9th Annual Taste of the Stars Gala After Party

Starlight MidAtlantic’s Young Professionals Council will be hosting an After Party for the 9th Annual Taste of the Stars Gala. The premier after party will feature a decadent dessert bar and premium open bar. The evening’s guests will dance the night away in the Studio 54 themed Dance Club with a DJ spinning the greatest hits. Sound like a good time? Young professionals in the DC area, come join Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic for a black tie event at the Four Seasons to support seriously ill children. Come party to support a great cause! To purchase tickets, call 202.293.STAR.

Premier After Party Hosted by Starlight MidAtlantic Young Professionals Council

CPK Kids Camp!

Silver Spring, MD. 

The CPK Kids Camp was in full-effect on Sunday, October 12^th for the MidAtlantic chapter at the Glenmont Park in Silver Spring, MD!  Over 100 Great Escape participants enjoyed a day carnival-themed complete with clowns, face-painters, caricaturists, games, and of course plenty of California Pizza Kitchen pizza. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day, complete with Great Escapes families happily munching on pizza, getting their faces painted, playing carnival games, and a whole lot more!  We all enjoyed the silly and fun lyrics of the kids-approved band, Rocknoceros, such as “Dark Side of the Moonbounce”.  The day finished off with brownies, sno-cones, cotton candy, and lots of tired and happy Great Escapes kids and parents!

The Pinczuks clowns around!

 

Sophie enjoys her cotton candy!

Pumpkin Patch

It was a cool morning when we met this past weekend for our Chesterfield Berry Farm Great Escape. Our families all went in together to enjoy their free time before we took the hay ride out to the pumpkin patches. All our starlight families were given a green star stamp giving us free reign to do any of the many activities available there. The haunted house was a favorite for Johnathan and his sister Madison where they walked through a path of everything from friendly purple monsters to bats and pirates. Our group gathered together and piled onto two hay wagons. Marky loved the bouncing of the wagon down the road to the pumpkins and laughed the whole way. Then we all set out to find the perfect pumpkin. The pumpkin patch made a stunning backdrop for pictures! David’s pumpkin was a little too heavy for him to hold so dad helped hold it up to pose for a picture. Ella and Taylor both found a great pumpkin. Ella wanted to hold it on her own for a picture but luckily she needed some help from mom so we were able to get them together in a picture. Samuel posed for several pictures holding Bo and sitting on top of a giant pumpkin. Bo who had wanted nothing to do with his stroller all day went exploring through the patch definitely headed for a mushy rotten pumpkin to get his hands into. Dad distracted him with another adventure and they headed off in the direction of the turkeys. The Clemmons family also found a very unique green pumpkin! Once everyone had chosen a pumpkin we started heading back to the front of the farm. We gathered everyone together that was left onto the last wagon and as we pulled off we realized that the Oehmann family was left behind. They chased the wagon down as we called for the driver to stop. Our hay wagon being chased down by a family of three carrying pumpkins added some laughter and excitement to the morning. 

We all met promptly for lunch at 11:20 under the shade of the picnic tables. Pepperoni and cheese pizza could be found on every table as well as a cauldron of candy. Cookies for dessert were a big hit. There were plenty of great Kodak moments at lunch; pizza sauce on people’s teeth and faces and don’t forget all those little mouths open and still full of food. It was great! Several people asked, “Where did this pizza come from?” So the answer is our delicious lunch came from A N.Y. Slice Pizza in Midlothian, VA. 

After lunch everyone was on their own to enjoy the many activities available at the Berry Farm. Families could be found rolling around in the shelled corn, riding ponies, visiting the animal corral, firing the Corn Cannon, or venturing into one of the haunted houses. A popular game was duck racing, where children pumped water that pushed their ducks down the lane, racing the people beside them for prizes. There were also wagon rides and a moon bounce. The corn maze, eight acres long and shaped like a haunted house was a challenge for us all. To get out of the maze there were twenty questions to answer all about pumpkins and Halloween. I went into the maze with Dawn, her husband Wes. After a few questions we stumbled upon two other Starlight families lost inside. Wes had a great sense of direction and led us along. We weren’t really lost until the question that asked, “What percentage of pumpkins are water?” We went with 20% but the answer was 90%. After a few loops we made our way back to question 16 and then finally question 20. You never know when pumpkin trivia will come in handy. So brush up on those facts this month in the spirit of Halloween. By the middle of the day it started to really warm up and everyone was taking off their jackets and hanging around having fun!

Starlight MidAtlantic and Michel Richard Host Second Annual Wine Dinner

Starlight MidAtlantic hosted the Second Annual Wine Dinner Friday, September 26^th, at the elegant Michel Richard Citronelle, in the Georgetown section of Washington D.C. Guests enjoyed an evening filled with unique and rare wines donated by Washington D.C.’s top wine collectors, all to benefit Starlight MidAtlantic’s mission of helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through one of a kind programs.

