2012 Fandango Gala-Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

Wow, where do I begin?? Saturday was one of the most amazing days ever! Talk about a "roller coaster of emotions!" This was my first Gala that was at The Hole in The Wall Gang Camp. I have been to several Gala's in NYC and they were great, but this was just....MAGICAL!! The events that were held in NYC were wonderful, glamorous and there were lot's of celebrity performances and appearance's by people like, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Michael Buble, Kristen Chenowith, Stevie Wonder, Trisha Yearwood, President Bill Clinton, Julia Roberts and SO many more, and still.....NOT as magical as the Gala at Camp!

How do I explain what made this Gala so special? Sure, there were celebrities there too! Alec Baldwin was the auctioneer and he was absolutely AMAZING!! He was hysterically funny and he made it clear that he really cares about Camp! He did a fantastic job of getting people to GIVE!!Oh, and HE gave a LOT himself!

 One of the items up for bid was lunch with Bradley Cooper (sexiest man alive) and there were a LOT of ladies interested in that one!!

 In the end....Camp got $200,000 for the lunch with BC!!! NO, I was NOT the winner! Although Ray is a wonderful husband, I just could NOT convince him that he should take out his retirement money in order to get the lunch for me....um...I mean, for ALEX! After all, her birthday will be here in just over a week and I was thinking that Bradley would make a GREAT birthday surprise!! One gentleman was up to $95,000 in the bidding (a gift for his very young, teenaged daughter!), and Alec Baldwin said that if he would make it $100,000, he would match it!! No prob!! What's a mere $100, 000, right????? Anyway, there were so many wonderful live and silent auction items....some that went for $50, 000 to $100, 000, and some that went for a few hundred! I won a signed poster of Jake Gyllenhaal for Alex! It was just a wonderful event!

After the Auction and Gala, Ray's band; Sundance Kidz performed at the dinner! They were absolutely WONDERFUL!! I was SO proud to be there with the band! Of course, after a couple of drinks, I had fun telling a couple of people; when asked what my role with the band was, that I was, "sleeping with the drummer!!"

                                                           

 People were dancing and having a wonderful time! One of the people dancing was James Naughton, the wonderful singer/actor. I chatted with him for a while a little later and he was one of the warmest, most genuinely nice people I have ever met! He was a friend of Paul Newman's and he has had a big role in helping keep Paul's Camp going!

James Naughton-Blue plaid shirt!

 I also chatted with Paul Newman's daughter, Lissy, whom I had met a couple of times previously and once again....she is such a beautiful, kind and generous lady! She also has the most amazing singing voice! I met Nathan Lane, and Alec Baldwin very briefly. The actress, Bridget Moynahan was also there and has recently become involved with Camp.Sandy Koufax was on the dance floor at one point in the evening!

Again, meeting these wonderful people was great, but the REAL reason that this Gala was so amazing??....Let's see if I can even begin to put it into words! I met several wonderful people from all walks of life, some who have been involved with Camp for a long time, and some who were there for their first visit. I talked to friends from Camp, whom I have known for awhile now through Team Hole in the Wall and from previous visits to Camp and it is ALWAYS a joy to be around all of these wonderful people! I could write a BOOK about how I feel about these kind, and caring folks! I also had the pleasure of talking one on one with a couple of Moms' of former Campers. These ladies were there to volunteer their time, helping out with putting on this event. During one of the Mom's breaks, we chatted about the wonder's of Camp. This beautiful lady was trying to explain just how much the Camp experience had meant to her son, and to the rest of her family. Through many tears, she said that even though she had some amazing friends who loved her and her son, that they couldn't TRULY understand what she was feeling. She said that when she went to the family sessions at Camp for the weekend, she got to talk to other Mom's who REALLY KNOW deep down what she's going through and she got to listen to them, bond with them and not feel so alone. As for her son....She said that she didn't really want to drop her sick child (cancer) off at Camp and leave him for a week Through her tears she said to me, "I just kept thinking....what if he dies there, what if I'm not with him?" OMG, I CAN'T even imagine. She really didn't want to leave him, and yet, because his doctor's thought he needed to go and deep down SHE knew it would be good for him, she put a smile on her face and dropped him off at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp! Of course, after she left him at Camp, she had herself a good cry, but she's a Mom and she did what she KNEW in her heart was the right thing for her son. I'm not sure just how long it's been since her son went to Camp, but he's doing well now. She still feels that she can never give back enough to the Camp to even come close to what they gave her son, but she volunteers and works there every chance she gets. This same woman, along with quite a few others, were so overcome with the generosity of some of the people at the auction, that they were crying. I saw so many people crying at different times in the evening! Mother's, father's, people who work for Camp, former Camper's......SO many people, and yet, this wasn't a sad event! These people were crying because they were so happy to know that this MAGICAL place, has the funds to continue on for other sick children!! These same people who were crying at times, were also celebrating, dancing, singing along with Sundance Kidz, and just being THANKFUL for so many caring people! I also got to see so many of the beautiful children who attend Camp and hear directly from THEM how much this place means to them.

In the middle of the evening, I thought of something that Paul Newman said in a video clip about Camp that sort say's it all....."Whenever I'm feeling down in the dumps, I come here and this place reaffirms everything that is good and generous about this country."

I ALWAYS leave Camp with a smile on my face and in my heart!!