A Vintage Affair Tops Fundraising Goal with 750000

Nearly 500 guests joined the Board of Visitors of Children’s National at the 17th annual A Vintage Affair benefiting Children’s National on April 5. Held at the French Embassy, the event had a French Country theme, with exquisite wines, inspired cuisine, and a live and silent auction with rare wines, exotic trips, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences. The event surpassed its goal, raising about $750,000. Funds raised through A Vintage Affair support the Board of Visitors’ annual grants and major gifts program, which helps doctors, nurses, and staff at Children’s National develop and sustain cutting-edge research, innovations, and treatments. Guests raised their paddles for the "fund in need," which raised critical funds for pediatric mental health, one of the signature initiatives for Children's National and its CEO, Dr. Kurt Newman. Specifically, the funds will help launch a bio repository that will house the genetic and proteomic analysis of patient tissue samples. The bio repository, which will be at the core of Children’s National’s new Healthy Mind and Brain Institute initiative, will be used by physicians and scientists to study the connection between a child’s symptoms and diagnosis to their genetic underpinnings. This means that Children’s National will be able to refine and develop new treatments for children -- and to tailor care for every child that specifically targets genetic alterations that drive their specific type of illness.