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KEENfest


9th Annual Dinner and Silent Auction
Thursday, October 29, 2009


KEENFest 2009 - A Night to Remember!




Celebrity Emcees Stuart Scott, ESPN SportsCenter Anchor and Michael Wilbon, Washington Post Columnist, Co-Host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption did a fantastic job, making the evening's program fun and exciting.



Top Auction Items of KEENFest 09
Complete Auction Book

The Event: KEEN hosted more than 450 community members, business leaders and volunteers at KEENFest 2009, our 9th annual evening of friends, food and fundraising. The 2009 KEENFest festivities were the best yet with Stuart Scott, ESPN SportsCenter Anchor and Michael Wilbon, Washington Post Columnist, Co-Host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption and ESPN and ABC NBA Studio Analyst scheduled to emcee. Vinny Cerrato, Executive VP of Football Operations, Washington Redskins, accepted the Corporate Recognition Award on behalf of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation.

Why: KEEN is a nonprofit, volunteer-led organization that provides exercise and recreation programs for more than 250 DC area athletes with profound disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, at no charge to their families. Our success in DC has spurred the creation of a nationwide organization with seven affiliates across the country, all providing KEEN’s innovative, free-of-charge sports and recreation programs to children and families. On weekends throughout the year, kids with disabilities are paired with a volunteer coach to participate in KEEN’s gym-based sports, swimming, tennis, fitness, bowling and music programs. At the same time, their families enjoy a brief respite from the demands of caring for a loved one with significant needs.

In 2009, KEEN celebrated 17 years of service and extraordinary moments with the athletes and volunteer coaches who take part in KEEN’s 14 unique programs throughout the greater DC area along with the hundreds of athletes with disabilities served across the nation. Proceeds from KEENFest 2009 help us continue to keep all of our programs entirely free-of-charge for our athletes and their families.

Sponsorship: Levels ranged from $500 to $20,000. KEENFest 2009 major sponsors included: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Gatorade, Norma & Russ Ramsey, The Fernandez Foundation, J M Zell Partners, LTD, PNC Bank, Blackstreet Capital Management, Jack Davies, Boomer & Cheryl Esiason, Richard & Rebecca Kay, The Meltzer Group, The Murphy Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, The RLJ Companies, Kit & Diana Smith and Wells Fargo.

The Auction: More than 150 "must-have" items were featured, including beautiful jewelry, incredible sports memorabilia, tickets to local sports & cultural events, fun family activities, dining at popular area restaurants and memorable out-of-town escapes including trips to: LA with tickets to The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien and The Ellen DeGeneres Show; The Ritz-Carlton Orlando with park passes to Disneyworld; and Las Vegas with a stay at Bellagio and tickets to "O" by Cirque du Soleil.

When & Where: Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Tickets: VIP $250, $125 General Admission

Co-Chairs: Karen Hutchison, Lesley McNamara, Amanda Polk & Estee Portnoy

KEENFest 09 Committee Members

Dara Baylinson
Michelle Benaim
Linda Blumenreich
Brenda Brody
Helene Brody
Cathy Caulk
Staci Capuano
Debbie Engle
Jill Gold
Amy Goldman
Paula Goldsmith
Lynn Grody
Lisa Gunty



Kate Hurson
Rebecca Jones
Courtney Keeler
Irene Koegel
Chris Kra
Wendy Krakower
Sheree Lane
Kira Lopez
Lisa Loring
Suzanne Mazer
Nina Mitchell
Michelle Murphy
Rikki Postal



Kathy Racoosin
Alyson Sadofsky
Sheila Sankaran
Linda Schoengold
Melanie Schwabe
Tammy Sickels
Mary Jo Slidell
Alexa Smith
Nina Snow
Julia Stogoski
Pam Taylor
Miriam Weintraub




KEENfest 08 Photos.

Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN) - P.O. Box 341590 Bethesda, MD 20827-1590 - info@keengreaterdc.org