Social Circuit
Aiming high Gov. Rendell was honored at ACHIEVEability's seventh annual Spring Gala, held March 13 at Urban Outfitters' Navy Yard headquarters. The Moroccan-themed party, "A Night in Marrakech," for 400 was chaired by Glen Senk, chief executive
Aiming high
Gov. Rendell was honored at
ACHIEVEability
's seventh annual
Spring Gala
, held March 13 at Urban Outfitters' Navy Yard headquarters. The Moroccan-themed party, "A Night in Marrakech," for 400 was chaired by Glen Senk, chief executive officer of Urban Outfitters. Among the auction items were a chef's table for 12 at Osteria that went for $6,000 and a visit to Washington that includes a private tour of the White House with Chip Reid of CBS News, dinner at CityZen, and a night at the Mandarin Hotel ($2,000). The event raised $150,000 for ACHIEVEability, which provides services for low-income single-parent families to help the parent pursue a college education and become financially self-sufficient.
On wings of song
The Academy of Vocal Arts
celebrated its
75th anniversary
March 31 with a cocktail reception and dinner for 300 at the Hyatt at the Bellevue, followed by "BrAVA Philadelphia! A Concert extrAVAganza of Opera Stars" for 2,000 at the Kimmel Center. The concert, conducted by academy music director Christofer Macatsoris, featured a program of arias, duets, and the final chorus of Verdi's
Falstaff
. Among the 30 resident and graduate academy artists who performed at the gala were sopranos Latonia Moore and Angela Meade and tenor James Valenti, fresh from his Metropolitan Opera debut March 29. The evening ended with a "Meet the Artists" champagne and dessert reception for 300. The benefit raised $350,000 for the academy's scholarship program, which allows all artists to attend without charge.
Singer, survivor
Pop star Olivia Newton-John performed at a benefit concert March 27 at West Chester University. Newton-John was on the university's campus for a two-day event,
"Olivia: Voices for Healing . . . Our Planet . . . Ourselves,"
that began March 26 with the singer, a breast-cancer survivor, addressing an integrative health conference on breast cancer and attending a small dinner hosted by university president Greg Weisenstein. The weekend event raised $265,000 for the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research Foundation, the university's College of Health Sciences, and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.
Three-star partners
Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
held its first
Industry Partner Recognition
event March 23 at Temple's Mitten Hall to honor organizations that have provided its students with internships, jobs, and mentoring programs. Among the 10 partners recognized at the event were the Philadelphia Eagles, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, the Legendary Blue Horizon boxing and entertainment venue, Hyatt Hotels Corp., and Comcast-Spectacor. The event, attended by 160 guests, raised $30,000 for student scholarships.