Wheel of fortune

What happens in the Crystal Tea Room stays in the Crystal Tea Room. More than 300 "high rollers" tried their luck at roulette, blackjack, poker and craps at the Junior League of Philadelphia's second annual Big Deal Casino Night on Feb. 29. The evening, chaired by Mary-Alice Prewitt Michaels, also featured a live auction led by NBC10's Lori Wilson and Bill Henley. The benefit raised $45,000 for the Junior League's community-based projects, which include training parents to read aloud to newborns, mentoring high school students and providing arts enrichment to children.

Making waves

The Schuylkill Navy, an association of the 11 rowing clubs on Boathouse Row, celebrated its 150th anniversary on March 1 at the Bala Golf Club in Wynnefield. The 11 clubs boast more than 1,000 members, including 30 members of the U.S. Rowing Team. Nearly 1,000 high school and college rowers also push off from the boathouses. Honored as Coach of the Year was Conestoga High School's Paul Coomes, whose women's quad has been undefeated in seven of the last eight years. Penn graduate student and 2008 Olympic hopeful Ivan Baldychev was named Athlete of the Year.

Girls rule

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania hosted their 22d annual Take the Lead awards ceremony, held March 3 at the Four Seasons. Girl Scouts of all ages presented awards to Penn president Amy Gutmann, Philadelphia Academies president and city first lady Lisa Nutter, Loews Philadelphia Hotel general manager Valerie Ferguson, West Wing actress Melissa Fitzgerald, IBM executive Diane Melley, and Chinatown Learning Center founder Carol Wong. The event, attended by more than 450 guests, raised $313,000 for the Girl Scouts.

All that jazz    

Classical music students at the Curtis Institute cut loose with a program of jazz, bluegrass and Broadway show tunes at the second annual Curtis Cabaret on March 2 at the school's Field Concert Hall. The evening began with the 150 guests attending either dinner at the Prime Rib or a reception at the Rittenhouse Square home of Bonnie Barnes. The raffle's first prize went to Beverly Hattersley of Malvern, who won a private party for 25 featuring a performance by a Curtis student. The benefit raised $20,000 for the Curtis Student Assistance Fund, which provides financial support for student living expenses.

Dance, dance

More than 450 guests attended an evening of Latin cuisine and salsa dancing at Congreso de Latinos Unidos' second annual black-tie party, held on March 1 at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue. La Gala Latina: A Night in Acapulco, chaired by board chairman Ken Trujillo and his wife, Laura, began with cumbia dance lessons and continued into the wee hours to the sounds of Orquesta Insaciable and Dreamtime. Winning airfare for four to Latin America was Candice Rivera of Feltonville, who won the gala's networking contest, Congreso Connections, by meeting 25 new people. Congreso provides educational, employment, and supportive services to Philadelphia's Latino community.