CHERUBS Angel Ball

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Planning is underway! Set for February, 2008. White dresses (wedding dresses encouraged), around Valentine's Day, great music, dancing among the "clouds" (fog), silent auction, much more!

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Update on plans for our Angel Ball...

- We have sponsors for music and desert!
- A sorority has volunteered to help out!

Please contact me if you would like to help.

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

I spent the better part of this morning talking to an event planner. She happens to be one of my work clients and is helping us to plan this ball. This ball is going to be huge... not sure what I've gotten myself info here! We still don't have a date yet. Sometime late spring or early summer. It will be black tie and women will be able to wear their wedding dresses again. I will also try to work out a discount with a local hotel for those of you that are coming from out of town to attend. A few ideas floating around about this ball....

- Black tie with white highly encouraged
- 200 to 300 people
- A band - we have several leads on some big names
- Dance Floor
- Silent Auction
- Celebrity guests
- Angel Ball sponsors will be able to arrive early and mingle with the celebrities
- Catered it will be $100 per couple
- Non-catered about $50 per couple
- CHERUBS members will receive a discount - especially if we put you to work volunteering at the event! ;)

So far we have an event planner, 2 disc jockeys, 2 photographers, cake decorator and sorority who have volunteered.

We will try to plan the Angel Ball and the Golf Tournament on the same week. Maybe we should just have the CHERUBS Conference here in Raleigh and combine it all.

As soon as I have more info I will post it!

[karahess]

Late spring or early summer would work well for those of us who are hibernating. My sister lives in the Raleigh area so that would be very convenient for me. I was already planning on making a trip there this spring or summer.

[StephanieOlivarez]

The ball sounds fantastic.
Wear my wedding dress-it wouldn't fit me if I tried!!!!HA HA
No kids right?? What are other families going to do with their kids?
I could leave my oldest three here-but as for Shelby- I wouldn't leave her, actually couldn't leave her.
Will eveyone's husbands come? Will anyone go without there spouse?
I am just trying to figure this out-it sounds to beautiful to miss.
How do you become an Angel Ball sponsor?
Stephanie

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Kara, it would be great to see you and Chuck there!

Stephanie, we honestly haven't thought far ahead enough about the kids. Let me work on that, maybe we can convince a local nursing company to volunteer to sit the cherubs that night.

We're still working out the sponsorship stuff too.

I should have more details next week hopefully. I plan to go knock on some doors and do some sponsor begging. :)

[StephanieOlivarez]

I am all excited about this Angel Ball.
I would be willing to come a couple days earlier and help with anything you need. I mean anything!!!LOL
About the babysitting-that would rock if we could get a nursing company to volunteer. I know that Shelby would have to come with us.
I have an idea-i know the ball is about the parents-but maybe like for an hour-families that bring their CDH babies/children-could we have an hour to meet them? Have kid friendly food and just talk and mingle-then have the babies/kids leave and time for adults. I know this would cost extra-you had written about the sponsorship stuff-I will look for more details to come.
You wrote about the CHERUBS conference-being around the same time-I think that idea is great. Families could do all the events and the time of year is great-like Kara stated-isolation will be at an end!!!
Stephanie(Shelby's Mom LCDH 7-10-06)

[Corin Nava]

I think this is a great idea! If it is in the summer I would probably be able to find a way down there! Hmmm, dig out my wedding dress-it has only been 3 1/2 years but 2 pregnancies later so Im not so sure I could squeeze back into it, of course that could be my goal after having Makayla :)

[karahess]

Yeah, um, I don't think my badunkadunk would fit well in my wedding dress either. I'm not just a little off, but 20 pounds heavier than my wedding day. I also paid a couple hundred to have my dress preserved. I have no intentions of getting it out of the box. I'm pretty sure I could find another suitable white gown.

[KimberlyRichards]

Kara,

I did that. too. My dress was cleaned and stuffed in an airtight box.
Maybe when Alyssa is getting married I'll think about getting it
out. Since she is only 7. That should be quite some time from
now!!! LOL

Kim Richards
mom to Olivia 08/31/02-09/19/02

[AmberRedman]

I haven't been very active on the boards, but as soon as I read about this, ny hubby and I just knew we would have to attend. I am looking forward to meeting other CDH families face-to-face.

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

I am looking forward to meeting so many of you for the first time in person and so many others of you again. We are going to have a ball (literally)! :D

[StephanieOlivarez]

I am so excited for the Angel Ball.
It is just going to be a wonderful week-end.
Dress shopping is on my mind. I am so happy we can wear gold or silver.
Do you have any details yet on sponsors for the ball?

