For the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's ninth annual "Breath of Life" gala, senior special events director Jodi Lenet had three objectives—service, education, and a little bit of shock value. Held November 1 at the National Building Museum, the benefit raised funds for research and care for patients with the genetic disease, and also gave the 750 guests a diversified three-part evening.
A dozen volunteers were on hand to individually escort guests to the first stop: a reception and silent auction area offering everything from one-on-one time with Katie Couric via private jet to backstage passes for a Dave Matthews concert. Purple—the evening’s signature color—washed the space, from the silk-tufted bars to the three-foot-tall hydrangea and rose arrangements perched atop glass cylinders.
During the reception, staffers passed diced beets and mozzarella in phyllo dough cones and mini pizzettas with gorgonzola cheese and marinated grapes, while a bar with a massive ice luge served up six types of martinis and cosmopolitans. A sheer curtain, lit purple, kept prying eyes from the main area until dinner.
Around the space, Lenet also placed 14- by 6-foot banners of children who have benefited from the organization. “We’re always careful with how we present the foundation,” said Lenet. “We don’t want to lecture guests with the medical facts, so it’s about being creative with how you present everything.”
It took three measures—trumpet players, staffers with xylophones, and an announcer—to corral guests to their dinner seats. The banquet and circular tables were dressed in purple embroidered and textured silk linens and purple-tinted water glasses. Centerpieces ranged from purple roses in frosted glass cubes to leaning calla lilies reaching out of tall cylinders filled with purple orchids created by Exquisite Design Studio.
After the program, featuring CBS correspondent Scott Pelley as M.C., and dinner of red miso-sake-glazed salmon, butternut squash ravioli, and beef short rib with mashed white sweet potatoes from Ridgewells, the guests made their way to the third portion of the event. In the rear space, Lenet set up an after-party setting dubbed "Club Breathe."
“We started Club Breathe two years ago, and we’ve been changing it and trying to update it. We like to add shock value every year,” said Lenet. With an all-white display of modern sofas, bed-style lounges, and dance floor the party lasted until 1 a.m. Guests feasted on the white-chocolate-covered strawberries, mini cupcakes, and other desserts from tables, as well as passed shots of milk with doughnut holes and fried mac-and-cheese bites.
