Red, White and Blue USO-Themed Revue

Television and recording star, Della Reese will join the fight against child abuse at the Red Dress Ball on May 1st.

Early on, Della Reese’s singing captivated audiences from small clubs to grand stages and led to her first exposure on television, where she appeared on all the musical variety shows.  Surprisingly to many, but not to herself, Della soon displayed excellent comedic and dramatic skills.

In the late 50’s and early 60’s, she appeared on many television shows that are now considered classics, including “The Perry Como Show”, “The Jackie Gleason Show”, as well as more than twenty appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show”.  She was the first female to host “The Tonight Show”. One of her most famous roles has been in her three-time Emmy nominated co-starring role as “Tess”, on the CBS dramatic series “Touched by an Angel”.

As part of the 50th Anniversary, Childhelp is launching a 50 state “End Child Abuse Now” bus tour to raise attention and awareness to the issue. Though the organization has accomplished much and made an impact in the lives of millions of children over the last 50 years, much more needs to be done. Child abuse cases have been increasing across the nation as CPS workers are being laid off during budget cuts and parents struggling with financial problems and venting their frustrations on their children.  The Childhelp Bus, as seen recently on the Today Show and Nancy Grace, will be making an appearance at this event!

Ray and Daran Grimm were recently honored for their dedicated commitment to Childhelp in Washington, DC. Co-founders Sara O’Meara & Yvonne Fedderson, presented them with the prestigious Day of Hope Corporate Award during Childhelp’s annual Day of Hope luncheon earlier this month.

Since becoming involved in Childhelp, nearly 25 years ago, The Grimms have been a shining example of love to 12 Childhelp children throughout the years. They have also been responsible for the fundraising efforts that helped build a gymnasium for the Merv Griffin Village in Beaumont, CA. In addition, Ray has served on Childhelp’s State Board, both as a member and as President.

A host of Congressional leaders attended the event, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.). Celebrity Ambassadors John O’Hurley and Jane Seymour were also in attendance.

Ray and Daran Grimm will be on hand to help commemorate Childhelp’s 50th Anniversary on the USS Midway in San Diego, CA, May 1st, 2009. Click here for a photo gallery.

In 1983, Congress declared April to be "Child Abuse Prevention Month." Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime. Aren't you glad that Childhelp is aiming to stop this! You can bring more awareness to those you know, locally in San Diego, by referring them to the latest edition of San Diego Family Magazine. This free publication has just mentioned Childhelp.org as one of three crisis resources in their article on child abuse. To find out where you can pick up a copy, click here.

If you didn't have a chance to catch it, Childhelp was featured on the Today Show last Thursday, by ambassador, Kathie Lee Gifford. Click here to see the news piece.

There may be a whole lot of negative news to go around these days…but for every one of those, there are twice as many caring hearts! SCA is so happy and blessed to have generous contributors pour in more wonderful auction items for the evening of May 1st. If you haven’t visited www.reddressball.com lately, please go to the Auction tab. You will find a recently posted third page, full of silent opportunities. Thank you sponsors! Every little bit is “for the love of a child”.

Have you made your hotel arrangements for the Childhelp USO-Themed Revue on May 1st? The SCA has secured two wonderful accommodations, but for a limited time!

The luxurious Ivy Hotel made the Conde Nast 2008 List as one of the Best New Hotels in the World. Located in the downtown Gaslamp Quarter, the Ivy Hotel has been gracious to offer a special rate only to attendees of the Childhelp gala. If you would rather stay within feet of the USS Midway, then the Holiday Inn on the Bay has saved a room just for you.

Only 20 rooms have been allotted from each hotel for our guests. Reservations must be made by April 8th, so take advantage! Visit www.reddressball.com under the Contact Us page, or click on a hotel name below for more details.

Ivy Hotel – in the Gaslamp
600 F Street
San Diego, 92101
Rate: $169 (May 1st only)
1-877-489-4489

Holiday Inn on the Bay
1355 North Harbor Drive (across from the USS Midway)
San Diego, 92101
619-232-3861
Rate: Single / Double - $149, Triple - $159

With just seven weeks to go, preparation for the Childhelp Southern California Auxiliary's annual Red Dress Ball is in full throttle!  In order to showcase the gala, we're inviting you to subscribe and/or participate in our event website and blog at www.reddressball.com. On the News page, simply click on the orange "RSS Feed" icon to the right. You will be prompted to choose a location on your computer to receive news bulletins about the evening's festivities. Saving RSS feeds to your email program is often the most convenient. Otherwise, you may also collect the news through selective web-based news feeders such as Bloglines, My Yahoo or Google. As a reader of this blog, you are welcome to share a public comment regarding the big event! Comments may be subject to editor discretion.

The Red Dress Ball celebrates Childhelp's 50th anniversary as a "Red, White & Blue USO-Themed Revue" aboard the USS Midway on Friday, May 1st at 6:30pm. The evening will include dinner, live entertainment, celebrity appearances, and numerous live and silent auction items. The night will conclude with a fireworks display off the flight deck. Tickets are $150 and $250. All net proceeds of ticket sales will go to Childhelp®, a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect.