Nearly 200 guests braved gray skies and threats of rain to support the Zack Heger Foundation's Summer Soiree Wednesday night on Splash Ultra Lounge’s rooftop deck. The party, hosted by local news anchors Bianca de la Garza and Susan Wornick of WCBV-TV Channel 5, raised $17,000 for the foundation’s work to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The party is the first of its kind for the foundation and was suggested by de la Garza, a close friend of the Heger family. “The most rewarding part of throwing an event like this is to see everyone having such fun for a great and worthy cause,” said Margie Lamir-Heger, mother of Zack Heger and co-founder of the foundation named in her son’s honor. “Gathering big-hearted people in good cheer on a lovely summer evening and watching the cumulative efforts of all involved in composing such an evening is wonderful.” The realities of risky weather and a shaky economic climate were challenges, she said, but generous guests and Mother Nature pulled through.
The party occupied Splash’s bilevel interior and rooftop bar and cabana area, allowing guests to mingle indoors and out. Inside, decor was limited, with Splash’s sleek space providing a simple black-and-white backdrop for the purple, yellow, and red Summer Soiree flyers emblazoned with palm trees placed along the bar and on tables. Ultimat Vodka, Patron, and Harpoon Brewery sponsored the cocktail menu. Following a preparty V.I.P. reception, guests mingled inside, where servers passed bites from the restaurant’s menu, including sliders, tuna tartare, bacon-wrapped scallops, and shrimp skewers.
Much of the evening's earnings were generated by auction items. Taking over the first floor lounge, the silent auction included a shopping party at local boutique Sara Campbell, an autographed Tom Brady jersey, and an Ultimate Bootcamp workout package. De la Garza and Wornick served as auctioneers when the crowd moved upstairs to the rooftop cabanas for a live auction of items such as dinner for 10 prepared and hosted by de la Garza and Wornick and a Red Sox package.
Treat Cupcake Bar donated mini cupcakes in Chinese takeout boxes with Treat logo stickers as parting gifts.
The foundation also hosts a golf tournament to reach its annual $75,000 goal to support Muscular Dystrophy research at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Biomedical Research Institute. In coming years, Famir-Heger hopes to expand the Summer Soiree to a bigger venue and possibly make it a themed event. “We would like to grow bigger and better each year, reaching out to a broader audience, and spreading the word about muscular dystrophy.”
