Connecticut Children's Gala Digital Program Book

Prepare Thyself for Merriment

Digital Program Book 1

Dear Lads and Lassies:

Letter from Our President & CEO

Brave. It is not just the Pixar movie serving as inspiration for our 2022 Hybrid Gala, but it’s a word packed with meaning—especially in light of the past two years.

Our frontline pediatric healthcare providers, who never stopped delivering expert care to children, even as a global pandemic advanced, are brave. Those who developed safety protocols and taught all of us how to properly don and doff PPE are brave. Environmental services workers, food service staff and security team members continue to brave the hospital every day, through spikes of new COVID-19 variants and patient volume surges.

Tonight we pay tribute to bravery, courage and fortitude. We honor the resilient children—kids with cancer, teens injured in car accidents, adolescents suffering mental health crises and the babies born too early—who brave surgeries, procedures and countless appointments. They are the reason we are grateful to you for being here tonight and for showing your support of the only health system in Connecticut devoted exclusively to caring for children.

Because of you, Connecticut Children’s can do more and do better for the children and the families who need us most, whether that is at one of our 41 existing care locations across three states or at our amazing new 30,000-square-foot specialty care center opening in Westport later this year. Or in our Hybrid OR—the object of tonight’s Bid for Kids appeal. Connecticut Children’s will be home to the only pediatric Hybrid OR in New England, providing children with high-quality imaging and surgical expertise in one location.

Thank you for joining us for a Gala sure to inspire and inform. Slàinte Mhath!

James E. Shmerling, DHA, FACHE President and CEO

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Gala Entertainment David F. Slone David F. Slone, Esq. is an actor, singer, emcee, impresario and variety performer best known for his work with the dance/theater troupe The Love Show. David has shared the stage with such stars of cabaret, circus, film, radio and Broadway as F. Murray Abraham, Luba Mason, Sarah Rice, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Rob Base, Phoebe Legere, Constantine Maroulis, Tammy Grimes, Michael Musto and Randy Jones.

Manchester Pipe Band The Manchester Pipe Band is a grade two pipe band from Manchester, Connecticut. It was founded in 1914 and is the second oldest pipe band in continuous existence in the United States, after the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band which inspired its founding.

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Gala Entertainment The Griffith Celtic Dance Company The Griffith Celtic Dance Company comprises championship dancers from the Griffith Academy in Wethersfield, Conn. The company has performed all over the east coast, both in person and on television. In addition to a heavy competitive schedule, the company enjoys the opportunity to perform and communicate their love of this Celtic art form.

Ellie Steingraeber From folding into a pretzel on the Tonight Show to flying 70 feet in the air at Madison Square Garden, Ellie has celebrated over 15 years as a circus and variety artist. She has traveled the globe performing unique acts in some of the world's strangest venues, ridden on top of elephants in small town circus shows across America, and brought joy to countless audiences through TV appearances, theatrical circus shows and street performances.

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Gala Entertainment Bella Gantt Le PeTiT CiRqUe , Little Big Shots and most recently, Fox’s Game of Talents!

Bella Gantt is a hand balancer, contortionist and world-wide known foot archer. Since the age of 9, she has appeared on television shows around the world with her talent.

Dan Foster Dan is classically trained and has toured internationally performing traditional Irish music infused with infectious energy, raw power and Northern swagger.

Search Party Search Party combines world-class musicianship with two of Boston's finest front vocalists. Ranging from classic Motown to current Top 40 hits, this dynamic 8-piece band knows how to keep a party moving!

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All-Star Gala Ambassadors Ellis, 9 mos.

Ellis was born with aortic stenosis and parts of the left side of his heart were too small. He had his first cardiac catheterization at three days old and open-heart surgery six weeks later. Ellis has the world’s smallest pediatric mechanical heart valve, and he’s doing great. As he grows, Ellis will need his heart valve swapped out for larger ones, and he’ll continue to receive specialized heart care from Connecticut Children’s through our nationally-accredited Adult Congenital Heart Disease program, the only one in the state of Connecticut.

Telmo “Junior,” 2 When Telmo “Junior” was born at 27 weeks’ gestation, he weighed two pounds. Most of his organs were still developing, and he faced many health challenges including a heart problem.

The valve between the two major arteries, which is open while a baby is in the womb, had failed to close, and blood was going to the wrong places. Our interventional cardiologists were able to use a catheter to place a tiny device—the smallest coil ever placed in the state—to close off the opening and get his heart working right. Today, Junior is thriving.

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All-Star Gala Ambassadors Jordyn, 10 Jordyn appeared healthy when she was born, but doctors soon discovered she had pulmonary stenosis, a condition where the valve that controls blood flow to the lungs is not opening wide enough. It requires a surgical or catheter intervention right away.

Her doctors found her valve was 92 percent closed, and they acted quickly to save her life. Today, Jordyn is a competitive dancer and recently earned a spot on the 2022 USA Tap Team. Jordyn, one of only 24 kids in her age group selected to represent the U.S., will complete at the World Tap Dance Championships in Germany in November.

