A sell-out crowd of over 500 enthusiastic supporters of the Crisis Nursery gathered amongst the Wizard of Oz décor at the Sheraton Westport Lakeside Chalet for the Razzle Dazzle Ball: Somewhere Over the Rainbow! The gala held on February 19, far surpassed the Nursery’s goal bringing in an astounding $200,000; all for the benefit of the children and families helped by the Crisis Nursery.
Event Co-Chairs, Karen & Steve Reese (US Bank) and Bee (Citigroup) & Tom Morrell (US Bank Dealer Services), along with Vice Chairs, Noah Griggs (Hardee’s Food Services); Karen Prideaux (Barnes Jewish St. Peters Hospital); and Michael Staenberg (THF Realty) were delighted with the evening consisting of gourmet dinner and dancing to the up-tempo beat of Contemporary Productions MoTown Revue. An inspiring awards presentation recognized those who did so much to help the Crisis Nursery carry out its mission, while the auctions and the ever-popular Champagne and Dazzling Diamond Extravaganza raised additional funds.
“This is truly a community that generously supports child abuse prevention and we are so grateful for that,” said DiAnne Mueller, Executive Director of the Crisis Nursery.
Emcee extraordinaire, John Carney, who keeps the late night KMOX radio audience amused, used his humor to keep the auction and the evening moving along, while Honorary Chairs, David & Thelma Steward (World Wide Technology), welcomed guests in equally capable style. Special Guest, our very own Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith, brought excitement to the room by greeting guests and thanking them for their support. Don Wolff, renowned attorney and host of KMOX’s Saturday evening, The Jazz Show, further touted the Crisis Nursery by the live remote broadcast of his Jazz show on-site at the event.
The Crisis Nursery presented its prestigious H.U.G.S. & K.I.S.S.E.S. Awards, sponsored by Tiffany & Co., to Roberta Cohen as Woman of the year. Anthony, Allan & Quinn received the Distinguished Corporate Citizen of the Year Award.
And as is always the case, after the live and silent auctions were closed, everyone waited anxiously to hear who would win the gorgeous 1.1 Carat Diamond from the Champagne & Dazzling Diamond Extravaganza sponsored by Copernicus Fine Jewelers. John Heusler of Copernicus, who generously donated the diamond, announced ,the diamond went to the delighted Dr. Mark & Tammy Belcher of St. Charles.
Crisis Nursery- St. Charles is a non-profit agency committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect by providing a temporary, emergency safe haven to children, birth through age ten, whose families are in crisis. The Nursery’s three residential care locations are open to children in St. Charles, St. Louis and surrounding counties 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Crisis Nursery St. Charles has cared for more than 6,700 children and provided support and counseling to nearly 10,000 families since opening its doors in 1992.
For more information about the Razzle Dazzle Ball, please contact Ashley Bendoff at 314-768-3000 Ext. 2032 or ashley@crisisnurserykids.com.
For more information about volunteer opportunities or the Crisis Nursery and its services, please call Angie Osborne, Program Coordinator, at 636-947-0610.
