.jpg)
Dancing the Night Away
Casino Royale Serves Up Fun, Raises Dollars for Teen Health
Posted 05/18/09
Revelers at the 2009 Main Event Casino Royale Gala enjoyed casino gaming and a silent auction.
Photo by Coe Sweet
Guests at UVA Children’s Hospital’s Casino Royale fundraiser spent the evening dining, dancing, bidding on fabulous silent auction items, and trying their luck at the gaming tables. Along with the fun, the 300 plus attendees raised $60,000 to benefit UVA Children’s Hospital, especially the unique needs of teenage patients.
“Our goal was to create a great event for an important cause,” says Liz Ratcliffe, co-chair of the Casino Royale Gala/Main Event committee. “We are so grateful to everyone who came out to make this a fantastic evening. Everyone had a good time, and together we made a very significant contribution to the children and families in our area.”
Gala proceeds will benefit programs like “Reach Out and Read,” the only pediatric literacy program in the nation, and “Teen Scene,” created to address the special needs of an often-overlooked age group. Teen Scene funds can be used to purchase DVD players, movies, laptops, and electronic games that help lift the spirits of teenagers facing chemotherapy, surgery, or even a long day in a hospital bed.
From left to right: UVA Children's Hospital Planning Committee members Kathy Del Rosso, Sue Ann Sarpy, Amy Toomy, Rhonda Valko, Madelyn Deal, Jennifer Seiler, Amy Wicks-Horn, and Liz Ratcliffe.
In addition to these day-to-day needs, gala proceeds will support the new Barry and Bill Battle Building, which is being designed to offer comprehensive outpatient care for children and families. Plans for the new building include space dedicated for the UVA Teen Health Center.
UVA Children’s Hospital Telethon Celebrates Milestone
UVA Children’s Hospital Telethon
May 30 – 31, 2009
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the UVA Children’s Hospital Telethon. The two-day, live broadcast will feature community children and local sponsors, volunteers and benefactors. There will be some new faces and some old friends at this biggest and most exciting Telethon yet!
Part of celebration will focus on the Barry and Bill Battle Building and its critical role in expanding family-centered care at UVA Children’s Hospital. Last year’s Telethon raised $1,669,435 for care of children in our community. Catch the Telethon on channel WVIR-NBC 29.
Within the Teen Health Center, nurses, doctors, and social workers are specially trained and experienced in providing primary care to teens in a safe, private, and respectful environment. Professionals from UVA’s Teen Health Center also work closely with area schools, churches, and community centers to reach out to teens with guidance and support. Enhanced space within the Battle Building will provide more patient rooms for the center’s primary care services and opportunities to strengthen its community outreach in numerous ways, such as expanding the peer educator program and using new social networking technologies to share health information and other resources with teens.
“Across the central Virginia community, our services have already positively affected thousands of young people and their families,” notes Dyan Aretakis, family nurse practitioner and project director of the UVA Teen Health Center. “In today’s society, teenagers face a host of complex issues—both medical and social. We explore these issues and offer interventions that are current and evidence-based in an attempt to reduce behavioral risks and long-term health problems. Our resources are reliable and respected in this community, and we hope to build our programs with more services.”
To continue to strengthen its services to community teens, the UVA Teen Health Center will require ongoing private support, especially to expand existing outreach efforts.