[karahess]

I betcha we're all marking January 2 as the day we start our Angel Ball diet.

Don't forget ladies, you'll have to coordinate the whole tuxedo thing for the guys. Try to set up the rental in your area, but pick it up the the Raleigh/Durham area. Dawn, can you give us any guidance as to what's down there to rent from?

[StephanieOlivarez]

I like that idea Kara.
Shane has rented a tux from a little Mom and Pop store here just a couple of months ago for his Dad's marrage. He wants to get his tux from them again. I told him about your suggestion and he still wants to tote his. Which I guess is ok, us ladies will be carrying our dresses.

I was thinking...Dawn had said maybe bring a grandparent or sitter with, if you were afraid of the germs.
I know you have a sitter Kara.
I am just wondering if I should do this? I think it would be ok to have Shelby around other kids, due to the fact it being summer.
In July in NC what is the weather like? It's not flu season or anything like that is it?

[karahess]

That brings up a topic - the weather in NC in July is hotter than you know where and mega HUMID! Just my style weather, but take that into consideration when choosing a dress for what is probably an outdoor function. Sleeveless for this flabby armed girl!

I'm going to probably get a dress at Davids Bridal and have them fit me here but have it delivered to the Raleigh shop for my sister to pick up there.

Tuxedo thing and taking it with you will work if you're returning home soon. I think we're making it into a family vacation and going to hit up either the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach for 4 or 5 days prior or after.

[StephanieOlivarez]

Good call on a sleeveless dress.
That's great you will be going to Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach. What fun.
So the weather is hot and humid. What germs do you think will be hanging out?
Do you think it would be safe to leave Shelby with a babysitter and other kids? I wonder if Dawn is going to try and get nurses like she had mentioned. Now this whole thing with a babysitter is in my mind!!!

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

I'm going to try with nurses, but like I said, that will be in a group and I know some of our cherubs have immunity issues so I just wanted to give you all head's up on that.

Humid in NC... depends if we're out of this drought yet! I don't think NC is that humid, and I'm a Navy brat so I'm not an NC native. Much less humid than FL. I think it's about equal to OH. Shane never had an issue with humidity here and he was trached, on oxygen, vent, etc for 2 yrs. I have asthma and it doesn't bother me either.

Sleeveless is what I'm going for too and will probably shop at David's Bridal myself during their big sale in January. I have 2 other formal events this year so hoping to get a lot of use out of one dress.

[karahess]

That's interesting seeing as Raleigh, NC is listed as the #3 worst place to live if you are an asthma suffer according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

I hale from WV and OH and I think the weather in Raleigh is extremely humid in the summer compared to here. My sister and family lived in WV for 25 years and moved to Raleigh about 8 years ago. They suffer something awful from the humidity and my sisters allergies go absolutely bonkers.

[StephanieOlivarez]

Thank you for the heads up Dawn. The weather sounds like Indiana weather. I think Shelby will be fine around other children. We'll just have to make sure none of them have been sick for 2-3 weeks. I know the parents will let us know that.
I am off to David's Bridal in January to find my dress.
That's great to be able to have one dress for these other formal events- saves money and thats a good thing.

[karahess]

Sounds like we're all going to David's Bridal. Wouldn't it be hilarious if we all showed up with about the same dress from Davids Bridal.

[StephanieOlivarez]

Yeah that would be funny.
I am going for gold or silver.
I just hope I can find something. You know how you have the picture of what you want to buy and for some reason that sometimes never works out.
I wish everyone luck in finding the perfect dress. Even is all of get the same one. That would be a sight.

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Please send me a link to that article, Kara. I'll have to do some research - I don't want members thinking that Raleigh is smog or germ infested or something and be scared to bring their cherubs here. Raleigh has very little factories, I've never noticed a smog issue, and I can tell you from practically living at UNC and Duke for 6 years... there sure wasn't any conversations floating around from us parents of kids with severe lung issues about the air quality of Raleigh. It's not paradise here, but it's not pulmonary hell either. ;)

[Corin Nava]

Alright my diet starts the day after Makayla is born! I am going to look good for this :)

[karahess]

I've already changed my mind on my dress, Steph. I've been looking at picture of me wearing tea-length dresses and I'm not crazy about how my legs look. I think I'll aim for full length. I might have to go to Jo-anns and start looking at patterns. Much more cost-effective.