Photo credit: Tony Brown – Imijination Photography
Forget about wine and food pairing, although Jose Andres was in the house so there may have been some of that too. The new pairing trend goes like this: Participant A has a fabulous house they want to sell, Participant B has a wonderful charity they want to promote. In this case, participant A is Rob and Robin Wilder whose home is currently listed on the market with the Wydler Brothers Real Estate Team. Participant B is the Children’s National new project, The Healing Garden. Throw in some high octane guests courtesy of Capitol File and call it the new Formula One.
Capitol File’s Fendy Mesy, ThinkFoodGroup’s José Andrés, and Jeff Magloire
It was a festive Lunar New Year with a chic gathering with bright florals by Multiflor and Asian-inspired bites including a Chinese noodle bar and an array of dim sum offerings by Design Cuisine. Hans and Steve Wydler welcomed guests and Healing Garden co-chairs Andy (of CoStar Group) and Heather Florance who invited guests to support Children’s National’s newest initiative.
First Lady Michelle Obama and all five living former First Ladies support the Healing Garden project which transforms a gravel rooftop space at Children’s National Health System into a 7,200-square-foot healing garden. The garden will give patients and their families a healthy outdoor space where they can enjoy art, music, and inspiring views of Washington, DC. and will be dedicated to the First Ladies of the United States – Mrs. Michelle Obama, Mrs. Laura Bush, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mrs. Barbara Bush, Mrs. Nancy Reagan, and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter who are serving as honorary chairs of the garden project.
“I’ve seen firsthand the strength and bravery of the children and families at Children’s National as they take on incredible challenges,” said Michelle Obama. “The new healing garden will give children and families a place where they can find peace and comfort, while also contributing to their health.”
Amb. Stuart Holliday and Michele Evans
Childrens National Martha McCollum, NBC4s Doug-Kammerer and Hans Wydler
Hollywood on the Potomac asked Hans how the pairing thing panned out: “We’re representing the house and wanted to come up with a fun way to support the charity and a fun way for us to get exposure. We thought the party would be the way to do it. Andy Florance ((of CoStar Group) gave a warm and really wonderful talk about the Children’s Garden and explained how he came to be involved with the charity. I’ve already heard there have been some inquiries about how they can help and contribute and we’e had lots of good buzz about the property.”
Alan Dunn and Anita McBride
