As the holiday season ends in 2016, organizations are gearing up to host their annual charitable events in Westerville.
Children’s charities and local students will reap the benefits of these big local to-dos.
The Chilly Open
Feb. 6, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
$45 per ticket, children 12 and under free
Hosted by the Westerville Sunrise Rotary Club, the 20th anniversary of the Chilly Open will be packed with food, music and entertainment.
Local cover band the Debits will play, and Woody Johnson of WCOL and 10TV’s Dom Tiberi will serve as co-MCs. Guests will see such familiar charities as Children’s Hunger Alliance, Buckeye Ranch and the Maria Tiberi Foundation, as well as two charities new to the event this year: the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio and Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids, an organization that supports children with terminal illnesses and their families.
Adults can relax, listen to music and enjoy food samples from about 30 local restaurants and leave the kids in the Children’s Open, a 7,000-square-foot tent with live animal visits, face painting and other fun activities.
When the Chilly Open was moved to the zoo from the Anheuser-Busch grounds six years ago, it was able to expand and become much more family-friendly, says co-chairman Pat Knott.
“It’s been a really big deal for us to get it moved to the zoo,” Knott says. “I think it needed that kind of shift to be more of a family event and it’s brought a lot more visibility to the event, so we’ve been able to raise a lot more money.”
Along with ticket sales, money raised from silent auctions will benefit the charities. Since the Chilly Open’s inception 20 years ago as the Wendy’s Chili Open, over $2.4 million has been raised, $188,000 of it from last year’s event alone.
“You see a bunch of smiling faces, you’ve got a lot of people, they’re having a great time,” Knott says. “It’s just a nice way to catch up with people and enjoy yourself while you’re raising a lot of money for some great, great charities.”
www.chillyopen.org
Westerville Community Bowl-A-Thon
Feb. 13, Columbus Square Bowling Palace
$20 student, $25 adult, $500 for executive bowlers
The Westerville Community Bowl-A-Thon supports three education-oriented charities in Westerville: the Westerville Education Foundation, Westerville Scholarship Foundation and Westerville Symphony.
Ticketholders can expect a day of bowling, raffle prizes and food. The Bowl-A-Thon allows the Scholarship Foundation to award scholarships to Westerville students and bring music back into the classroom through symphony. Last year’s event brought in around $30,000.
Most of the money donated comes from the VIP Bowling Competition, which pits executive bowlers against one another.
“It’s very competitive,” says Bowl-a-Thon committee member Tara Trigg. “These executives come in and they kind of razz each other. It’s a good time.”
Students, teachers and anyone who would like to support Westerville City Schools is welcome to join in and bowl.
“Seeing the interaction between the executives who are supporting the students and the students themselves is a fun aspect of the event,” Trigg says. “The executive bowlers will actually get to see some of the students who they are supporting. … It really is a community event.”
www.westervilleeducationfoundation.com
Westerville Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Celebration
Jan. 18, Villa Milano Banquet & Conference Center
$25 adult, $15 student
This January, Leadership Westerville will celebrate the 11th year of its Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Celebration with keynote speaker Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White, a book about Irving’s experiences with race as a white American.
“Race is one of those things that is difficult to start a community conversation about,” says Phyllis Self, executive director of Leadership Westerville. “We thought it was really important because a lot of the time people need to have that ‘a-ha’ moment, and that’s what Debby’s book is based on.”
In addition to Irving’s talk, Leadership Westerville will present the Fouse Award, which recognizes outstanding students in the Westerville City School District, to three students. Leah Gaus of Westerville North High School will be recognized for her work with the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Andrea Zippay of Westerville Central High School for her performances on race and Margaret Mehlo of Hawthorne Elementary School for her respect toward other students and eagerness to embrace others’ cultures.
“What’s so surprising is the level of maturity and also what the students are doing,” Self says. “When people embrace the qualities of Dr. King, that’s what we’re really looking at; we’re looking at people who are really making a difference.”
Leadership Westerville will also present two community members with the Alston Award, which recognizes adults who are making a difference in the Westerville area. Jessica Hollins, founder and CEO of My Very Own Blanket, will be recognized for bringing more than 155,000 blankets to children in foster care across the United States with help from volunteers of all ages, volunteers with disabilities and those within the prison system. Linda Jakes, who works with Concord Counseling Services, will also receive an Alston Award for creating the Spot, a safe space for people with mental health issues to mentor and engage with one another.
“We just want people to come out. We want people to celebrate with us that morning,” Self said. “We want people to recognize; we want to start that community conversation.
www.leadershipwesterville.org
Amanda DePerro is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
RELATED READS
-Maria’s Message, started by Chilly Open co-MC Dom Tiberi
-Buckeye Ranch President and CEO Nick Rees
-More on the Westerville Education Foundation