CACAOPHONY

Choc-full ballroom

Chocolate gala draws big crowd to benefit Ronald McDonald House

Chocolate-covered toffee. Chocolate-chip cookies. Chocolate fudge. Chocolate brownies. Chocolate truffles. Chocolate cupcakes. Various loose morsels of brown and white chocolate. Several chocolate-strawberry incarnations. A chocolate bird sculpture. With all the goodies that await attendees of the annual Chocolate Fantasy Ball, it's easy to wonder: Why have dessert at dinner anyway?

Celebrating the 35th year of its beneficiary, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas, the Feb. 14 ball was oversold this year, forcing organizers to squeeze a few extra tables into the ballroom at the Little Rock Marriott. During the pre-event reception, guests bid on silent-auction items, sipped libations, took photo-booth photos and availed themselves of chocolate-y treats supplied by restaurants, country clubs, caterers, confectioners and other donors. They then enjoyed a dinner of roasted pork loin with tarragon cream sauce.

Chris Kane -- anchor for KATV, Channel 7's Daybreak -- and event chairman Beth McAlpine provided opening remarks and sponsor acknowledgments for the night's program. Katie Doderer played harp as a surprise to her mother, Marcy Doderer, chief executive officer of Arkansas Children's Hospital and the evening's honoree.

Katie Choate, executive director of Ronald McDonald House, talked about the charity's provision of free overnight stays for families of long-term, out-of-town patients at Children's Hospital and other area hospitals, and she discussed the charity's new housing facility, for which $8 million is needed (to date, the charity has raised more than $5.1 million). The new Ronald McDonald House, nearly triple the size of the current one, is expected to open in fall 2016.

Doderer actually worked with the Ronald McDonald House as a youngster. In her acceptance remarks, she briefly discussed the mission of the hospital and the challenges it faces, and said, "Thanks to Ronald McDonald House, our families have just what they need close by to take care of their [children]."

Highlighting the evening was a film about Stephen Zamarron, now 2, who became critically ill as a newborn and whose family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House while he fought -- successfully -- for his life. The Zamarron family was introduced after the film.

The other highlight: Uh, yeah, the chocolate, which guests were also given the opportunity to tote away in white to-go boxes.

In total, about 600 people helped the charity raise about $345,000 -- a record for the 12-year-old fundraiser.

High Profile on 02/22/2015

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