Supporters and staff of the University’s Children’s Hospital gathered in Keswick Hall at Monticello for the annual charity gala last Friday night. The event raised thousands of dollars for the Child Health Research Center through ticket sales, donations, a silent auction and a massive game of Clue.
“Every year we pick a different theme for the main event and this year we felt as though Clue would be particularly fitting given that all the proceeds for the event will be benefiting pediatric research, and so our researchers and physicians are constantly searching for different clues, if you will, to solve the mystery of childhood diseases,” said Kate Rullman, the Children Hospital’s associate director of development and planning committee member.
Facts about the hospital and its research were integrated into the gala, written on placards placed on the tables and related clues that guests searched for throughout the mystery-themed party.
Although exact numbers are still being counted, the gala’s planning committee said they expected their fundraising goal of $330,000 to have been met — about $50,000 was expected to come from the silent auction, $300,000 from sponsors and $65,000 from ticket sales and cash donations.
“It always benefits the Children’s Hospital, and for the last two years it’s gone towards the Battle Building,” Rullman said. “Now that the Battle Building is complete we are working on things that go on within the Battle Building, and important parts of that new research.”
The night’s keynote speaker was Pete Caramanis, whose son, Brandon, spent three years successfully undergoing treatment for leukemia at the Children’s Hospital.
“As you can imagine, cancer diagnosis is difficult [and] the treatment is difficult, particularly the first six months,” Caramanis said. “After that, we got into the routine, and honestly the hospital was great. We predated the Battle Building, so I can imagine that someone right now could be having a better experience than we did.”
Caramanis now serves on the Children’s Hospital main event planning committee, and will serve as vice chair for next year’s gala.
“A couple years into it, once [Brandon’s] treatment was more manageable, we started focusing on how we could give back,” Caramanis said. “So I volunteered, got involved.”
Rullman, whose daughter was born at the hospital, and Caramanis agreed that, though they had vastly different experiences at the hospital, the supportiveness of the staff was what really helped them through the experience.
“I think it’s the most rewarding thing you can imagine,” Director of Children's Services Dr. Jim Nataro said. “When you’re a researcher, the ability to also be a clinician at the same time allows you to have that dose of reality, because you really understand who it is that you’re trying to help.”
Read More
Board of Visitors’ Health System Board approves University Medical Center contracts and credentials
By Lexie Stadler | March 3, 2024The University requested approval from the Board on proposed contracts with Cardinal Health LLC, a pharmaceutical company that will provide CAR T-cell therapies — a therapy used to treat cancer.
Virginia Senate passes bill to legalize medically-assisted deaths in 21-19 vote
By Zackary Holt and Caroline Hagood | February 26, 2024The House, which also holds a democratic majority, has referred the bill to the Committee for Courts of Justice for further consideration.
U.Va. Remote Area Medical chapter focuses on increasing healthcare access
By Saumya Sharma | December 13, 2023RAM members volunteer at clinics across the Southeast to provide free healthcare to local communities.
