Foundation Features Digest

Upcoming Events

The Legendary Party 2012 to Showcase “American Splendor”

The Legendary Party is always an evening to remember, but this year’s American Splendor-themed event – scheduled for Nov. 3 at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead – promises to be even more spectacular. Past Legendary Parties have taken guests on a whirlwind adventure – Around the World, Versailles, London and many more exotic places.

This year’s Legendary Chair, Kay Quigley, will bring the Party and our attention back home. American Splendor is set to remind us of the beauty and magnificence of our country, the importance and bravery of those who defend it and the strength of the people that truly inspire us.

Funds raised at this year’s Legendary Party will benefit the SHARE Military Initiative, a continuum of rehabilitation care for military service members who have sustained a traumatic brain injury while serving the United States on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

This year’s Honorary Chairmen are Lewis and Faye Manderson and Shepherd Center Medical Director Donald Peck Leslie, M.D. Chairman Kay Quigley, Chairman-Elect Karen Spiegel and the Legendary Party Committee have been working hard fundraising and planning for the event.

The Legendary Party 2012 will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3, at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Tickets and sponsorships for the event may be purchased online at TheLegendaryParty.com. For more information, please visit the website or contact annual events manager Florina Newcomb at 404-350-7302 or florina _ newcomb@shepherd.org.

Planning Under Way for Derby Day 2013

Shepherd Center’s Derby Day celebrated its 30th year in style in May. The event’s $85,500 in net proceeds supported Shepherd Center’s Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Program.

Now, Co-Chairs Catherine Skeen and Wesley Snapp are already hard at work planning for next year’s Derby Day. Mark your calendars for May 4, 2013!

The Junior Committee will be accepting new members until Dec. 30, 2012. Meetings are held each month with the exception of December, when the committee holds its annual holiday party.

For more information on joining the Junior Committee or sponsoring Derby Day, please contact Cara Puckett at 404-350-7778 or cara_puckett@shepherd.org.

Shepherd Center Auxiliary Announces Pecans Fundraiser

The Shepherd Center Auxiliary’s annual holiday fundraiser, Pecans on Peachtree, runs from Nov. 7 to Dec. 24. All of the fundraiser’s delicious pecan and nut varieties will be available again this year online at www.pecansonpeachtree.org or at the Center.

Selections this year include a larger tin of the Holiday Trio, which was the best seller last year. Back by popular demand is the Customers’ Favorite tin filled with chocolate-covered pecans and golden roasted and lightly salted pecans.

The Auxiliary is busy signing up volunteers to work the sales tables inside Shepherd Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and to host “Pecan Parties” in their homes or businesses. If you would like to volunteer, receive a brochure or place an order, call 404-367-1322 or go to www.pecansonpeachtree.org.

Event Reports

SCS-Nashville’s Beyond Barbecue Raises Scholarships and Awareness for Beyond Therapy®

Nashville’s chapter of Shepherd Center Society (SCS-NASH) hosted Beyond Barbecue, an awareness and fundraising event for Shepherd Center’s Beyond Therapy® program in Franklin, Tenn. The Sept. 8 food and music extravaganza drew together SCS members, Beyond Therapy® patients, staff and donors with members of the community to have a great time while helping raise scholarship funds for Tennessee patients.

Al and Sylvia Ganier hosted the event on their beautiful Hidden Valley Farm. The evening began with a VIP reception in the Ganiers’ fabulous home for Beyond Barbecue sponsors. The festivities continued at the Ganiers’ GreenDoor Gourmet in their newly built, rough-hewn oak “barn.”

Ashlee Foxx of 107.5 The River served as emcee and introduced performances by singer/songwriters Nick Malloy, Trent Jeffcoat and Gary Ray (Nick and Trent are Shepherd Center alumni). Popular Nashville band Sixwire closed the show with two sets of great music that filled the dance floor.

