Bridgepoint Health Foundation transported 450 guests to days of Cleopatra at the 10th annual Fandango gala on Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton. The event raised a record $600,000 for the foundation. “With our new hospital opening in less than a year, more people are aware of Bridgepoint now,” said Kalandra Roach, manager of special events at the foundation. "There's a real sense of excitement."
The theme was inspired by this year’s gala co-chair, Vivian Abdelmessih, who has Egyptian heritage. “Her knowledge of the culture helped us shape the gala,” Roach said.
The evening kicked off with a reception in the hotel's grand foyer, where decor channeled a hookah lounge, with tapestry rugs, gold furniture, and hookah pipes. Bowls of pomegranates added to the scene. Dinner was served in the ballroom, which was draped overhead in red, gold, and amber colored fabric. “The silken drapery and glowing lanterns in the ballroom made the space feel like a exotic tent in the desert,” Roach said. As an original way to alert guests to dinner, the organizers utilized authentic Egyptian belly dancers, who ushered attendees into the space and later performed on the dance floor.
The silent auction offered more than 100 items and was, as the marketing material put it, designed to feel like an ancient Egyptian tomb, filled with treasures. “The items were presented well and there was a lot of variety for guests to choose from—that's one of the reasons the silent auction was so successful,” Roach said.
Bridgepoint Health plans to open its new hospital in the spring of 2013 and plans are already underway for next year’s Fandango, which Roach promised will be “extra special” to celebrate the opening.
