Washington Toasts A Midsummer Night's Eve For Children's National

NORTHWEST -- The glass-enclosed roof deck of Tabaq Bistro came alive after dinner last night for a special evening celebration benefiting Children's National Medical Center.

Consistently ranked among the best pediatric institutions in the United States by US News & World Report (and the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the metropolitan Washington area), the hospital also happened to provide more than $57 million in uncompensated care to children last year.

Donations from corporate sponsors and individual benefactors help make such need-based services possible, as do local fundraisers along the lines of the one that was hosted on Thursday night.

Given the evening's theme of "A Midsummer Night's Eve", the event's hosts, Thalia Attinger, Rebecca Canan, Bailey Geldermann, Kate Hannan, John Leubecker, and Marcus Robinson, were particularly excited to be celebrating on the much talked-about rooftop of Tabaq Bistro, where the near 360-degree skyline view of the city is unparalleled along the U Street Corridor.

And even Mother Nature seemed to smile on the philanthropic purpose of the evening as the rain clouds that had descended upon the city earlier in the evening slowly dissipated as the night wore on. With singer/guitarist John Stone providing a live soundtrack to the party, guests were free to relax and escape from the chaos of the typical D.C. workweek.

A $20 door donation in support of Children's National (100% of all door proceeds went to the hospital) bought dozens of area supporters access to a discounted drink menu last night, including a special lime-infused "Midsummer Mojito" shaken up specially by Tabaq's friendly bartenders for the event.

Thanks to generous sponsorships by Amstel Light and Absolut, $1.00 and $1.50 from each beer and cocktail drink sale, respectively, were also donated to the hospital.

Shakespeare might have once written that "the course of true love never did run smooth" (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Scene I), but everyone who turned out last night loved children, and a smoother evening would have been hard to find!

To make a donation to Children's National Medical Center, please visit the hospital's foundation website.