Jackson L. Graves Foundation backers gathered Feb. 10 for early Valentine's Day treats at the 13th annual Ooh! La, la! chocolate and wine pairing benefit at The Garden Room in Fayetteville.
The delectable three-course evening was presented as a collaboration among the foundation, Phillip Price of Southern Glazers and Chefs Matt Boring, Ross Barber, Brooks Cameron, Nick Gibbs and Becky Miller. The chocolate-infused menu included pork rillette canape, caponata salad and beef tenderloin paired with Josh Cellars Prosecco, The Crusher Uncorked Chardonnay 2015 and Skyside Red Blend 2017, respectively.
Proceeds from the evening help support the nonprofit organization's projects and mission, which is, "to provide family-centered care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment to make trying times as comfortable, complete, hopeful and peaceful as possible."
Angie and James Graves established the foundation in 2005 in memory of their firstborn son who came into the world in 2004 with a complex medical condition and spent all four months of his life in the NICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Angie says that during the time they spent at Children's with Jackson, "we became aware of several ways that we could make lives easier for other families going through a similar situation, and this developed into a lifelong passion."
Pat O'Brien, foundation board president, told those gathered for Ooh! La, la! that "Jackson will have meaning here on earth -- the dude was a fighter. His memory is living on in a mammoth way."
"More than once, we were told we might want to say goodbye, as he wasn't doing well," Angie Graves tells me. "We stayed close, talking to him and holding his hand, and he just miraculously recovered. We even had a doctor say something similar to 'sometimes there's just not a medical explanation for this.' So he basically got a reputation for fighting through things!"
Graves Foundation projects include helping support the stabilization room at Washington Regional Women and Infants Center; purchasing specialized equipment for Willow Creek Women's Clinic; and supporting Arkansas Children's Hospital's social services as well as providing books for the reading program.
The foundation also focuses on bolstering NICU nurses through its Audrey Harris Vision Project, which includes providing continuing education and professional development at the annual Audrey Harris Neonatal Conference of Northwest Arkansas, this year set for Sept. 15. The 2021 conference saw some 130 nurses from four states and 10 hospitals attend, according to Audre Darling, foundation executive director.
"The conference attracts nationally recognized speakers as well as neonatal nurses, therapists, pharmacists and physicians from all over Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri," Darling adds.
The group also provides scholarships for regional head nurses to attend national conferences and is accepting scholarship applications at AudreyHarrisVision.org.
Those joining the foundation for an evening of wine and chocolates included Marcus Pinkney, Jason Hurt, Kristine and Stephen Branon, Ali Hendricks, Corie and Jordan Greer, Kellyann and Michael Lamm, Derek Burleson, Preston Stueart and Phillip Price, Mitzi Traxson, Susie Shinn, Julie and Clay McWhorter, Abby Davenport and Zach Falkenberry, Ceri and Rolf Wilkin, Chava Boyett, Jennifer Neill, Nancy Hairston and Dick Bensinger and Melissa and Steve Hotchkiss.
Sponsors included Willow Creek Women's Hospital, Southern Glazers, Prolacta Bioscience, POB Ventures, G&G Independent Insurance, Adventure Subaru, Legacy National Bank, 3W Magazine, Jackson L. Graves Foundation and CitiScapes.
For more event photos -- nwadg.com/photos/society.
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].
Stephen and Kristine Branon (cq) (from left), Ali Hendricks, Corie and Jordan Greer and Kellyann and Michael Lamm help support the Jackson L. Graves Foundation on Feb. 10. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Chef Matt Boring (from left), Audre Darling, Derek Burleson, Preston Stueart and Phillip Price gather at the Jackson L. Graves Foundation chocolate and wine pairing benefit. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Mitzi Traxson (left) and Susie Shinn help support the Jackson L. Graves Foundation. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Clay and Julie McWhorter (from left) and Abby Davenport and Zach Falkenberry attend Ooh! la, la! in Fayetteville. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Ceri Wilkin (from left), Chava Boyett and Jennifer Neill visit at the Ooh! la, la! benefit. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Nancy Hairston and Dick Bensinger enjoy Ooh! la, la! on Feb. 10. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)
Steve and Melissa Hotchkiss help support the Jackson L. Graves Foundation. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Carin Schoppmeyer)More News
NoneAt a Glance
Ooh! La, la!
Who: Jackson L. Graves Foundation
What: The chocolate and wine pairing event helps support the foundation’s work to provide neonatal support.
When: Feb. 10
Where: The Garden Room in Fayetteville
Next: Red, White and Baby Blue, June 24; Audrey Harris Neonatal Conference, Sept. 15
Information: (479) 479-799-9592 or jacksongraves.org