Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebrations

Filed under: Fete Set — Ida at 5:47 pm on Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The College of Charleston hosted a Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Vigil on Monday night in the Stern Center Ballroom, which was filled to standing-room-only capacity. Students and faculty celebrated the life of Dr. King with musical selections, readings, and a candlelight tribute. The vigil also marked the culmination of the school’s fourth annual MLK Challenge. Armed with only $75, a van, and a faculty member, each student team had six hours to complete a service project that benefitted the local community.

Sample projects completed on Monday include:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Trident Area’s mission is to inspire and enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. The Boys and Girls Club focuses on academics, wellness, technology, leadership, and life skills. The MLK Challenge was to create and host a fun, child-safe carnival for kids aged 6-13 who spent the afternoon at the club.

The Carter-May Home/St. Joseph Residence is a non-profit assisted living facility for adults ages 60 and older. The mission is to provide compassionate care and assistance to meet the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of its residents. The MLK Challenge included washing the residence’s walls, touching up the paint, preparing a cookout, and dining with the residents.

The Sustainability Institute is an award-winning non-profit established to educate community residents about the benefits of having a healthy, efficient, durable and comfortable environment in which to live their lives. The MLK Challenge was to help families in need reduce their energy costs. The students first attended an energy-conservation workshop to learn how to use energy-saving devices. Then, they used their new skills to weatherize the homes of three deserving families in the historic Liberty Hill neighborhood of North Charleston.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Meanwhile, on the other end of George Street, a collaboration between the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO), CSO Chorus, CSO Gospel Choir, and the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs produced a rousing evening of music, song, and narration in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Gaillard Auditorium. The show was underwritten by the Ginn Company and offered free to the public; all of the complimentary tickets were claimed by mid Monday afternoon making the performance a “sell out.” Speakers included The Honorable Dr. McKinley Washington, Jr., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Ahead this week:

Fête Set Pick:
Friday, January 19
A Night in the Valley Auction
6:30 p.m.
$200

This premier wine and culinary event pairs the nation’s finest vineyards with the talents of the culinary and hospitality students at the Culinary Institute of Charleston. Enjoy a four-course dinner with wine pairings by vintners of prestigious wineries. Bid on jewelry, fine art, fabulous getaways, and rare and allocated wines during the live and silent auctions.

Trident Technical College main campus, 7000 Rivers Ave., North Charleston.
(843)574-6208

Caritas.
Ida

Roper St. Francis Foundation gala, Trot for the Cure, and a benefit for Crisis Ministries

Filed under: Fete Set — Ida at 3:31 pm on Tuesday, January 9, 2007

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).

Roper Xavier Foundation gala

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.

Roper Xavier Foundation gala

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.

Trot for the Cure

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.

Crisis Ministries' Screening of the Pursuit of Happyness

Caritas.
Ida

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