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All-Star Gala Ambassadors Dalia, 11 When Dalia was five years old she started sleeping—all the time. Then she stopped eating. A month later, she stopped drinking. A long line of specialists were baffled, because all her test results were normal. When her skin started to break down, doctors discovered she had Giannoti-Crosti syndrome, and medications addressed it. But it wasn’t until she came to Connecticut Children’s that our rheumatology specialists found the source of her other problems: dermatomyositis, an extremely rare inflammatory disease. A course of steroids and regular follow-ups turned her around, and now, at 11, Dalia is thriving, going to camp, playing with friends and pursuing her passion for art.

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All-Star Gala Ambassadors Princess, 19 Princess Frimpong first found out she had non-Hodgkins lymphoma when she was a senior in high school, in early 2020. A long and arduous treatment with chemotherapy has beaten the cancer back into remission, where she hopes it stays.

Now she’s a student at Southern Connecticut State University, where she’s studying to be a pediatric nurse. She’s also a member of the Pediatric Cancer Awareness Club, which raises money to sponsor a child with cancer each year and bring some joy into their lives.

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King Fergus Presenting Sponsor

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Princess Merida Entertainment Sponsor

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Lord MacGuffin Platinum Sponsors

The Braunstein Family

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Highlander Cocktail Sponsor

Lord Macintosh Gold Sponsors Barnes Group Inc. Bartlett Brainard Eacott, Inc. Hooker & Holcombe FIP Construction, Inc. Landmark Partners

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Lord Dingwall Silver Sponsors Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield CapSpecialty Connecticut Hospital Association Dillon Mailing & Printing Fiducient Advisors Hartford HealthCare HSB Jefferson Radiology Robinson & Cole LLP 14

Wisp Sponsors Cormier Financial Partners at Ameriprise Financial C.E. Floyd Company, Inc. Hartford Yard Goats

Gala Collateral Sponsor Hartford Minuteman Press

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Jackson Lewis R-T Specialty, LLC The Jorgensen Group at Morgan Stanley .

Scottish Highland Games Sponsor ProHealth Physicians

Honorary Committee Co-Chairs

Shari*** and Michael Cantor, Esq. Shailendra Upadhyay, MD, CEPS, FHRS*, and Shweta Upadhyay, MD

Honorary Committee

William Agostinucci* Lisa Barall-Matt+ and Todd Matt Kristina+ and Nicholas Bontempo, MD Christine Bromberg, Esq.***, and Matthew Bromberg Tina Brown-Stevenson** and Harry Stevenson Hillary and Ryan Calhoun* Angela and Brendan Campbell, MD* 16

Honorary Committee

Sophia+ and Emanuele Cicchiello, Esq. Connecticut Children’s Care Network Kacey+ and Charles D’Elia Sarah and Robert Duncan* Sheila and Paul Dworkin, MD* Barbara Edelheit, MD*, and David Edelheit, MD Martha and Jim Fanelli** Debbie+ and Justin Faust Christine Finck, MD, FACS*, and John Laplante Jessica and Michael Fish*** Rachel Garron and Scott Schoem, MD* Gina and Louis George*** 17

Honorary Committee

Emily Germain-Lee, MD*, and Se-Jin Lee, MD, PhD Samara+ and Andrew Ginsburg Kimberly+ and Glenn Gordon, CFA, CAIA Margi*** and Ryan Jakubowski Emma+ and David Kinahan* Shannon and Jeffrey Klenk*** Nicole and Skip Kodak** Melissa+ and Joseph Labieniec*** Peter Lamothe Rafeena and Mark Lee, MD* Dorothy Levine** and Alvin Rosenfeld Beth and James Lewis 18

Honorary Committee

Jolyn and Jim Manafort Sarah Matney, MSOL, BSN, RN*, and Scott Matney Jenny+ and Maxton McPhee Sean Meyer David Mitchell James Moore, MD, PhD* Melanie+ and Todd Pancavage Deborah* and George Pappas Lori Pelletier, PhD*, and Luke Pelletier Anne Martha+ and John Pitegoff, MD* Kristan Pierz, MD*, and Brian Molinari Edward Ramsdell 19

Honorary Committee

Vanessa+ and Clifford Rios, MD Jacqui Robertson and Larry Milan* Linda and David Roth** Viviann Rubin, MD, and Jonathan Rubin** Olga Toro-Salazar, MD*, and Juan Carlos Salazar, MD* Kelly+ and Nicholas Schuchardt Debbie+ and Jim Shmerling, DHA, FACHE* Donna and John Sodipo, Esq.*** Amy and Matthew Somberg*** Tina St. Pierre** Gayle and Steven Temkin Susan and Jeffrey Thomson, MD* 20

Honorary Committee

Mary-Jo and Greg Toczydlowski Diane and Hector Torrens Maureen+ and Christopher VanDeHoef Catherine Wiley, MD*, and James Wiley, MD*

