MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Ohio Valley area supporters of WVU Children’s Hospital will take a trip “Under the Sea” on Saturday, Aug. 17 for the ninth annual Ohio Valley Friends of WVU Children’s Hospital Gala, which will be held at The White Palace in Wheeling Park.
Festivities will kick off at 6 p.m. with cocktail hour. During this time, guests will have the opportunity to bid on several auction items while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and beverages and listening to steel drum music.
At 7 p.m., the program will begin and will feature the story of WVU Children’s Hospital patient Conner Patterson, son of Jackie and Dave Patterson of Valley Grove. Carlos C. Jimenez, M.D., Glen Dale-based pediatric endocrinologist, will be honored for his community service.
After dinner, which will be served at 7:30 p.m., guests will be able to dance the night away to the sounds of The Streetplayers, the official band of the governor’s holiday parties. The band will play the hottest classic soul, R&B, funk, classic rock, pop, disco and dance hits of yesterday and today.
Proceeds from the event will be used for patient services, such as the purchase of specialized equipment to care for children from newborns to teenagers; research to help find a cure for childhood diseases; and support of pediatric programs, such as the Supportive Care Team for patients and their families.
“Last year, families from the greater Wheeling area turned to WVU Children’s Hospital more than 7,500 times and found hope and healing. In 2012 alone, there were 28 children from the Ohio Valley that were rushed to WVU Children’s via our specialized Pediatric Transport Team,” Cheryl Jones, R.N., director of WVU Children’s Hospital, said. “The Ohio Valley Gala is a great way for our friends in the Northern Panhandle and surrounding area to learn exactly what it is we do here in Morgantown and to reassure them that we’re available to help them when they need us.”
Tickets cost $100 per person. To purchase tickets to the gala or to obtain sponsorship information, contact Dee O’Palko, WVU Children’s Hospital development officer, at 304-598-4346 ext. 4 or opalkod@wvuhealthcare.com.
WVU Children’s Hospital – located on the sixth floor of Ruby Memorial, WVU Healthcare’s flagship hospital – provides maternal, infant and pediatric care for West Virginia and the surrounding region, giving care to high-risk mothers, premature infants and children with life-threatening conditions through adolescence to adulthood. For information on WVU Children’s Hospital, see www.wvukids.com.
Attention reporters and editors: If you plan to cover the WVU Children’s Hospital Ohio Valley Gala, please call Angela Jones-Knopf, HSC News Service, at 304-293-7087 in advance.
