Due to your continued support and extreme generosity, we were able to exceed our fundraising goal of $15,000 by raising over $19,000. As you may already know, every penny raised will be used to fund the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects in children. It is exciting to know that Grant’s name is attached to research that will impact children now and in the future, and ultimately save lives. Once again, we would like to thank all of you for your support of Grant’s Gala and The Children’s Heart Foundation.

We have set up a block of rooms at the following hotel:

 

Springhill Suites-Downtown‎ Memphis
21 N Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 522-2100

The rate for that room is $159.00 plus tax a night. It is located on Main Street and the trolley line, so you can take the trolley from the hotel down Main Street to the event location (Central Train Station).

 

Here are a few other hotels in the area:

Sleep Inn at Court Square
40 N. Front St.
Memphis, TN
(901) 522-9710‎

Doubletree Hotel Memphis Downtown‎
185 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN
901-528-1800‎

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For those of you who are interested, our menu for Grant’s Gal 2008 consists of the following:

• Beef Showboat carving station
• Turkey carving station
• Pasta Bar with 3 different sauces
• Mushrooms with Spinach and 3 cheeses
• Brucheta with Goat Cheese and Peppers
• Assorted Sweets
• Veggies with Ranch Dip (carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and celery)
• Fruit Display with Kahlua Dip
• Spicy stuffed potatoes with cheese, bacon, and sour cream
• Hot Artichoke dip (plain)
  

 

We are pleased to announce that we have selected the Central Train Station in Memphis Tennessee as the venue for Grant’s Gala 2008.  This location should accommodate us over the next few years as the event and attendance grows.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Central Train Station in August.

Due to the large amount of generosity and support we received from all of you, Grant’s Gala was a wonderful success. We were able to raise over $29,500, which will be used to fund the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects in children. The research that we are all helping to fund is research that will impact children now and in the future, and ultimately save lives. We would like to thank all of you for your support of Grant’s Gala and The Children’s Heart Foundation.

We would like to thank all of you that have sent your RSVP for the Gala. The love and support we have received so far for this event has been beyond expectations. Although the original RSVP date was set as July 14th, Pat O’Brien’s has given us the opportunity to give them a final number by July 27th. If you are still planning on sending in your RSVP, please postmark it by July 25th. We hope to see you at the event!

We are very pleased to announce that Pat O’Brien’s Memphis, located on historic Beale Street, has agreed to be the Presenting Sponsor of Grant’s Gala. With their generous donation and sponsorship, we are sure we will have the ability to surpass our fundraising goal.

Pat O’Brien’s Memphis is in the heart of Beal Street and is just a short walk from the Memphis Redbirds baseball field (Auto Zone Park), concert halls, an upscale shopping center, and the FedEx Forum (home of the Memphis Grizzlies). The Pat O’Brien’s Memphis building is a replica of the famous New Orleans bar and restaurant.  This location is a Beale Street favorite of locals and tourists alike. We are very honored to have Pat O’Brien’s sponsor our event, and we look forward to seeing you all there on August 4th 2007 for an evening of food, drinks, and fun. For more information on Pat O’Brien’s Memphis, please click here.  

Grant’s Gala has chosen to raise money for The Children’s Heart Foundation (http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org/).  This felt like the right choice due to the fact that Grant passed away from a congenital heart defect known as truncus arteriosus.   We recommend that you visit their site, but would like to share some of their statistics below: 

• CHDs are responsible for one third of all birth defect related deaths, making CHD the number one cause of birth defect related deaths.
• More than 50 percent of all children born with CHD will require a least one invasive surgery in their lifetime. Twenty percent of these children will not survive past their first year of life!
• CHD research is grossly under funded. Pediatric cancer research is five times higher than CHD research although twice as many children die from CHD each year in the United States than from all forms of childhood cancer combined.
• Research has already made a difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families. In the last decade, death rates for CHDs have declined by almost 30 percent because of the advances made through research. As more children’s heart abnormalities are treated, research is needed to meet the needs of CHD patients as they reach adulthood.

We would like to thank the following individuals who accepted the invitation to be part of the Grant’s Gala Leadership Board. These friends and family are the foundation of this event:

• Holly Goughnour (Gala Co-chair)
• Michael Goughnour (Gala Co-chair) 
• Misty Arinder
• Hanna Dust
• Sue Gomila
• Ellie Goughnour
• Courtney Hardin
• Karen Ivey
• Danielle Romaguera
• Susan Smith
• DeSha Toohig
• Carrie Vruno
• Linda Wade
• Susan Walker

What was originally a simple idea that came to Mike’s mind last year during Grant’s fourth birthday, has started to become a reality.  The Grant’s Gala website is now up and running, with more updates to come in the future. Please check back with us as our ideas and dreams come to reality.  A special thanks goes out to all of the friends and family that have helped out our charitable causes over the past five years.