The 18th Annual Children’s Charity Ball, a signature West Hartford fundraiser that supports the Bridge Family Center, will be held on Jan. 21, 2017.

Members of the 2017 Children’s Charity Ball Committee pose for a photo after their Oct. 18, 2016 meeting. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

The thermometer indicated a summer-like temperature of 80 degrees Tuesday morning, but at the Children’s Charity Ball Committee meeting at the Universalist Church of West Hartford, January was on everyone’s mind.

Work on the Bridge Family Center’s 18th annual gala began in earnest in early September, and the committee meets weekly to plan the organization’s signature Children’s Charity Ball, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, at the Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford. Last year’s sell-out event raised more than $250,000 for the Bridge’s mission of supporting children and families throughout the Greater Hartford area.

Pink has been chosen as the signature color for the gala, and this year’s theme is “Imagine …” with the Bridge’s focus on raising funds so that the children and families it supports can imagine a better life.

The seven special raffle baskets created by committee members, always a gala favorite, will focus on topics such as “Imagine … you’re a fashionista … you’re a artist … you’re a famous chef … you’re a kid again.”

The event, expected to attract 375 guests, will include a cocktail reception, sit-down dinner, live and silent auctions, and dancing to the music of the Timmy Maia Band. Live auction events are expected to include tickets to a major sporting event, a Premier Limousine experience, a Max Restaurant Group dinner, a trip, and a craft beer event at Auerfarm.

Scot Haney, Channel 3 meteorologist and co-host of “Better CT,” will reprise his role as emcee for the evening.

Allstate Insurance Company is the presenting sponsor, and opportunities are open for additional sponsorships ranging from $150 for a business card ad up to the $20,000 level. For more information, contact Martha Rennie at [email protected].

Committee members for the 2017 Children’s Charity Ball are: Amanda Aronson, Judy Bierly, Cyndi Brown, Mary Butler, Heather Clifford, Laury Currier, Kara Flanagan, Mary Ellen Flege, Jenni Friedman, Laura Giannone, Maureen Griffin, Sue Healey, Rebecca Holmes, Nancy Hunt, Lynn Jimenez, Amanda Kelsey, Nancy Kennedy, Dana Kuhl, Kara Langan, Karen Licht, Carol Lorenzo, Kristin Magendantz, Shelley Mendoza, Dee Newton, Stacy Raney, Martha Rennie, Beth Ryan, Ellen Sayers, Kim Shea, Cheri Stabnick, Paula Stabnick, and Liz Wilcox.

The 18th Annual Children’s Charity Ball will be held on Jan. 21, 2017, from 6 p.m. to midnight, at the Hartford Golf Club. For more information, contact Judy Bierly at the Bridge Family Center at 860-521-8035 or [email protected].

More information about the Bridge Family Center is available on the organization’s website at www.bridgefamilycenter.org.

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