Poydras Home ushered in seasonal cheer at its sixth annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Music Festival — a benefit held inside the home’s historic 1857 Hall on the expanded Magazine Street campus.
With the 30-foot tree on the front lawn serving as a festive beacon of the evening, guests and residents gathered to toast the holidays and support the mission of Poydras Home, with Board of Trustees President Claire Porter and Senior Vice President of Healthcare Administration Laura Smith serving as honorary co-chairs.
New Orleans music legend Charmaine Neville performed seasonal favorites and local hits. She also mingled and posed for photos with guests and Poydras Home residents.
Cuisine was provided by Poydras Home’s own Vice President of Hospitality Service and Executive Chef Dave Wright, with a seasonal assist from David Bergeron of The Creole Creamery, who donated and scooped his signature artisan ice creams to the delight of attendees.
Thanks to guests and generous sponsors, such as Hancock Whitney Bank, Anne and Bobby Swayze (in memory of Martha Anne Treen), and Lucy and Kell Riess, the event was a success.
Fun Fact: Poydras Home’s historic 1857 Hall, where this and many of its events are held, is part of the original footprint when the current location was built in 1856 and completed in 1857 as a home serving female orphans of the Yellow Fever outbreaks in New Orleans. At that time, Poydras Home was known as the Poydras Female Orphan Asylum. Original signage hangs in the entrance today.
