Recent Events

 DATE EVENT
 June 25, 2008 20th Anniversary Congressional Gala
 May 5, 2008 First Annual Children's INNvitational
 April 5, 2008 AFCEA Bethesda's "A Night For The Children" Gala
 March 10, 2008 Giggles Children's Theater

20TH ANNIVERSARY CONGRESSIONAL GALA
June 25, 2008

Award-winning ABC news anchor Gordon Peterson, who helped host The Inn’s first annual congressional gala in 1989, and Emmy Award-winning journalist, best-selling author and Inn Board Member Cokie Roberts, a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio, were the co-emcees for The Inn’s 20th anniversary Congressional Gala June 25th at the National Building Museum.

This year the gala honored founding board member Debbie Dingell, whose longtime dedication and steadfast support has provided more than 8,000 families with “a place like home” while participating in groundbreaking medical treatment at the National Institutes of Health. From the begining, Debbie has served on our Board of Directors and has been the Inn's leading advocate.

In 1987, with the support of leaders in industry and government, “The Friends of the Children’s Inn” were founded to meet the challenge of designing and building a home for the families whose children were treated at the National Institutes of Health. Under the early leadership of Carmala Walgren, Dr. Philip Pizzo and the medical staff at the NIH, Chris Downey and Debbie Dingell joined the effort to create the first Children’s Inn Gala with Debbie Dingell as Gala Chair. The first Gala was an extraordinary success that brought together corporate leaders, Members of Congress, and the NIH leadership. It is thanks to the energy and determination of the original “Friends” that The Children’s Inn opened its doors in 1990

FIRST ANNUAL CHILDREN'S INNVITATIONAL
May 5, 2008
Amid blue skies, 132 golfers played in the First Annual Children’s Inn at NIH INNvitational at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, Maryland on May 5. Paul Berry, one of DC’s most respected journalists served as the event emcee. All the proceeds from the event will go to furthering the mission of The Children’s Inn. Special thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, Booz Allen Hamilton and to Hole Sponsors: Altum, Darcars, Fleishman Hillard, General Dynamics Information Technology, IT Solutions, Ketchum, Merck, Porter Novelli, Russ Reid and The Washington Speakers Bureau. Mark your calendars for next year’s INNvitational, Monday, June 1, 2009.

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AFCEA BETHESDA'S "A NIGHT FOR THE CHILDREN" GALA
April 5, 2008

AFCEA Bethesda’s “A Night for the Children” gala, hosted at the Mayflower Hotel, celebrated its tenth anniversary of supporting The Inn. Since the first gala in 1999, companies and individuals representing all areas of the federal IT communities have generously contributed their time and financial support. This year’s Platinum Sponsors included Microsoft and Intel, followed by Gold Sponsor General Dynamics Information Technology. The Inn received $450,000 from this amazing effort. For the first time, the donation will be restricted to the newly created AFCEA Bethesda Endowment for The Inn. Inn mother, Sonia Cobar and her son Allen, who were celebrating his 10th birthday at the event, charmed the crowd with their speech about The Inn’s many blessings for families like theirs. For the past five years, they have stayed at The Inn when Allen receives treatment for Neurofibromatosis at the National Institutes of Health. The high-tech community enjoyed a lively and enchanting evening of dancing, casino games, and silent and live auctions. AFCEA Bethesda has raised more than $2.5 million for The Inn since its first gala in 1999.

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GIGGLES CHILDREN'S THEATER

March 10, 2008

The Children's Inn at NIH celebrated its Giggles Children's Theater Grand Opening on March 10th amid the cheerful and excited faces of Inn residents. NIH Director Dr. Elias A. Zerhouini made comments followed by a live performance by the children's musical group, Rocknoceros. Live performances will be showing one Sunday a month by talented local musicians, magicians, puppeteers and story tellers that will bring the therapeutic power of laughter and entertainment to sick children and families under extreme stress. These engaging and interactive shows incorporate the audience into the act with boisterous sing-a-longs and hilarious on-stage participation.

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