Gala Ambassador Kristen Marshall, RN*

+Gala Planning Committee *Connecticut Children’s Physician or Staff Member **Connecticut Children’s Corporate Board ***Connecticut Children’s Foundation Board 21

Gala Planning Committee Co-Chairs Kristina Bontempo & Kimberly Gordon

Gala Planning Committee

Lisa Barall-Matt Hillary Calhoun Julia Chase Sophia Cicchiello Amy Crafa Kacey Kennedy D’Elia Amy Dillon Debbie Faust

Design Chair 22

Maureen Fitzgerald Samara Ginsburg Susan Hight Emma Kinahan Melissa Labieniec Rachel Lutzker Sally MacGilpin

Jenny McPhee Melanie Pancavage Anne Martha Pitegoff Vanessa Rios Debbie Shmerling Kelly Schuchardt Jennifer Tansley Christina Thavenius

Auction Co-Chairs

Thank You to Our Generous Supporters

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Auction Donors Adaptive Movement Parkour Alvarium Beer Co

All Waste, Inc. Anonymous

Aquila’s Nest Vineyards Assa Abloy Avon Village Family Dentistry

Ashton Lally Avon Super Cellars barre3 Farmington Valley

Barrington Stage Company Big Y Foods Blick Art Materials

Bayside Resort Black Hawk Fishing Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum As of 4-22-22

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Auction Donors

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Bloom Beauty & Skincare Bob’s Discount Furniture

Bob & Janet Weber Boston Duck Tours

Boston Red Sox CasaKerr.com Chipotle Mexican Grill

Canyon Ranch Central Rock Gym Glastonbury Chris & Jodi Hyers

Coco Lily College Planning Consulting LLC

Chris VanDeHoef & Maureen Fitzgerald Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library

Cronin Photography

Dom’s Cheese Shop

As of 4-22-22

Auction Donors

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Dom’s Coffee Elite Island Resorts

DORO Restaurant Group Elyse Ryan Jewelry

Farmington Valley Dermatology & Surgery Flanders Fish Market

Fascia’s Chocolates Fred Astaire Dance Studios

French Cleaners Hartford Athletic Hartford Flavor Company

Gordon Bonetti Florist Hartford Distributors Inc. Hartford Stage Company

Hartford Wolf Pack

Hawk Ridge Winery

As of 4-22-22

Auction Donors Highclere Castle Spirits, LLC Hollandia Nurseries LLC

Hill-Stead Museum Hot Table Panini

IRIS Photography John White KidsPlay Children’s Museum

Ives & Bees Joyride Charters Kristina Bontempo

Lake Compounce Family Theme Park LEGO Lily Raven Photography

Larissa Lake and Co. Lewis Real Estate Lime Rock Park

As of 4-22-22 27

Auction Donors Lutz Children’s Museum Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory

Lux Bond & Green Mark Twain House & Museum

Massage Envy Matthew & Amy Somberg Melissa Muszynski – MBM Design

Matterhorn Swiss-travaganza Matunuck Oyster Bar Metro Bis Restaurant

Moda Salon Monet’s Table Mt. Southington Ski Area

Mohegan Sun Moss Life, LLC Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame As of 4-22-22

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Auction Donors

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NEAT Method Hartford New Haven Symphony Orchestra

New Britain Museum of American Art New Morning Market & Vitality Center

Old Sturbridge Village On Track Karting Peggy Thomsen

Old World Pizza Truck Oriental Trading Company Pez Visitor Center Admission

Priam Vineyards Sacred Heart University Discovery Science Center and Planetarium

Rose’s Berry Farm Saybrook Point Resort & Marina

Simpson & Vail

SkyDive Danielson

As of 4-22-22

Auction Donors Sliders Grills & Bar Sports Center of Connecticut

Southington Board & Brush Creative Studio Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Stone Age Rock Gym Studio of Catherine Christiano Taste of New Haven

Stonewall Kitchen Sundance Salon & Spa The 1661 Inn and the Oar

The Adventure Park at Storrs The BARRE CT + HOT 11 YOGA The Brook Farm Inn

The Apex The Bee’s Knees Catering The Charles

As of 4-22-22 30

Auction Donors The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat The Garde Arts Center

The Garden Barn Nursery & Landscape The Garden of Woodbury

The Joey Logano Foundation The Red Lion Inn Thimble Island Brewery

The Preservation Society of Newport County The Shore Line and Trolley Museum Tink’s Magical Vacations: Michelle Ryan & Kathy DeBoer Tracy Yarde Travelers Championship

Tito’s Handmade Vodka Trapeze School New York

As of 4-22-22 31

Auction Donors Tree House Brewing Company VacayMyWay & New Smyrna Beach Retreats Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art White Silo Farm & Winery

Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park Valenti Alfa Romeo

Zen Restaurant Group

As of 4-22-22 32

Westport Country Playhouse Wood & Tap

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Thank You to Our Event Partners A Costume Look Events Alex Syphers Photography Art of the Event Connecticut Convention Center Event Resources Full Send Productions Goldbelly MJ Decorations 58

We Look Forward to Seeing You at Our Next Gala on November 11, 2023!

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