Local charities are rolling out the red carpet for their causes this week and next with glamorous events that should give Oscar-party hoppers in
Los Angeles a run for their money. “What I love about this event isn’t just the energy, fun and the uniqueness, but that it raises money for the area’s Red Cross chapter, whose staff and volunteers were there during the inauguration and the tragedy of 9/11. They train us for disaster preparedness and are first on hand for all area house fires. They are also the first ones to greet our troops on American soil at Andrews [Air Force Base] upon returning from serving our country,” she says. General-admission tickets can be purchased at redcrossdc.org for $85 tickets for the VIP package are sold out. “At Five & Alive, our primary focus is on saving the lives of children around the globe. In these tough economic times, it is particularly important to find creative avenues to share our work with others. What better way than to gather good friends and supporters to watch the Oscars, raise a glass and toast our worthy cause,” says Kate Roberts, founder of YouthAIDS and Five & Alive. For more information and to inquire about attending, call 202/572-4626. At Grand Central bar and restaurant in Adams Morgan tonight at 7, an auction benefiting pediatric AIDS includes some not-too-shabby items you might find in an Oscar-night goodie bag: A Marc Jacobs Stella messenger bag, box seats to Carnegie Hall’s Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Gala and a trip for eight by private jet to Las Vegas. All proceeds benefit Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care Inc., an organization that provides creative and artistic outlets to area children living with the disease.
Next week, two area events are combining high style with charitable giving. On Feb. 25, the Fashion Takes Flight fashion-show benefit for Luke’s Wings will feature local glamazons such as Miss DC’s Kate Marie Grinold and Kate Michael, and “Blonde Charity Mafia’s” Katherine Kennedy as they strut down the runways at L2 Lounge on M Street Northwest.