Bev’s Note
This month we have an amazing feature “Uptown Living: 10 ways to enjoy!” We feature some of the best businesses in the neighborhood, ones that help define its character and serve as its residents’ go to resources for fashion, home décor and gifts. There are so many that complement the Uptown lifestyle and keep it bustling with activity; go out and visit them!
Father’s Day is coming up and we’ve got great ideas for Dad with 11 thoughtful gifts that celebrate his sense of style, offering everything from aprons to umbrellas.
We have a huge surprise for our readers, so you’ll be in on what has been a secret until now! Morgan and I and everyone at St. Charles Avenue magazine are working on a new re-design of the magazine new features, columns and some of your old favorites! We are taking off July and August to work on all of the exciting new ideas and will be back with a bang in September when we’ll celebrate our 25th Anniversary! If you have ideas of features you would like to see in September, please email me at beverlychurch@hotmail.com.
I have been the editor of this incredible magazine since the inception in 1995, and we’ve been proud to serve the nonprofit movers and shakers of our great city for 25 years! Thanks so much for your support!
See you in September and be safe!
Beverly Reese Church
“Hogs for the Cause” is the premier nationwide funding source for outreach services to families facing pediatric brain cancer. The acclaimed festival is an annual celebration of the year-round fundraising being done on behalf of Hogs with barbecue competitions and live music. This year, the event has moved to Plaquemines Parish Government Facility in Belle Chasse and there are two new competitions: “Wings and Bacon Night” and “Just Winging It,” presented by Tabasco. Visit HogsFest.org to learn more and purchase your ticket today!
On the Cover
Summer is here, believe it or not, and we’re able to get out a little more, thanks to vaccinations and all of us trying to mask up and social distance! Our fundraisers are still adapting. That especially goes for one of our favorites, the Susan G. Komen New Orleans’ “Summer Cure Chefs Wine Dinner,” which will take place Friday, August 6 at the Windsor Court Hotel! Thanks to Event Co-Chairs Pat Denechaud, Dottie Reese and Kristi Post; Event Coordinator Joe Briand and General Manager of the Windsor Court Hotel Ralph Mahana (and not pictured: Event Co-Chair Holley Haag and Susan G. Komen New Orleans Board President Mollie Copeland) for gracing our cover!
The event will be virtual, but you’ll want to reserve your wine dinner to be delivered to your door or table at the Windsor Court right now! Call 504-455-7310 or visit KomenNewOrleans.org for tickets and information. There are many sponsorship opportunities: Partner in Survivorship at $10,000, Partner in Hope at $5,000, Partner in Courage at $3,000, Pink Patron at $1,750 and more.
This incredible fundraiser goes back to 1980, when Nancy Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever – that led to a global movement! To date, they have raised over $2.9 billion in groundbreaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 60 countries and they’ve reduced deaths from breast cancer by 40 percent between 1989 and 2016!
Morgan’s Note
At some point recently my son has grown so tall that he has outgrown my hold. Oh, I can still carry him and cuddle and rock, but he no longer fits completely within the circle of my arms. I want to know when that day changed. I can’t believe I didn’t make a note of it – that somehow that moment passed by without my acknowledgment – but it’s even more worrisome to me that it took me this long to feel that absence.
At some point Avenue did the same thing.
I have served as Editor of St. Charles Avenue magazine since March 2008. I took the reigns from my friend, the very talented, funny and understanding Sue Strachan. In the intervening 13 years and 3 months, I’ve learned more than I ever could’ve imagined about this city – our city – and the amazing and myriad nonprofits that keep it running; that step in and not only take care of, but honor, its people.
At some point recently, I looked up and realized that the nonprofit community of New Orleans – and all of the employees, volunteers, stores, restaurants, schools, designers, artists, etc., that support it – had outgrown what Avenue was providing. I was sad, and disappointed that I hadn’t seen this coming. We were still doing a great job, but there was so much more we could be offering.
So when our CEO Todd Matherne suggested a redesign, I jumped at the chance.
All of this to say:
This September 2021, St. Charles Avenue magazine will produce its celebratory 25th anniversary issue. Over the past quarter century, St. Charles Avenue has cemented its position as the voice of philanthropy and philanthropic endeavors in New Orleans.
We plan to take the end of summer (the months of July and August) to rededicate ourselves to our purpose while we give the magazine a fresh look and continue to focus on our city’s celebratory style.
Though you’ll miss us in your mailbox and on newsstands, we invite you to celebrate with us in September with a cover-to-cover redesign as we continue to do what we do best: Celebrate the nonprofit community of New Orleans and those who support it. After all, we are “New Orleans’ definitive social magazine.”
Morgan Packard Griffith
JUNE
4-5 “Hogs for the Cause,” HogsFest.org
6-12 “Party for the Planet presented by Entergy: World Oceans Week,” benefiting Audubon Nature Institute, Events.audubonnatureinstitute.org/planet
9-13 “New Orleans Wine & Food Experience,” NOWFE.com
12 “Magnolia Ball,” benefiting Ogden Museum of Southern Art, OgdenMuseum.org, (504) 539-9618
12 “Swim for Brooke: the Brooke E. Posey Swim-a-thon,” benefiting Angels’ Place, SwimForBrooke.com, info@swimforbrooke.com
12 “New Orleans Heart Ball,” benefiting American Heart Association Louisiana, NewOrleansHeartBall.heart.org, (504) 872-3498
13 “Family Equality Day,” benefiting Longue Vue House & Gardens, LongueVue.com, (504) 488-5488
17 “Man & Woman of the Year: Grand Finale Celebration,” benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, MWOY.org
21-27 “Party for the Planet presented by Entergy: Pollination Celebration Week,” benefiting Audubon Nature Institute, Events.audubonnatureinstitute.org/planet
22 “WYES Grape Performances with Deacon John,” WYES.org, (504) 486-5511
JULY
10 “Mr. Legs,” benefiting Bridge House / Grace House, BridgeHouse.org/events/mr-legs, (504) 821-7134
23 “Opening Night Party,” benefiting The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, NewOrleansShakespeare.org, (504) 865-5106
30 “50th Anniversary Golf Classic,” benefiting Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, events.cff.org/nolagolf, 504-455-5194
AUGUST
6 “Susan G. Komen New Orleans Summer Cure Chefs Wine Dinner,” benefiting Susan G. Komen New Orleans, KomenNewOrleans.org, (504) 455-7310
14 “Queen for a Day Promenade Luncheon,” benefiting JPAS Leading Ladies Guild, JPAS.org/llg, (504) 214-7177
