2015 Beach Ball
The Railers and Beach Ball co-chairs
Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s 22nd annual Beach Ball gala raised a
record-breaking $1.2 million for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders,
thanks to the generous support of more than 1,000 attendees at this year’s
sold-out event.
The Feb. 28 event called for beach barbeque attire for its Lemonade Soirée theme, which celebrated patients’ attitudes and ability to turn life’s “lemons” into lemonade.
Held at the Phoenician and sponsored by the University of Phoenix, the event’s unconventional cocktail hour welcomed guests with a refreshing lemonade signature cocktail served in sunny yellow Solo cups to enjoy as they perused the silent auction tables. Before taking a seat at tables adorned with lemon-tree centerpieces and yellow gingham napkins, attendees were invited to limbo their way into the Grand Ballroom by dancers clad in their beachy best.
Event-goers dined on crudités and gourmet cheeses, tender barbeque chicken, twice-baked potatoes, lemon tarts and gooey chocolate chip cookies, before participating in a rousing live auction, which included trips to Fashion Week in London, New York and Miami. A private dinner package for 10 with celebrity chef Alex Stratta was a favorite of the evening, as was a custom-built 2012 Jeep Wrangler designed for ultimate fun in the sun in Arizona and beyond.
The evening was capped off by a surprise performances from the Railers, who were recently named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know in Winter 2015. With family ties to Arizona, three members of the quartet studied at NAU before relocating to Nashville to pursue music full-time.
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Phoenix Children’s Hospital is the largest pediatric program of its kind in Arizona, providing a family-centered approach to care for children diagnosed with malignancies and hematologic diseases.
Since Beach Ball’s inception in 1993, the event has raised more than $14.7 million for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. This year’s event was co-chaired by Susan Rehorn, Amy Joffe and Gerri Richards, who each cite touching and personal events that inspire them to raise money for Phoenix Children’s Hospital year-round.
PHOTOS COURTESY PHOENIX CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
(left) Branden and Savannah Orr
array(right) Casey and Teresa Strunk
(left) Jennifer Myerthall, Kathleen Ohanian and Paul Chanian
array(right) Mara Berg, Samantha Lindsey, Mark Lindsey and Amy Lindsey
(left) Michael and Erin Hegedus
array(right) Susan Casper and Sidney Smith
