Annapolis, MD (Nov. 22, 2014) – Tickets for tables of 10 are on sale now for 12th annual Black Tie and Diamonds gala hosted by the Rotary Club of Annapolis. The benefit will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015, at Westin Hotel, Westgate Circle, in Annapolis. This year’s beneficiary will be the Connected Warriors Foundation. The goal is to raise $100,000.
Established in 2012, the foundation has served the needs of returning injured veterans by providing them with Android-based computer tablets, enabling them to stay connected with out of town family and friends during their recovery from traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. The program has been extended to include hiking trips and sailboat racing, allowing those more recently injured to connect personally to those who are further along in their recovery.
It is estimated that 20 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. That is more than 300,000 service members. Because of donors, the Connected Warrior Foundation has been able to ship more than 2,300 tablets as well as implement and conduct its personal engagement programs for warriors and their families, allowing them to interact with each other.
The Rotary Club of Annapolis has sponsored the Black Tie and Diamonds event for 11 years, donating more than $350,000 to local non-profits and charities. Tickets are $1,500 for a table of 10. The tickets include cocktails, sit-down dinner and wine, as well as music and dancing. A silent auction, a live auction, and raffle are planned. Individual tickets at $150 will be sold after Jan. 1, 2015.
For information on tickets, sponsorships, donations for the auctions or raffle tickets, contact the co-chairmen: Elaine Shanley at elaine.shanley@verizon.net or 410-353-2256 or Dave Cordle at dcordle6@gmail.com or 410-320-0301.