Citronelle's Michel Richard cooking for the Wine Dinner's guests

The seven course menu was designed by 2008 James Beard award winner and James Beard Outstanding Chef of the Year 2007, Michel Richard, chef and owner of Citronelle, Washingtonian’s 2008 number one restaurant in the city. Guests indulged in the outstandingly creative gastronomic combinations, including entrees of Mini Macaroni Crab Gratin, Roasted Duck, and Pate En Croute. Mark Slater, James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Service of the Year 2007, poured French and America wines such as Joseph Phelps Insignia 2004, Rochioli Chardonnay, Chateau Margaux 1986 and Eagles Trace Pinot Noir 2005.

“We were able to create a custom menu with succulent ingredients to compliment each wine course” said Sommelier Mark Slater. “Great wine, great good and great people dedicated to a great cause. It was most enjoyable for all involved.”

The event was co-chaired by Jeffery Zell, President of JM Zell Partners and President of Starlight MidAtlantic; Rick Genderson, Owner/CEO of the prestigious wine store Schneider’s of Capitol Hill and Treasurer of the foundation; and Curtin Winsor, Founder & Chairman of Bank of Georgetown and Starlight MidAtlantic Board Member. The wine presented during the evening was donated by JM Zell Partners, Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, Washington Wholesale Liquor-Pinnacle House and Eagles Trace.

“I have been an avid wine collector for years, the menu and wines we selected paired wonderfully. As a father, I understand the importance of Starlight MidAtlantic’s programs. The Wine Dinner is a unique way to support Starlight MidAtlantic’s mission of bringing joy to seriously ill children,” said Jeffery Zell. “I’m thrilled the second Wine Dinner was a success, and I cannot wait to continue the tradition next year, in honor of all the Starlight MidAtlantic families.”

All proceeds of the Wine Dinner go directly to providing Starlight MidAtlantic’s comprehensive menu of outpatient, hospital-based and electronic offerings to our Starlight MidAtlantic children and families. Starlight MidAtlantic programs are proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. The evening raised over $100,000 to restore some of the laughter and happiness a serious illness takes away.

During the evening tribute was paid to the late Tom Shelton, a member of the Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic Board. Tom Shelton, former President & CEO of Joseph Phelps Vineyard, served as co-chair of the inaugural Starlight MidAtlantic Wine Dinner. He recently lost his battle with brain cancer. As a memorial magnum bottles of wine were auctioned off to benefit brain cancer research.

Tribute to Tom Shelton

A Royal Morning

Princess Anna & Cinderella

Having fun making crowns and light catchers.

Knighting by magic bubbles?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Once upon a time, this past weekend, in an enchanted kingdom, princesses, knights, kings, queens, and a wizard gathered for a royal banquet. They feasted merrily on a royal Chick-fil-A breakfast. The fair maidens, dressed in their finest gowns and the knights, gallantly armed with sword and shield and dressed in full armor gathered together by royal invitation. Our banquet was graced by the presence of The Mad Scientist. She created magical bubbles, concocted of dry ice and water. Our knights and fair maidens participated in ceremonial craft making with Queen Hilary and our newest volunteer Princess Rita. Our fair ladies created gorgeous tiaras complete with jewels and our valiant knights personalized their own royal crowns. Sun -catchers were a popular craft at our festival. Several princesses created princess sun-catchers to match their own attire. Knights personalized their own shields with their family’s crest. Princess Jordan gave each princess a royal pampering, complete with makeup, manicures, and elegant face painting. Many princesses could be seen with flowers, hearts and stars covering their faces. Everything shimmered with magic dust from hair glitter to shimmering face powder. Queen Dawn granted each princess and knight a trip to the royal treasure chest where they could fill a bag will their share of treasure, including princess and knight mugs to serve as drinking goblets for future feasts. Gold was everywhere, coins scattered across the tables of our banquet hall. Princesses all received their own personal jeweled rings and lip gloss. Our wizard carried his very own magic wand. Knights and fair maidens alike played in the enchanted castle towers, rescuing damsels in distress, sliding and climbing in the indoor playground. Princess Anna was helped from her carriage upon her arrival by her father, the king. With a stool he created a bridge across the moat in the parking lot, keeping her beautiful blue gown sparkling and clean. We later received a visit from Cinderella and her Knight, the champion jouster in the Kingdom, who had defeated many fire breathing dragons. We took pictures with Cinderella though she had to leave suddenly or her carriage would once again become a pumpkin. Perhaps we shall see what is left of her carriage again next weekend on our Great Escapes event to the Berry Farm to get our very own pumpkins!