The Leaf-Chronicle
Her mother died two years ago, but instead of weeping at her graveside, Brittnye Stanfill is planning
a party.
The first event produced by the new, nonprofit Dawn Stanfill Foundation is Dancing 'til Dawn, a gala-style
evening of food, wine and dancing starting 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, in F&M Bank's elegant Franklin Room. Tickets for the
event are $50, with the proceeds going to pediatric cancer research and to supporting local pediatric cancer patients and
their families.
"I pictured this in my head two years ago, this ball, and it's turning out exactly like I thought,"
Brittnye said.
"She would have wanted us to have brought good out of it. I think she would be proud."
Dawn
Stanfill died in June 2007 at age 52 of breast cancer that had spread to her liver. She lived for a year and a half after
her initial diagnosis in January 2006.
"I'm doing this for her, bottom line," Brittnye said. "She gave
so much to her students, her family, her friends, everybody. I felt like this is a way I could give back."
Saturday's
semi-formal Dancing 'til Dawn event features a DJ, auction and hors d'oeuvres catered by Olive Garden:
fried ravioli
cheese
ravioli
stuffed mushrooms
bruschetta
fried cheese
fresh vegetables.
Beachaven Winery is providing
wine for the event, and dessert is fruit and sweets for dipping in a chocolate fountain.
Items for sale in the auction
include:
jewelry from Sites Jewelers.
an Asheville Biltmore Mansion weekend.
a Jacksonville, Fla. getaway,
including food, lodging, golf and tickets to the Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars football game Oct. 4.
$100 gas cards
from Beach Oil.
restaurant gift cards from Hananoki, O'Charley's, Golden Corral, Ryan's, Rafferty's and others.
Brittnye
said she chose to have the event benefit local children with cancer because her mother, a Montgomery County teacher for more
than 20 years, spent her life helping children -- her own and thousands of others.
"The whole reason I started
the foundation is I felt led to with what my mom was going through," Brittnye said. "She was a teacher forever.
She's the biggest kid lover I ever met in my life."
Brittnye's friends and relatives describe her as a force of
nature. Although some people were skeptical when she told them her plans for establishing The Dawn Stanfill Foundation, those
who knew her didn't doubt her for a second.
Among them was Sabrina Greenfield, owner of Greenfield Trucking and now
one of 14 board members for the foundation.
"Here's this young girl, and through her personal tragedy and loss,
she turned it into something amazing for other people," Sabrina said.
Brittnye orchestrated the event from Jacksonville,
Fla., where she lives and works as a photographer and catering manager for a restaurant chain. She and her fellow board members
are delighted about the support local businesses are giving to Dancing 'til Dawn.
"Anyone we contacted in the community
has been very generous," Sabrina said. "It's amazing."
People who would like to attend are asked to call
Dawn Stanfill's sister, Pam McCaslin, at 387-3841 by 5 p.m. Thursday to make a reservation. A limited number of tickets will
also be available to walk-ins at the door.
Sabrina said they hope to sell out with 400 attendees, which will help Dancing
'til Dawn become and annual event. She is appealing to local educators to make that happen.
"We're hoping teachers
will really want to get involved," she said. "Wouldn't it be great if the local teachers just jumped in and did
this?"
Stacy Leiser is a features writer for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be reached at 245-0720 or at stacyleiser@theleafchronicle.com.
IF YOU GO
WHEN: 8 p.m. Aug. 1, through midnight
WHERE:
F&M Bank's Franklin Room, 50 Franklin St.
COST: $50 per person. Tickets available at the mayor's
office, Kennedy Law Firm, Greenfield Trucking and F&M Bank, or call Pam McCaslin to reserve tickets by 5 p.m. Thursday.
A limited number of walk-in tickets will be available at the door.
CALL: Pam McCaslin -- 387-3841.
ONLINE: www.thedawnstanfillfoundation.com.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited
without permission.
