On Sunday, June 14, local supporters of Compass Regional Hospice will host Farm to Table, an elegant dinner to benefit Compass Kids. The dinner begins at 4:00 pm and will be held at a private residence on the Corsica River in Centreville.
The Farm to Table fundraiser will be hosted by John and Paige Evans and Zeke Warner. The menu created by Magnolia Caterers consists of food from local farms and from the Chesapeake Bay. The $75 ticket prices includes dinner, beer and wine. The dance band 21 Horses are booked to perform their popular brand of country and bluegrass music.
A silent auction will add to the fun. Guests will bid on trips, baskets of cheer, art and other items donated for the event. The bidding is sure to be lively for a night on the town that includes a ride in a Rolls Royce to dinner at a local restaurant.
Compass Kids is a family-centered program with the goal of helping parents secure the care and resources they need when a child is diagnosed with a chronic, complex and often life-limiting illness. This program also offers support for children and families grieving the death of a loved one. One of the most popular grief support programs offered through Compass Kids is Camp New Dawn, a summer retreat for children, teens and families who learn how to express their feelings about the loss of a loved one.
Zeke Warner has been a champion of Camp New Dawn since 2000. “I wanted to support this cause because it supported me when my wife died 15 years ago,” he explains. His older daughter, Mary Jane, attended Camp New Dawn that year when she was five. She returned with her younger sister, Maggie, in 2001. “Camp New Dawn helped my girls see and understand that losing someone they loved didn’t happen just to them.”
Warner adds, “It takes a lot of money to run hospice and we want to make sure that Compass Regional Hospice has the money it needs to do the work they do in our community.”
Paige Evans is a graduate of Camp New Dawn. “I attended camp 20 years ago after the death of my grandfather,” she says, “I know a lot of kids who have attended camp over the years and I see how they benefit. That’s why John and I decided to open our home to host this event for Compass Kids.”
Evans adds, “Zeke’s daughters and other young people who have attended Camp New Dawn will be serving at the Farm to Table dinner. Many local companies are donating items and our family business, Graul’s Market, is underwriting many of the expenses so that we can raise as much money as possible for Compass Kids.”
Compass Regional Hospice Development Office Kenda Leager says, “We care for anyone regardless of their ability to pay. We depend on the generosity of the community to fill the gap between what it costs us to provide hospice services and the payments we receive from Medicare, Medicaid and insurance.”
Leager adds, “Fundraising is essential for our grief support services because many of them are offered free of charge. On behalf of the children and families served through Compass Kids we thank Paige and John Evans and Zeke Warner for their support. ”
Seating for the Farm to Table dinner is limited and tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information, to donate an auction item and to purchase tickets, contact Kenda Leager, 443-262-4106, [email protected].
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