A Black Tie & Sneakers Masquerade is Coming to LIVE! Casino to Help Raise Money for Trauma Survivors
For the first time since the foundation was created in 2013, the Trauma Survivors Foundation’s Black Tie & Sneakers Masquerade Ball will be coming to Philadelphia, as LIVE! Casino will be hosting the 1,000 person gala fundraiser on Saturday, November 5th from 7 to 11 p.m. inside the property’s Event Center at 900 Packer Avenue in South Philly.
The Ball, for short (it’s a mouthful, after all), will begin with a sumptuous cocktail hour featuring music from SNACKTIME, Philly’s favorite brass band. An open bar featuring beer, wine, cocktails and craft spirits from an all-star cast of regional producers include Philadelphia Distilling, Revivalist Gin, Resurgent Whiskey, Boardroom Spirits, Dad’s Hat PA Rye, Five Saints Distillery, and Kiki Vodka. Wines will be served from Gloucester County, NJ’s Wagonhouse Winery and Australia’s 19 Crimes, as well as beers from Barley Creek and Lewes, DE’s Big Oyster Brewery, which produces a Survivors IPA that raises funds for the Trauma Survivors Foundation.
Street food-style bites from Chef Ange Branca’s Kampar Kitchen, Chef Tonii Hicks (the latest James Beard Foundation Fellow and rising-star chef), Hardena, Victoria en Philly, Cartagena Empanada, Sri’s Company, and Trinh Eats will all be served during the cocktail hour, and dinner will feature a lavish raw bar, carving stations, brisket sliders and smoked meatballs from Mike Strauss’s Mike’s BBQ, a Chilean salad bar from Mole Street Baker, and compositions from Wilmington’s Hamilton on Main. Dessert will be served later in the evening from Pennsport’s Cake & Joe, and East Passyunk’s Kouklet Brazilian Bakehouse.
The street food cocktail hour and dinner lineup were curated by Branca, who has been hyper-focused on bringing the food portion of this event together to feature a very impressive, very diverse group of talented Philadelphia-area chefs and makers.
“This is an amazing foundation for people to come out and help, so I hope to see as many people as possible come together to have fun and support this fantastic non-profit,” said Branca. “The food and the diversity of chefs we have amassed will make this one of the most delicious events of its kind this year. This is the most diverse food event happening in Philly this fall, and it includes an incredible collection of chefs and artisans. The majority of the makers participating cook underrepresented food, and the Kampar Kitchen platform shines a spotlight on all of these amazing culinary minds so they can share their talents and make these flavors available. Guests attending this event will definitely appreciate the diversity we have in Philly while supporting these chefs and this very important foundation.”
“We have so many communities represented at this event, and since Philly is such an interesting, diverse melting pot, this is the perfect stage for our tenth annual fundraiser,” said Trauma Survivors Foundation founder Dennis Carradin. “We expect approximately 1,000 attendees, and hope to raise more than $100,000 from this fun and delicious soirée.”
Appearances will be made by Mrs. Pennsylvania, Sheri Jenkins, Grace Lange, Miss Delaware, and Megan Myers, Mrs. Maryland, along with a host of beauty queens from throughout the mid-Atlantic U.S., as well as Terrill Haigler AKA Ya Fav Trashman. Sponsors include Darrell Alston’s Bungee Oblečení sneakers, LIVE! Casino and a host of other local businesses.
Entry to The Ball is $75 for just the cocktail hour, which takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with all of the aforementioned chefs, beverage brands, and music by SNACKTIME. Tickets for the main event cost $150, which provides access to the cocktail hour, dinner, the party, music from Kristen and the Noise, a silent action, raffle prizes, a photo booth, and an open bar featuring the beers wines and local craft distilleries pouring through the end of the night. While the event is black tie, and tuxedos and gowns are encouraged, The Ball is a sneakers-only affair. Purchase tickets and learn more at blacktiesneakersgala.com.
The mission of the Trauma Survivors Foundation is to provide resources, education, and training necessary to serve those affected by trauma. As a foundation, they acknowledge and support the hard work put forth, sacrifices made, and acts of selflessness displayed by first responders. The Foundation is proud to offer scholarships for college-bound or current college students who are children of Volunteer FireFighters or Police Officers, to show their support and sincere gratitude for their parents’ services. The Trauma Survivors Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Delaware. The money raised through donations from caring individuals goes directly to providing trained therapists for emergency response during and after traumatic events, training to expand the network of responders and scholarships to those that want to become certified and help carry out their mission. All their services are offered at a national level. For the past nine years, the Foundation has provided thousands of trauma survivors with resources, education, and training to aid their recovery. Since the inception nine years ago, 30,000 individuals have been helped through crisis intervention, there have been 2,500 have been trained therapists and crisis interventionists, 40,000 meals have been delivered to healthcare workers and first responders, and there have been 2,100 crisis responses.
