Survival Mode at Morso
• July 2, 2015

Founded in 2009, the charity, We Will Survive Cancer, involves a group of concerned family, friends and colleagues who have experienced the devastation cancer inflicts on the families of its victims. WWSC cares for basic needs such as grocery shopping, transportation to medical appointments, babysitting services and more. On Aug. 19, Morso’s Pablo Henrich and Peter Stepanek, photographer and owner of Skyhighart Photography, held a fundraiser at Morso. An attractive crowd enjoyed the new Georgetown venue’s great appetizers and networked for a deserving cause. [gallery ids="99290,99291,99292,99293,99294,99295" nav="thumbs"]

Irish Embassy Hosts ‘Hope’ Authors Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan
• June 22, 2015

Irish Ambassador Anne Anderson welcomed Founding Friends members for a literary luncheon May 20 and hailed the Irish roots of Washington Post journalists Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, who collaborated with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus on the current New York Times bestseller, “Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.” The women, and Michelle Knight, who has already written of the ordeal, were held captive for ten years in Cleveland by school bus driver Ariel Castro, who committed suicide in prison. The book details their amazing strength and resilience amid horrific abuse and Berry’s birth to a daughter Jocelyn.

Connie Lawn’s ‘You Wake Me Each Morning’ Cheered
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Connie Lawn signed copies of her updated autobiography, “You Wake Me Each Morning: The Final Chapter,” at the National Press Club May 21. The title comes from international listeners to her radio broadcasts. Nelson Mandela told her during a Washington news conference, “You gave my people hope.” The book follows Lawn’s career as a White House reporter since 1968 and the struggles of her one-woman news bureau. Lawn has received multiple honors, including the Life Time Achievement Award from New Zealand’s National Press Club. [gallery ids="117568,117563,117556,117572" nav="thumbs"]

In Series Throws a Quinceañera Celebration
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Latin American girls celebrate their 15th birthday in a big way. On June 11, In Series followed suit at DACOR-Bacon House with a garden party, seated dinner and gala musical program. The ambassador of Chile and his Antonia Echenique Celis, as well as Ambassador Emilio Rabasa, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, and his wife Carmen were honorary patrons. Producing Artistic Director Carla Hübner said, “Talk to your best friends and not so best friends about us, so we are not such a well-kept secret.” In Series takes fresh approaches to the classics and blends performing arts in unconventional ways.
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Esther Coopersmith Maintains Fight to Save Tyre
• June 18, 2015

On June 4, Esther Coopersmith entertained those gathered for a five-day symposium to support Maha el-Khalil Chalabi, founder of the International Association of Tyre, the American Committee on Tyre and Friends of Tyre, to raise awareness of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lebanon. The Senator Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) and Coopersmith received recognition for their pioneering roles. [gallery ids="102119,133790,133787,133792" nav="thumbs"]

Venezuela Wins Embassy Chef Challenge
• June 8, 2015

Cultural Tourism D.C. presented the Seventh Annual Gala Embassy Chef Challenge May 20 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. A dozen embassy chefs presented their signature delicacies before a panel of celebrity chefs and food critics for Judge’s and People’s Choice Awards. Chef Manuel Rodrigues of Venezuela garnered top votes for his crowd-pleasing rendition of ceviche. Cultural Tourism D.C. board chair Tim Cox acknowledged former Chief of Protocol Capricia Marshall and the many other dignitaries in attendance before urging, “Dine like a diplomat, and let the international tasting begin.” [gallery ids="102096,133907" nav="thumbs"]

GALA Theatre Shines the Lights
• June 7, 2015

GALA Theatre’s Noche de Estrellas or Night of the Stars honored José Andrés for Arts Business and Philanthropy and Marta Casals Isthmian for Service in the Arts May 19. The evening began on the theater’s rooftop with a Latino buffet and segued downstairs to performances by the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company and Paseo Nuevo video presentation, interspersed with a live auction and more. The evening concluded with a champagne toast and dessert, all in support of GALA’s outreach to our community’s at-risk Latino teens. [gallery ids="102097,133906,133908,133903" nav="thumbs"]

Kreeger Museum: ‘Neighbor and Jewel’ on Foxhall Road
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Guests enjoyed cocktails in the Kreeger Museum’s lower galleries, a seated dinner in the Great Hall and Monet Gallery and dessert on the Sculpture Terrace May 16.  Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke, the gala’s honorary patron, spoke about the recent Flemish Expressionism exhibition and introduced the jazz quartet which performed a number of works by Django Reinhardt.  He called the Kreeger “a neighbor and jewel in Washington.” Contributions enable the museum to provide innovative arts education workshops and programs for schools throughout the Washington area, focusing on underserved communities.
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Restore Mass Ave Seeks to Re-green Embassy Row
• May 23, 2015

Dutch Ambassador Rudolf Bekink and his wife Gabrielle de Kuyper Bekink welcomed leaders and supporters of Restore Mass Ave and other guests May 7 to their S Street residence, just off Massachusetts Avenue. The nonprofit was founded to bring Embassy Row back to its original design by engaging residents, embassies and public and private partners to plant and sustain a full canopy of trees along D.C.’s most famous diplomatic avenue. John Peters Irelan is spearheading the project which has already secured 330 new trees. There is also an education and outreach component as volunteer “treekeepers” learn tree care. [gallery ids="102090,134224,134211,134218,134221,134215" nav="thumbs"]

‘Picasso Dances’ at the Kreeger
• May 11, 2015

Dana Tai Soon Burgess and his eponymous dance company culminated their three-month residence program March 26 at the Kreeger Museum in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain with a premiere of “Picasso Dances,” inspired by four of the artist’s paintings in the museum’s collection. Burgess said that he felt “exposure to art adds to the creative process.” The choreographer traveled the world as an American Cultural Ambassador for the State Department. He dedicated the performance to Picasso and composer Manual de Falla as well as to the memory of his late father. [gallery ids="102064,134475,134474" nav="thumbs"]