Roper St. Francis Foundation gala, Trot for the Cure, and a benefit for Crisis Ministries
The 2007 social scene is officially off and running thanks to a handful of events that took place over the weekend. On Friday night, the Roper St. Francis Foundation hosted its annual donor appreciation gala, which was held in the ballroom at Charleston Place and featured General Colin Powell as the keynote speaker. Hundreds upon hundreds of guests, men in tuxedos and women in dark colored evening wear— it was a veritable sea of black, gathered in the ballroom corridor during the cocktail hour; it was by far the largest number of guests-in-waiting I’ve witnessed at a seated dinner gala (750 guests was the rumor that rippled through the crowd).
Patriotism ran high and the sight of servicemen in their dress uniforms elicited nods of gratitude and words of appreciation as they mingled alongside guests. During General Powell’s remarks from the stage, which revealed the man to be extraordinarily charismatic and unexpectedly funny, the audience was reminded that America is the greatest country in the free world, but that our freedom comes at a price. I remarked to Bill and Eliza Buxton afterward that I half-expected the audience to stand up and break into a spirited rendition of America the Beautiful.
On Sunday morning, the light drizzle did little to deter attendance at Trot for the Cure, a benefit that raised funds in support of canine cancer research at the University of Georgia’s veterinary college. Dogs (and their owners) spent the morning strolling through Magnolia Plantation’s picturesque gardens. A number of plants are beginning to bloom thanks to the recent unseasonably warm weather, and the air was sweet with the smell of recent rain and Japanese Apricot. An exhibition by the Dixie Dancing Dogs from Atlanta and a barbecue lunch followed the morning walk.
Later that afternoon, Crisis Ministries hosted a screening of The Pursuit of Happyness, a new film featuring Will Smith that explores the plight of one man who teeters on the verge of homelessness while trying to create a better life for his young son. The Movies at Mt. Pleasant furnished free popcorn to movie attendees, and a representative from Verizon Wireless presented shelter director Stacy Deneaux with a number of free cell phones for use by shelter residents who are turning their lives around. It was a feel-good ending to a grey and rainy day.
Caritas.
Ida
