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April is a busy month for fundraisers.

JDRF is having its annual gala on April 21.

The next weekend, on April 28, the IV Party to Benefit St. Vincent will be held on the St. Vincent campus.

It is by design that they aren't on the same weekend.

"We purposefully and respectfully checked the Association of Fundraising Professionals calendar so that we wouldn't conflict with anything and to be respectful of everyone else's events," said Sonya Schmidt, president of the St. Vincent Foundation.

St. Vincent is throwing a party, but no worries golf and tennis fans, those events are still on.

"I call it a party with a purpose," Schmidt said. "This is in support of St. Vincent but to also get to know these folks better. And we want to make St. Vincent more visible."

Visibility is one goal, but Schmidt said the other is to have something unique right off the bat.

And for that, the foundation called on Little Rock native and New York party planner Todd Bagwell, who has Condé Nast Publications among his clients. His eye-catching design promises to be like nothing Little Rock has ever seen.
"It is going to be on the rooftop of the parking deck," Schmidt said. "We wanted something on campus, to show people the hospital so what we are going to do is tent off the roof and turn that area into a lounge."

A lounge on the roof?

"We wanted something unique, so everything is on purpose," Schmidt said. "We wanted something that no one has ever done before here and the focus is on fun, fellowship, visiting with people and having a dance."

The area will have a dance floor and a band — Liquid Pleasure — and "not so much focus on sitting down and having food," she noted.

And no worries about disturbing the patients in the hospital. "It will face out to the golf course and away from the hospital," Schmidt explained. "We'll have baffling that will cut down on any noise and, of course, we'll let the patients know what is going on."

And this won't be the last party.

"This is just the beginning," Schmidt said. "The IV Party is just Phase 1. Next year, we will roll out what will be a second-tier event and we might, eventually, very carefully craft and execute two or three special events per year with different target audiences and different purposes."

For more information on the IV Party contact Schmidt at (501) 552-2383.


April 2007

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