| EVENT REPORT 04.28.09 8:00 AM |
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| Bricks and Stones |
| The National Hospice Foundation went with a bricks-and-diamonds theme for this year's gala. |
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Hundreds of diamonds—both real and not—glittered at Friday night’s National Hospice Foundation Bricks and Diamonds gala at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, where 600 guests gathered for cocktails, dinner, and a silent auction of new and vintage jewelry. With Chris Matthews of MSNBC as M.C., the evening honored individuals who have raised awareness of the benefits of hospice care.
The theme for the foundation’s fifth annual gala started as a joke, a play on the name of board chair, Brickson Diamond. In light of the foundation's November move to a new headquarters in Alexandria, bricks seemed appropriate. Decor elements at the Omni Shoreham’s Regency ballroom included vases wrapped in paper printed with a brick motif and fake gems that sparkled on tabletops and dangled from floral arrangements. |
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“It’s a fantasy,” said Katrina Lucas of sofiEvents, the gala’s event planner, describing the evening’s theme. Some board members worried that diamonds might be too opulent in light of the tough economic times, Lucas said, but the foundation ultimately decided that a bit of glamour might be appreciated by hospice workers who care for patients at the end of life. “It’s a nice break from the everyday business of being with patients and their families. It’s just fun, and that’s what people need. You don’t always get to dress up and be among the sparkle,” Lucas said.
For a chance to take some sparkle home, guests bought raffle tickets for an $11,000 kunzite, aqua, pink sapphire, and diamond ring donated by gala partner Rosalina Lydster, a jewelry designer whose clients include Hollywood actors. Board members also donated jewelry for the auction, which included more than 100 new, vintage, and gently used pieces arranged in the center of the room with a security guard stationed nearby.
The bricks and diamonds theme even extended to the evening’s music: Versions of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” played as guests entered the ballroom for dinner, and the dessert reception was announced to strains of the Commodores' “Brickhouse.”
Correction: This report was changed to reflect the name of the Omni Shoreham ballroom. Also, the National Hospice Foundation is not currently engaged in a fund-raising campaign for a new headquarters.
—Adele Chapin
RELATED TOPICS
National Hospice Foundation, MSNBC
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