Shelby's Social Diary
Great hats and a cool breeze: "Hat and Flats" lunch is a joy for the ladies —and for Teach for America
It was one of those rare perfect spring days last week for celebrating your favorite non-profit outdoors. And that's just what supporters of Teach for America enjoyed as they lunched and learned at Astrid and Gene Van Dyke's open-air pavilion during the annual "Hats and Flats" fundraiser.
With temps in the low 80s, humidity negligible and a caressing breeze, the ladies couldn't have asked for a better fundraising environment and neither could Teach for America, which by day's end had brought in enough dinero to support 13 corps members in the coming year.
Jennifer Brown and Melinda Chernosky, both with teachers in their families, chaired the midday gathering with a ladylike menu provided by A Fare Extraordinaire. But even the most diligent calorie-counter could not resist the strawberry shortcake dessert.
With input from Terry Bruner, regional Teach for America executive director; corps member Stefanie Solar (daughter of Patricia and Michael Solar) and Teach for America staffer Chase Sander, the gathering left everyone well-informed on how the program works. The prestigious program is so popular with college graduates that last year there were 48,000 applicants nationwide with only 4,600 slots to fill.
Confirmed supporters of the teaching program, which places top graduates from Ivy League schools and top state universities in troubled schools around the country, included Bobbie Nau, Tricia Dewhurst, Anne Mendelsohn, Liz Stepanian, Cathy Brock, Jana Arnoldy, Ellen Tippetts, Tina Pyne, Betty Griffin and Sally Farley.