Camp Wyman, COCA, Titanic commemoration

Save the date for the Wyman Orange Carpet Gala, “A Night at the Oscars”

By Lois Caplan, Special to the Jewish Light

THE WYMAN ORANGE CARPET GALA, “A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS” promises to be a star-studded evening of glamour and glitz celebrating Wyman’s work with young people in St. Louis.  On Saturday, March 3 at the Four Seasons Hotel, 999 N. Second Street in downtown St. Louis, Wyman will celebrate its 110 years of work with disadvantaged young people in the city. Wyman touches the lives of more than 1,900 local teens, helping them to navigate the divide between the world they know and the future they desire. The organization’s goal is to reach 5,000 teens by 2014.  The Orange Carpet Gala is a major source of funding for Wyman’s efforts to impact the lives of these teens from disadvantaged circumstances.  For reservations at $200 per person ($100 for young friends, 35 and under) contact Carol Lee at 636-549-1227 or [email protected].  Visit www.wymancenter.org for more information.

TO COMMEMORATE THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, the Fox Theatre and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission have planned a Commemorative Weekend of events April 13-15, ranging in price from $10 to $500, so everyone can “step back in time” and experience the history, fashion, food and music of the elegant Edwardian Era.

Friday’s events include a reception, exhibit and film at the Missouri History Museum. Mary Strauss tells me that no one will want to miss Saturday’s gala entitled “The Last Dinner on the Titanic” at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, where between courses, guests will be entertained by musicians performing the authentic music played on the ship that evening.  Guests also will be able to view images of the ship and its passengers and hear stories told by the Titanic’s most notable luminaries about the ship, their personal remembrances, and its courageous passengers and crew.  These notable passengers include Benjamin Guggenheim, John Jacob Astor, the “unsinkable” Molly Brown, Isadore and Ida Strauss, and Captain Edward John Smith. And on Sunday, a Titanic Champagne Brunch will take place at the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park.

Jewish Light editor Ellen Futterman promises stories about the Jewish connection to the Titanic as the event draws nearer, but in the meantime, to learn about the Titanic Centennial Weekend call 314-657-5033 or visit www.titanic2012stl.com. Tickets for all events are also available through Metrotix at 314-534-1111 or www.metrotix.com

 

AN EXHIBITION BY PHOTOGRAPHER ROSE EICHENBAUM, well known for her portraits that expose the inner life of artists, will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, March 9 at COCA, 524 Trinity Avenue. Eichenbaum’s work focuses on celebrated actors, dancers and choreographers, and she is one of the most respected dancer photographers and photographic portraiture artists working today. The exhibit runs through April 29. Visit www.cocastl.org or call 314-725-6555 for more details.

‘BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL’ is coming to town and the national touring company cast will perform a one- night-only benefit for the St. Louis Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) on Monday, April 2 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Among the cast members is Taylor Louderman of Bourbon, Mo. whose younger sister, eight-year-old Madison, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The show will have a special meaning for Taylor and her fellow cast members. The evening of song and dance begins at 7 p.m. at the Sheldon, 3648 Washington Boulevard and will include a cast party and a dessert reception. For tickets, which range from $25 to $100, and for more information call JDRF at 314-729-1846. The musical’s regular run is March 27 to April 8 at the Fox Theatre.

PLAN AHEAD AND LOOSEN UP for the May 5 International Rett Syndrome Foundation’s Strollathon at 9 .m. with the walk starting at 10 in Tilles Park, 9551 Litzsinger Road in Ladue.  Rett Syndrome (RETT), a genetic neurological disorder that occurs mainly in girls, affects more than 200,000 females worldwide. RETT strikes in early childhood and results in regression leading to lifelong impairments including speech loss, hand use and mobility.  It has no cure. To join the Strollathon or for more information, call Strollathon chair Joyce Opinsky at 314-870868, email her at [email protected] or visit the organization’s web site at www.rettsyndrome.org.

ST. LOUIS’ OWN CIRCUS FLORA presents a new program that will bring the joy and fun of the circus to a population of children who must spend time in the hospital and who cannot make the big top their own. Aptly called Clowns on Call, the new community outreach program of Circus Flora connects professional entertainers to area hospitals bringing the circus arts of slapstick, juggling, magic, improvisation and music to enhance the healing environment. The first visits this month were at Mercy Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Glennon, but Clowns on Call will grow. “Everything we do will be geared to lightening the child’s suffering and anxiety. When we empower a child who may be in a wheelchair to spin a plate or balance a feather, or by giving a bed-ridden youngster a red clown nose, we make the child feel like the star of the show,” explained Claire Wedemeyer, Claire the Clown and director of the hospital troupe. For more information about Clowns on Call, visit www.circusflora.org or call Kate Poss at 314-289-4043.

CAMP RAINBOW, a pediatric oncology camp based in Chesterfield, was awarded late last year with a Gold Ribbon Camp designation at the Children’s Oncology Camping Association-International’s (COCA-I) annual conference in Boise, Idaho. Receiving the Gold Ribbon Camp designation means that Camp Rainbow met the suggested guidelines and standards for pediatric oncology member camps (one of 17 camps earning the distinction from a group of 92 pediatric oncology camps). Ronnie Brockman, Co-Director of Camp Rainbow (and a longtime staffer at Shaare Emeth), noted that many of the camp’s counselors come from NFTY, the North America Federation of Temple Youth. The one-week summer camp for children with cancer or blood-related disorders began in 1988 with support from the Dream Factory, the American Cancer Society and the NFTY Missouri Valley youth group. For more information on Camp Rainbow, visit www.camprainbow.com.