With Labor Day looming, the fall philanthropic season is near. Here’s your black-tie roundup.
Actress and activist Jane Fonda, currently appearing in box-office champ "The Butler," is heading back to Atlanta for a charity fundraiser that will honor CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta (who played himself in the 2011 medical thriller "Contagion," which filmed some scenes in Atlanta), with a health pioneer award. The EmPower Party benefiting the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, which Fonda founded in 1995, is planned for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Georgia Aquarium. Event co-chairs are Alexandra Walter and Ashley Miller.
“We’ve seen teen pregnancy drop 45 percent since G-CAPP was initiated,” Fonda said in a statement. “We are striving to help teens find their inner strength and inner compass that will help them navigate better and healthier decisions overall.”
The patron party for event sponsors will be hosted Sept. 12 by Laura and Rutherford Seydel. General admission tickets to EmPower are $300 each. Patron tickets to both the gala and the patron party are $1,500 per couple. See www.gcapp.org or call 404-524-2277 for information and reservations.
The Gala at the Gate, chaired by Sarah O'Brien with honorary chairs Cyndae Arrendale and Dr. Dorothy Mitchell-Leef and benefiting the National Monument Foundation, is planned for Sept. 21 on the lawn of the Millennium Gate Museum at Atlantic Station. The reception at 6:30 p.m. is followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. The event will honor Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, longtime Atlanta broadcaster Monica Pearson, business executive and Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler and InterContinentalExchange Inc. founder Jeff Sprecher. Tickets are $500 each; see www.nmf.org or www.nmf.eventbrite.com.
The annual Corps de Ballet luncheon, benefiting the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, is planned for 11 a.m. Sept. 23 at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. The event, chaired by Joanne Chesler Gross and Michelle Edwards Crosland, features a Neiman Marcus fashion show highlighting the work of Barbara Tfank. The designer, who has created pieces for celebrities including Adele and first lady Michelle Obama, will attend. Tickets start at $135 each. Call 404-873-5811, Ext. 208, or see www.atlantaballet.com for information and reservations.
The Blue Jean Ball benefiting Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta is planned for 6:30-11 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Buckhead home of Rodney and Emily Cook. The event, chaired by Ellen and Jeff Lemming, calls for denim rather than formal attire. Tickets start at $150 each, and sponsorships start at $2,500. See www.CSGABlueJeanBall.com or call 404-586-0180 for reservations and information.
And the American Cancer Society has a special centennial celebration planned for Nov. 9. In honor of the organization's 100th birthday, ACS plans the Birthdays Ball at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. The gala is being chaired by Georgia Power executive vice president of customer service and operations Anthony Wilson, whose daughter, Meghan, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia when she was 2. Wilson credits advances in cancer research spearheaded by ACS with saving her life. Meghan has celebrated many birthdays since then and is now a sophomore at Auburn University. Sponsorship levels for the Birthdays Ball begin at $5,000 for six tickets. For information and reservations, call 404-949-6422, email melody.pressnell@cancer.org or see thebirthdaysballatl.org.
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