Milton Friends of CHOA to Host Inaugural “Down and Derby" Fundraiser

The Milton Friends of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is pleased to announce the Inaugural Down & Derby Spring Roundup on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 5:30-10 p.m. at Chukkar Farm. This Kentucky-Derby-Meets-Georgia event will include dinner, dancing, a live and silent auction, and an exciting array of on-site activities. Additionally, the event boasts an exclusive “Fillies and Stallions” VIP experience with a curated bourbon tasting sponsored by Angels Envy, and much more.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online beginning March 1, 2023, and attendance will be capped at 500 guests. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and advance purchase is required. General admission tickets are being sold for $150 each, or $125 for those who wish to purchase ten tickets or more. Down & Derby will be held rain or shine.

In addition to regular admission tickets, a limited number of “Winners Circle Patron Sponsorships” will be available ($1,000 per sponsorship) for those discerning guests who desire a more intimate, exclusive Derby experience. Winners Circle Patrons receive two tickets to the “Fillies and Stallions” VIP space, an exclusive lounge area where guests will enjoy a private bar stocked with top-shelf bourbon and bubbly, private photo opportunities with a live stallion or filly (cloaked with a garland of roses), a 360-degree camera experience, local gourmet food, a dedicated TV to view the Derby, a private restroom, a premiere bourbon tasting experience, VIP gift bags, and morning-after takeaways.

With strong community support of the Inaugural Down & Derby, the Milton Friends of CHOA hope to raise at least $100,000 to help support specialized camps at Children’s. These valuable programs offer weekend and weeklong camp opportunities for children with varied complex medical conditions and their families. Costs to attend these camps average $1,000 per participant, so if the group’s fundraising goal is achieved, 100 children will be able to enjoy this life changing experience in the coming year.

Alex Faas, Development Director of Annual Events at CHOA, commented, “At Children’s, we believe every child deserves to experience the joys of summer camp, which is why we offer custom-tailored opportunities for children with various medical and physical conditions and their families. Our camps are specially designed and staffed so that these kids can not only take part, but also be a part of a larger community of children who share similar experiences. All camps are 100% donor funded, so campers attend at no cost to their families.”

Host Committee Co-Chair, Shelley Massey, working in tandem with fellow Co-Chair, Wendy Lewis, has amassed a dream team of volunteers who are planning what many believe will be one of Atlanta’s premiere fundraising events of 2023. In addition to selecting a breathtaking equestrian venue, the host committee has planned an impressive array of local food and beverages to titillate the most discerning of palettes, a boot-scooting party band (“We Got the Beat”), an incredible live and silent auction filled with jaw-dropping items and experiences, and a live polo match that guests can enjoy upon arrival.

Dinner, drinks, desserts, and plenty of dancing promise to keep guests kicking up their boots. Participants can also enjoy optional race wagering on Derby horses, take a turn at the event’s exclusive “Belle Glos Ring Toss” and ring the bell at a “Ring for Rose Wall.” A livestock race is also in the works, as well as cocktail hour acoustical music.

Beer from Gate City Brewery will be served from the Old Pour Truck, mint juleps from the Boozy Barn, and there will be multiple full bars for all guests to enjoy at will. As a reminder of the mission for the evening, the century-old barn at Chukkar Farm will display the stories of campers and their families, and guests are invited to write encouraging letters to campers who might otherwise not be attending their very first summer camp without the financial support raised during Down & Derby.

When asked about the goal for this inaugural event, co-chair Shelley Massey stated, “For everyone working on bringing Down & Derby to life, our goal is simple: to give children who might otherwise feel “different than” the gift of summer camp, where they will hopefully feel nothing but “I can.” There’s no doubt that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is providing them with the very best medical care in the country, and we are so excited to be able to help them extend the offering from medical care to whole-child and whole-family care through a summer camp experience.”

