Inside Duke Medicine
19th-annual Teddy Bear Ball is this weekend
posted December 4th, 2008
Supporters of Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center will gather Friday for a formal, fun night of festivities including a wine tasting, silent and live auction bidding, hors d’oeuvres and dancing. The 19th annual Teddy Bear Ball, a black tie gala benefiting Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center, takes place this Dec. 5, at the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center.
This year’s event is themed “Flights of Fancy” and is chaired by Dan and Wendy Cooper, parents of pediatric brain tumor patient, Matthew Cooper. The Cooper family commuted for a number of years from California for Matt’s treatment. They have since relocated to Durham to be near Duke Children’s.
The event has seen great success in the past, raising more than $3.5 million for the kids at Duke. Attendees bid on more than 250 auction items such as weekend getaways, arts and entertainment excursions, and sports packages, all paired with themed teddy bears.
The live auction offers amazing packages including a trip to New York City with tickets to two Disney Broadway Shows and a behind the scenes tour given by a cast member. The auction also includes other unique trips such as a tour of the United States Capitol building hosted by United States Congressman, David Price and a private shopping party at Saks Fifth Avenue at Triangle Town Center Mall among other fabulous offerings.
The final auction item of the evening will be the “Flights of Fancy” quilt. Coinciding with this year’s theme the quilt features whimsical birds created from fabrics that were hand-dyed, painted, collaged, beaded and stitched by hundreds of patients at Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center.
The best item the Ball has to offer is not an item at all; it is the chance to help the children at Duke.