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Fun in Fundraising S.O.M.E. Junior Gala, Mardi Gras and the Heartbreakers Ball BY EDIE VANHORN
FAT SATURDAY A little background: The City Tavern Club has played host to countless memorable Washington parties. Dating back to 1796, CTC members have held events ranging from high level government meetings to all-out bashes, and Saturday night was no exception. Fun fact: both of President Lyndon Johnson’s daughters held their engagement parties at the CTC, with a 50 percent success rate on the resulting marriages. Well deserved props: During the past five years the CTC has accepted a great group of young Washingtonians as members, setting itself apart from a number of other D.C. clubs which cater to their most “senior” (read: your grandparents) members. Should you find yourself in this gracious old building on M Street, feel free to wear your grandmummy’s pearls, but be prepared to cut a rug in your grandfather’s bootleg smoking parlour.
PARTYING FOR OTHERS Amid all the merriment, certain events offer a rare opportunity for us to grow our circles and serve our communities. The Annual S.O.M.E. Junior Gala is one of those. S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat) began as a community-based hunger relief program in 1970, and has since expanded to include partnerships with local schools, among them Gonzaga and Visitation. Today, S.O.M.E. is thriving, and its annual junior fundraiser is a premier social event for young Washingtonians. Great efforts had not been taken with the catering, and there were few special touches, but at least I knew my donation wasn’t going to bankroll cheap bubbly and balloons. The S.O.M.E. Junior Gala was sold-out, and by midnight most of the floor was taken up by musicloving- truly-smiling dancers. There, through a jungle of office plants, I think I saw something rare, beautiful, powerful – sexy even. Let’s call it Authenticity. Despite the ferns and ficus, nearly every person I spoke to knew what S.O.M.E. did and why it mattered. In Latin, it’s called “circum spice et servons.” In English it’s “look around, and let us serve.” This is not a challenge, it’s an opportunity. So get out there – from those to whom much is given, much is expected.
HEARTBREAKERS In below freezing conditions, almost 500 bachelors and bachelorettes donned their tuxedos and short cocktail dresses for a night of dancing. While fun, the event followed the same recipe of the Capital Club/Madison gatherings: great band and some semblance of an open bar. Not surprisingly, the evening ended with a mass migration to Smith Point.
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