Guests enjoyed delicious barbecue – featuring Cobbie’s Sauce – prepared by nationally acclaimed barbecue artist Arlee Bragg. Partiers cooled down with wine and craft beers donated by Lipman Bros. and ice-cold spring water from Springer Mountain Farms.

Beyond Barbecue Chair Rhiana Pfaff and her committee and volunteers worked diligently for months planning and implementing this inaugural fundraising event.

To learn more, visit SCS-NASH.com or contact Beyond Therapy® Marketing and Development Manager Shauna Collins at 615-656-4656 or shauna_collins@shepherd.org.

Nashville Reunion Draws Former Patients and Local Medical Staff

Shepherd Center held a reunion for former patients living in the Nashville, Tenn., area in July, giving Shepherd staff members an opportunity to honor the hospital’s alums for their hard work, determination and successful return to their communities.

The event – hosted by the Shepherd Center Marketing and Public Relations Department – drew about 150 people to the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. Guests included former patients and their family and friends, as well as local medical professionals from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s trauma care team, Select Specialty Hospital Nashville and Shepherd Center’s Beyond Therapy®-Tennessee facility in Franklin, Tenn.

Former patients, both those who were recently discharged and some from more than 10 years ago, traveled from throughout Tennessee and beyond to attend the event.

Speaking at the event were Shepherd Center Medical Director Donald Peck Leslie, M.D.; Shepherd Center vice president of clinical services Sarah Morrison, PT; Vanderbilt Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Richard Miller, M.D.; and Susan Sutton, director of Vanderbilt’s Trauma Survivors Network.

A highlight of the event was a demonstration of an exoskeleton robotic assisted walking device developed by Professor Michael Goldfarb, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University. He is testing the device in collaboration with Shepherd Center. Former patient Brian Shaffer of Summertown, Tenn., tested the exoskeleton with assistant from Scott Hawes, program director of Beyond Therapy®-Tennessee.

Football Fans Gather for a Good Time for a Great Cause

Football season has officially started, and Shepherd Center Society and the Junior Committee made sure it was celebrated in style! The two groups collaborated in organizing The Tailgate, a college football party fundraiser.

For the second year in a row, The Tailgate was an incredible success, attracting close to 1,000 people. Chairs Taylor and Michael Butkus and William Stallworth took last year’s prototype, made some great additions and presented an even bigger, better event that had everyone talking.

The Tailgate was held Labor Day weekend on Saturday, Sept. 1, from noon until 7 p.m. in the parking lot across the street from the Georgia Dome. The game at the Dome that day was Auburn vs. Clemson, and Tailgate patrons enjoyed gourmet food trucks, an open bar, live music and TVs for game watching.

West Water Outlaws started the day off right with great music, continued by the Reid Stripling Band and followed by the highly anticipated finale presented by The Last Waltz. Multiple bars provided drinks, and the food truck vendors made sure no one went hungry.

Summer in the City 2012 Draws Large Crowd to Enjoy Atlanta’s Delicious Food and Fine Wines

Shepherd Center Society’s Summer in The City 2012 was a spectacular success, treating guests to a beautiful setting at the Greystone Conservancy at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, delicious food from some of Atlanta’s most exciting restaurants and 22 wine selections provided by National Distributing Company.

Held on July 18, 2012, more than 500 people sipped fine wines, sampled delicious dishes and bid on marvelous items in a silent auction. On the veranda, guests listened to live music while captivated by mixologists who made the sort of drinks that seem complicated, yet refreshing on a muggy summer night. It was a fun evening, a perfect way to break up the monotony of the workweek and a great way to meet with friends.

Summer in the City is organized by Shepherd Center Society (SCS), a fundraising volunteer group that supports Shepherd Center and serves as advocates for the hospital. National Distributing Co.’s Mitch Kerpoe recruited the chefs, solicited wine and spirit donations, and managed the event logistics, while Co-Chairmen Kelley Anne Smaha and Sai Reddy and the planning committee solicited auction items and sponsorships.