Happy campers

Anne and Matt Hamilton hosted Dragonfly Forest's third annual CAMPtail Party and Auction June 6 at their home in Bryn Mawr. Also cohosts of the benefit, attended by more than 150, were Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman and Shelly and Larry Brown, head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. Guests enjoyed gourmet camp cuisine, a competitive scavenger hunt around the property, and tie-dyeing T-shirts. The evening raised $225,000 for Dragonfly, which provides a sleep-away summer camp experience free of charge at Westtown School in Westtown to children living with disorders or serious illnesses. For the first time this year, Dragonfly is offering summer camp for children with autism.

Singing their praises

The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale has a lot to crow about. The 110-member group celebrated its 40th anniversary at a black-tie gala held May 17 at Drexel University's Edmund D. Bossone Research Enterprise Center. The choir performed a program of favorites for the 150 guests, including Mozart's Overture to the Magic Flute, Lee Holdridge's "An American Hymn," and "Philadelphia Pride," its signature song by Frank Gari. In recognition of his 20 years as a member of the choir's board, Bill Jones received his red blazer from choir music director Jeffrey R. Smith. The black-tie gala, which honored Drexel president Constantine Papadakis, raised $50,000 for the choir.

The play's the thing

Playwright and 2008 Tony Award nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes cochaired Philadelphia Young Playwrights' annual benefit, Write On!, held June 4 at World Cafe Live. Hudes, who got her start as a Young Playwrights student at Central High School, wrote the book for In the Heights, this year's Tony Award winner for best musical.

Mayor Nutter received Young Playwrights' newly created Civics Award. Also honored were Virginia and Harvey Kimmel, Carole Haas Gravagno, Thelma Reese, and the playwriting team at Strawberry Mansion High School. "This program showed me I'm not alone in this world," said Strawberry Mansion 10th grader William Withers in accepting his award, "and there really are people like me out there." The evening raised $80,000 for Young Playwrights, whose playwriting program is in 50 public and private schools in the area.

Building BLOCS

BLOCS (Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools), which provides scholarships to students at area Catholic schools, grossed $1.2 million at its 11th annual gala, held May 21 at the Crystal Tea Room. For the 2008-09 school year, BLOCS has raised a total of $3.1 million. Among the 250 guests were Cardinal Justin Rigali, Bishop Joseph McFadden, Mayor Nutter, and BLOCS board chairman Mike O'Neill of Preferred Unlimited Inc. The evening showcased the music and dance talents of students from several area schools, including Holy Redeemer, Archbishop John Carroll and St. Veronica's.

Down-home evening    

More than 825 guests attended the Kimmel Center's sixth annual Summer in the City gala, Under the Big Sky in Kimmel Country, May 31 at the Kimmel. Among the guests were Gov. Rendell and wife Marjorie, Jack and Gloria Drosdick, David and Rhonda Cohen, Kimmel chairman Bill Hankowsky, gala advisory chairman Louise Reed and husband Alan, and Molly Rouse-Terlevich, daughter of the late Bill Rouse. After a performance by mandolinist Ricky Skaggs and pianist Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder, guests enjoyed line-dancing and playing Texas Hold'em.