If the song “Imagine” by the late John Lennon were reworked for the JDRF Imagine Gala, a benefit of the JDRF Greater Arkansas Chapter, maybe it’d go like this:
Imagine diabetes,
Succumbing to a cure,
Sufferers turned victors,
Bodies whole and pure …
Imagine all the people
Healthy, strong and free …
The gala to raise money for research and a cure for Type1 Diabetes took place April 12 in the ballroom of the Little Rock Marriott. It was presented by the BKD Foundation and Lisenne Rockefeller and featured Kristin and Mark Hodge as co-chairmen.
Guests checked in and received their bidding numbers at the first-floor side lobby area, then walked a path lined with poster-size black-and-white photos - compliments of Tracy Van Dover of Van Dover Photography - of families affected by Type 1 diabetes.
Libations and silent auction items awaited upstairs in the ballroom lobby. Later, attendees sat down to a gourmet dinner that featured roasted grilled chicken breast with mushroom scampi, served with fresh asparagus and baby carrots.
Kevin Kelly, news anchor for KLRT-TV, Channel 16, was master of ceremonies for a short program highlighted by the presentation of the 2014 JDRF Living & Giving Award to Sharon and Kevin Lamb, co-founders and owners of Advanced Tissue. Other highlights included a film featuring survivors and their families that introduced the Fund A Cure pledge drive (every penny of which will go to research).
The real stars of the evening were the JDRF Ambassadors, a group of children and youths with Type 1 diabetes who served as hosts. First greeting guests at the escalators, the ambassadors later served as auction table hosts and presented live auction gifts to the highest bidders.
Some twisting and shouting to the retro tunes of the Groan Ups concluded the gala, which raised more than $500,000 for JDRF, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
High Profile, Pages 36 on 04/20/2014