said a record 875 attended, raising about $450,000 for the club. In Hope Balls of the past, $402,000 was the most ever raised, she said. The club provides no-cost, temporary lodging to financially needy cancer patients receiving treatment in Little Rock area cancer treatment facilities. The club on Maryland Avenue near Little Rock's medical corridor off Interstate 630 has 21 hotel-quality suites and has logged nearly 32,000 "stays" since it opened in 2011.
For the ball, floor lights were used to bask the walls of the Wally Allen Ballroom in a soothing shade of blue. The lighting provided a contrasting backdrop for a parade of the white-gowned Angels of Hope -- 30 11th-grade girls whose sponsorships go into the ball kitty and who fulfill a certain number of volunteer and community service hours to participate. The angels alone brought in $90,000, said Angel chairman Gina Rafferty.
The event began with a lively reception and perusing tables of "almost live" auction items outside the ballroom. To start the main event, co-chairmen Martha Ellen Talbot and Pamela Morton rang a large brass bell they brought from the club. Every time a cancer patient finishes treatment, he gets to ring the bell three times.
After dinner, club president Kelly Thompson honored David Patel with the Hope Award and the late Christen Franke with the Distinguished Service Award. The event also paid tribute to the late Charlotte Williams, a young woman who was diagnosed with cancer at age 14 and had stayed at the club numerous times during her battle, which ended Feb. 7.
Masters of ceremonies Lisa Fischer and Chris Kane helped drive donations during the Fund-a-Night portion of the program. With a goal of $105,000, the pair pushed contributions to $113,000, Clogston said. The live auction brought in about $75,000 with the highest selling item being an interactive Splash Pad for a water play project donated by Splash Pads USA that sold for $17,500.
High Profile on 03/05/2017