Everybody Wins! DC Children’s Literacy Gala

Rachel Moser, EW!DC

By Punch Passport Correspondent Lori González Lazzarini

Last week I was able to attend silent auction heaven at the The Capital Hilton for the 17th Annual Gala Celebration by Everybody Wins! DC.  I have never before been to an event that had such great items and the setting was brilliant.

registration table

silent auction heaven

The co-founder and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein, delivered the keynote address at the event and CNN White House Correspondent, Brianna Keilar, served as the emcee.  Rubenstein recently signed The Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages the wealthiest Americans to donate the majority of their money to charitable causes.

TWP mascot, Ned the Newshound

EW!DC is the largest children’s literacy and mentoring organization in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The theme of the night was “Open books. Open doors.”

children playing music at the event

silent auction items-Autographed Barack Obama's photo

During the course of the event, the organization aimed to recognize the children, mentors, community leaders and corporate partners over an exciting evening of notable speakers, student performances, awards, and one of the most exciting live and silent auctions I have ever been part of.

EW!DC information table

The hundreds of attendees participated in the fun-filled live and silent auctions, which featured items such as: Lunch with Senator Tom Harkin, travel packages to New York (with a stay at the luxury Waldorf Astoria) and St. Lucia, a Washington Capitals autographed team jersey, theatre tickets, and much more, including an autographed Barack Obama photo.

The mission of EW!DC is to pair students with Reading Mentors to instill a love of reading and learning and foster a sense of self-esteem. During the 2011-2012 school year, EW!DC will serve more than 4,000 students in 38 Title 1 public elementary schools through three signature mentoring and literacy programs.

silent auction items- autographed Mystics Basketball

For more information on how to contribute to the cause please visit www.everybodywinsdc.org, everybody in the DC area should be part of contributing to this cause because educating and empowering our next generation really does help everybody win.