Page 32 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2015

COASTNOTES
OnAce Upon
December
story by Lynn Lofton
Frosted winter trees and glistening icy snowflakes will be some of the magical scenes emerging
from the room as the Junior Auxiliary of Gulfport presents its 66th annual Charity Ball, “Once Upon a December,” at Beau Rivage Resort and Casino. The ball takes place December 12 from 7 p.m. until midnight with music by Funk Factory of Atlanta, Ga.
For the first time, there will be mobile bidding for silent auction items. “You do not have to be present to bid on our silent auction items,” said Madeline Randall Walker, spokeswoman for the Junior Auxiliary. “Instructions for mobile bidding will be available on our website.”
Funds from the charity ball go back into the community through the Junior Auxiliary’s numerous projects serving children in Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian and West Harrison County. “Our projects include Adopt a Family, Backpack Blessings, Clothes Closet, Hearts Without a Home children’s shelter, BOOST mentoring program through the schools, Looking for a Christmas Miracle, Operation SMILE, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center and many more,” Walker said.
Tickets are $100 per couple.
Alina Goldin, Charity Ball Chair
alinagoldin@gmail.com 678.557.3504 www.jagulfport.org
Theatre makes donation for pediatric AIDS research
story by Lynn Lofton
Medical research in Mississippi got a big boost from the Biloxi Little Theatre when the local group presented a check for $8,183 to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. The funds were proceeds from the theatre’s annual Gleeful Celebration.
“Funds raised during the event
support the research of Hannah Gay,
M.D., a medical center pediatrician
who, along with two colleagues,
is credited with treating an HIV-
positive infant who experienced a
long term remission of the disease,”
said Biloxi Little Theatre President
Leonie Johnston. “The treatment,
considered a major breakthrough in
the treatment of HIV/AIDS, earned
Dr. Gay a place on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013.”
The event, in its fourth year, was started by regular
BLT performers and volunteers Leonie Johnston, LeAnne Womble and Taylor Switzer. Since the first performance, the event has raised nearly $20,000 to support pediatric HIV/AIDS research. The group has year round activities to increase its efforts to raise awareness of the ground breaking research being done in the state.
Biloxi Little Theatre
220 Lee Street, Biloxi 228.432.8543 www.4blt.org
32 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • November 2015
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JUNIOR AUXILIARY PRESENTS