Vision for the future

Mayor Nutter was honored by Philadelphia Hospitality with the 15th Vision for Philadelphia Award at a gala celebration April 2 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The mayor chatted with many of the 615 guests in attendance while the St. Joe's Prep Jazz Band, from his alma mater, entertained at the reception. The event grossed more than $280,000 for the nonprofit Philadelphia Hospitality, which promotes the region as a destination for cultural, professional and corporate groups. The award is given each year to a Philadelphian who leads the city into the future and focuses attention on the region's assets.

Aid for autism

Guests dined and danced to the sounds of the Village People at Drexel University College of Medicine's Black Tie White Coat Ball on March 29 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The event brought in 950 attendees and raised $700,000 for the Drexel Autism Center, a clinical practice that provides evaluations and treatment, and the Drexel University College of Medicine Autism Consortium, a multidisciplined group of scientists and researchers who are dedicated to the cause. Miss Pennsylvania Rachel Marie Brooks, whose brother is a patient at Drexel Autism Center, spoke to attendees and performed.

Just desserts

More than 500 guests satisfied their sweet tooth at Sweet Charity, the annual fund-raiser of the Chester County Community Foundation, on April 1 at Waterloo Gardens in Exton. The event featured a competition by a dozen Chester County pastry chefs, who provided samples of their signature desserts for the crowd. The most popular dessert was White Chocolate Bread Pudding prepared by Michael Marchiani of Pace One Restaurant & Country Inn of Thornton. More than $75,000 was raised to benefit the Chester County Community Foundation, a nonprofit that helps individuals and families establish legacy funds to benefit the community.

Music feast

Celebrities, musicians and on-air personalities dined and dished about their musical experiences with music fans at the WXPN Beggar's Banquet on Friday at the Knowlton Mansion in North Philadelphia. The fund-raiser sat 200 guests with celebrity table hosts, including some of the station's most popular performing artists. Silent auctions offered guests the opportunity to bid on unique items including being a guest DJ on the station, VIP concert tickets, and guitars autographed by members of the Counting Crows and the Smithereens. The evening raised $47,000 for WXPN, a noncommercial public radio station in Philadelphia.

Chamber music

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presented its Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch on Sunday at the Westin Philadelphia. Hamlisch, who has won Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy Awards, performed for a crowd of 150 guests before accepting the award. A live and silent auction was held, and up for bid were Air France airline tickets to anywhere in Europe and four-night hotel stays in Paris or Brussels. Guests at the black-tie gala danced to the sounds of the Jon Lewis Orchestra. The evening's events grossed $120,000 for the Chamber Orchestra, a 33-member ensemble formed in 1964.