SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.
Angels Place 25th Anniversary Dinner
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Sally Gerak Angels Place 25th Anniversary Dinner The silver anniversary of the organization that provides lifetime Christian homes for developmentally disabled people proved again a verity of the local charity scene – friends and family are the best support for non-profits. In fact, there were times when the AP Dinner Patron Reception (450 @ $350 ticket ) seemed like a family reunion for co-chairs Maryclare and Bob Pulte. Bob’s cousin Colleen is married to guest speaker Major League Baseball Commissioner Ron Manfred and their kin traveled from afar to attend. That his aunt by marriage/Colleen’s late mother Jane Martin Feely had been a longtime AP supporter as a good friend of co-founder Loretta Nagle is just one of the countless friend components that attracted 350 more supporters ($225 ticket) to the annual event at The Henry Hotel. The local MLB family (i.e. Detroit Tigers) also turned out enthusiastically. In his speech Manford mentioned that the pace of the game is a huge issue for baseball. “Change will come...how to manage that change is the challenge,” he concluded. Thanks also to Jim Crowe giving his raffle winnings to AP, generous sponsors and Manford’s generous donations to a brief auction, the 25th anniversary celebration raised more than $420,000 to support the 20 homes and hundreds of people on the waiting list who participate in AP programs.
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1. Colleen Feely Manfred (left) & Rob Manfred (center) of NYC, Maryclare & Bob Pulte of Bloomfield. 2. Loretta Ryan (left) of Bingham Farms, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, Bob Babinski of Lake Orion. 3. Joey Jonna (center) Frank & Judy Jonna of Bloomfield. 4. Jack (left) & Kathleen McInerney of Birmingham, Jo & Michael Jones of Holland. 5. Colleen Manfred (left) of NYC, NY, Molly Feely and Emmett (Bud) Feely of Bloomfield, Mary Farr of Brecksville, OH, Kathleen Nevin of Ridgefield, CT.
Kidney Ball Nearly 600 ($250 ticket) kidney disease warriors gathered at the MotorCity Casino Hotel for the annual black tie fundraiser that traditionally attracts a fun-loving crowd. VIPs convened in the Sound Board before perusing the silent and Kids auctions on the way to the dinner in the ballroom. WDIV’s Steve Garagiola emceed the program which had highlights: Henry Ford Health nephrologist Dr. Jerry Yee received the first Kidney Crusader Award; Madison Heights Glass Company president Jon Krebs received the Cynthia Shannon Award ( named for event founder/Birmingham native Cindy Hoglund Shannon whose husband donated a kidney to their son); the fundraising saga of teen Danny Zivian; and pep talks by co-chairs Jeff Chandler and Duane McLean. The latter also generated excitement with his last minute offer of “manager for a day” at Tigers spring training. It brought $8,000 twice. Combined with Fund A Need pledging and generous sponsors, the 13th annual Kidney ball raised more than $600,000 for programs and services to more than 900,000 people in Michigan affected by chronic kidney disease.
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Kidney Ball
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1. Susan & Duane McLean of Bloomfield. 2. Brady (left), Jeff, Alison and Morgan Chandler of Birmingham. 3. Laynie & Josh Bryant of Birmingham. 4. Myra Moreland (right) and Laynie Bryant (left) of Birmingham and Jackson Moreland of Waterford. 5. Patti & Jim Prowse of Bloomfield.
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DOWNTOWN
Christ Child Society Home Tour Most of the sold out crowd of more than 600 got to the five splendid Birmingham homes that were decorated for Christmas by the generous homeowners. These were Linda and Robert Crosby, Nancy and Chris Fullerton, Amy and Jim Gooch, Shawn and Mark Vestevitch and Lydia and Dick Wallace. At the Birmingham Country Club, where most ticketholders ($60) reconvened to brunch and shop at the 21 vendor boutiques, everybody was marveling at the Wallace’s renovation of the home where they had raised their family into their remarkable retirement digs. Kim McNulty and Kelly Patterson chaired the popular, annual event which netted an all-time high of $50,000plus. B&GCSM Great Futures Gala Dr. Ben Carson returned to his boyhood home bearing a gift – an EnVision Center. Carson described the new HUD initiative 03.18