If you’re in the mood for some classic rock ’n’ roll over the weekend, party for a great cause. The Fabulous Greaseband will play Sheldon’s Second Annual Sweet Pea Fundraising Gala on Saturday, April 16, at The Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. The gala benefits Exceptional Care for Children.
You know the Greaseband—now celebrating 30 years—as one of the most popular entertainers in the area. You may not be so familiar with Exceptional Care, one of the most important pediatric care facilities in the region.
Exceptional Care for Children, in Newark, is a home for children who depend on medical technology or therapy for their survival. Open for only five years, Exceptional Care for Children has already been named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the Best Nursing Homes in the country for 2010. It provides long-term skilled nursing to children who require around-the-clock attention, it helps parents become proficient and comfortable with their child’s care and technology, it provides palliative care to chronically or terminally ill children, and it offers various developmental and rehabilitative therapies. Children come from pediatric hospitals such as Alfred I. duPont, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Johns Hopkins.
Residents live in comfortable muraled rooms that are hand-painted around animals and environments such as the jungles, the Arctic and the ocean. The bright walls keep patients cheerful and stimulated. The facility’s location allows families to stay close. ECC recently added an adaptive playground and a classroom where children can keep up with their schoolwork. The board hopes to soon rehabilitate an indoor pool for the children’s therapy and for fun.
Sheldon’s Sweet Pea gala is named for ECC’s mascot, Sheldon the Turtle, whose hard shell provides a safe home, just like Exceptional Care for Children. Sheldon also represents the idea that slow and steady wins the race.
The gala includes a silent auction, dinner, dancing, drinks and, of course, The Fabulous Greaseband, (greaseband.com). The festivities begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $125 a person. One thing for sure, the party will rock. For more, call 894-1001, or email mlangston@ExceptionalCare.org.
More for Kids
Young actors from St. Thomas More Preparatory School present the classic “Charlotte’s Web” at The Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover on Friday and Saturday, April 15-16. See Wilbur evade the butcher and the famous spider who saves him. Tickets are $10. Also at the Schwartz, First State Ballet Theatre presents “Pinocchio” on Sunday, April 17, at 3 p.m. International award-winner Viktor Plotnikov choreographs the beloved children’s story. Tickets are $16 to $28. For more on both performances, call 678-5152, or visit schwartzcenter.com. Mark your calendars for “Winnie the Pooh” on April 30.