Co-Chair, Wendy Lewis, agreed. “Summer camp should be a rite of passage for ALL children. We are so fortunate to have one of the nation’s best pediatric healthcare systems right in our own backyard with systems in place to make sure that patients and patient families can enjoy a life-changing summer camp experience. It’s both an honor and a privilege to create a fundraising event such as this one where the wonderful residents of Milton, and all of our surrounding communities, can show their support of CHOA by helping us raise enough money to send at least 100 children to these specialized camps in 2023.”

In addition to ticket sales, local businesses are also invited to support the Inaugural Down and Derby as event sponsors. Opportunities range from $1,000-$20,000 and provide companies with a variety of benefits that ensure exceptional branding before, during, and after the event.

The Jenny Doyle Group is the event's Presenting Sponsor, with other corporate sponsors including First Horizon, Truist, Oxbow Real Estate, Ansley Real Estate and the Kloster Group. Any individual or company interested in sponsoring the event is invited to do so by emailing friendsofchoamilton@gmail.com or registering here.

“Our gratitude to the Milton Friends of CHOA, and all of our Friends groups, knows no bounds,” said Zoe Decker, Program Coordinator, Annual Events, CHOA Foundation. The fact that last year, the Friends of CHOA raised a record-breaking $3.6 million is truly incredible. We plan to build upon this benchmark and hope to raise even more in 2023 because, put quite simply, children’s lives depend upon it.

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DOWN & DERBY HOST COMMITTEE CHAIRS

• Event Co- Chairs - Shelley Massey and Wendy Lewis
• VIP Event Chair - Katy Costner
• Communications Co-Chairs - Megan Bowman and Shyann Malone
• Decor Chair - Jill Dunn
• Food and Beverage Chair - Kristi Favali
• Volunteer Chair - Ami Bajpai
• Auction Chairs - Stuart Winborne, Amanda Phipps and Ashley Edmonds
• VIP Gift Bags Chair - Deb Calabro
• Activities/Entertainment Co-Chairs - Angie Gray and Caroline Slayton
• Invitation/Signage Chair - Melissa Morris

ABOUT US...

The Milton Friends of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launched in October 2022 as part of a larger network of Friends groups in and around the greater Atlanta area. There is no fee to become a Milton Friend of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Participants just need to possess a heartfelt desire to volunteer their time, talent and treasure. Annual fundraising events include the sale of Children’s Boo signs at Halloween, a mailbox decorating brigade during the holidays, the sale of yard hearts for Valentine’s Day, and the newly minted “Down & Derby” Spring Roundup in May. To learn more about how you can support the Milton Friends of CHOA, please email Friendsofchoamilton@gmail.com or log onto their social media accounts, https://www.instagram.com/frie... or https://www.facebook.com/Milton-Friends-of-CHOA-105258802347527.

FAST FACT ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF CHILDREN’S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA…

• Individual Friends groups operate in and around Atlanta and are comprised of dedicated volunteers who embrace the planning and execution of grassroots fundraising events.

• All funds raised by the Friends Groups support specific programmatic or operational needs associated with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and their charitable foundation.

• In 2022, Friends raised more than $3.6 million to support fees associated with the construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital for blood disorders. This facility is scheduled to open in Druid Hills in the Fall 2024.

• Friends groups are made up of 100% volunteers, and every dollar donated through the group goes directly towards funding strategic priorities for Children’s.

• The Camper Program includes diagnosis-specific residential summer camps, weekend family camps, and teen retreats. There is no fee for campers (or families) to attend the camps.

• Children’s would like to provide a camp experience to at least 500 campers in 2023 (estimated cost - $500,000+).

• Specialized summer camps serve patients with autism, craniofacial abnormalities, heart defects, limb deficiencies or amputations, osteogenesis imperfecta, seizure disorders, sickle cell disease, solid organ transplants, kidney disease, spina bifida and thalassemia. Most of these patients are unable to attend other mainstream camps due to their condition(s).

• For more information on the Friends of CHOA, please click here.