Hospital gala raises funds for center, van

Bravo! The Golden Gala-Crystal Ball Saturday night at Gladieux Meadows was a big success as it celebrated St. Charles Mercy Hospital's 50th anniversary. The event not only was a sellout with more than 560 guests, there was a waiting list. The expected net of $100,000 was surpassed; funds go to support the Center for Family Beginnings and the Hospitality Van. The grand total net as of yesterday was $135,000, and they are still counting! That's thanks to the guests in attendance and those who generously bid on auction items, along with $50,000 from the foundation.

Event chairmen were Nancie Chablani and her husband, Lachman, chief of medical staff, and Holly Meyers and her husband, Kent, metro director of support services for Mercy Health Partners. Foundation chairman is Don Turner. Hospital president and CEO is Cathy Nelson.

NOTRE DAME ACADEMY presented “On Broadway: A Night for Women of Vision” Saturday night at the academy. The Toledo Symphony was the featured entertainment, but what drew nearly 800 family members and friends were the special selections by the academy orchestra and chorus. After the concert, a few hundred guests stayed for an afterglow party in the new wing of the gym.

Dr. Lachman and Nancie Chablani, left, chat with Kent and Holly Meyers at the St. Charles Mercy Hospital gala.

Event chairman was Chris Hulbirt. Proceeds go to the student scholarship fund. This year's recipient was Caitlin Szpila.

SUSTAINERS of the Junior League of Toledo gathered Friday for a theater party that began at the home of Linda and Bob Bunda for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres brought by guests. Then the group ventured to the Valentine Theatre for a performance by George Winston.

DOCENTS of the Toledo Museum of Art gathered for their annual winter social Saturday night at Toledo Country Club. The eclectic group gadded over cocktails and then dinner set at tables decorated with “color, line, and shape,” which is the title of one of the tours they conduct at the museum. In keeping with the theme, a few local artists were invited to show their work. There was everything from note cards, glass, and metals, to wood, purses, and architectural renderings. Chairman of the fun time was Jeanne Rowley-McArdle.

CHRIS PIZZA was surprised with a party in honor of his 50th birthday Saturday. The bash was at the Sylvania home of his brother and sister-in-law, Eric and Mary Ellen Pizza. Family and friends joined in the fun, including Chris' wife, Ellen; mom, Rosalyn, and the rest of his brothers and sisters, Lisa Pizza, Jeff Pizza of Dayton, Laura Plum of Boston, and Sheila Pizza Fernandez and her husband, Dennis.

ART FOR Harbor's Sake, a show by art therapy students, was Saturday at Diva restaurant. The event marked the second annul Emeritus Society gathering for the Harbor Foundation for behavioral health care. Paintings, drawings, painted furniture, and pottery were on display with autobiographies of young artists from Harbor's Mayfair Achievement Art Program, along with information about how each piece was inspired.

Proceeds went to the Terry Scully Fund for Kids, a Harbor fund named in memory of Dr. Scully, who was a longtime child psychologist at Harbor.