CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Area Medical Center is inviting the community on a tropical getaway right here at home this weekend to help raise funds for infants and children in need.
The CAMC Foundation will be host to its annual Bora Bora Adventure fundraiser this Saturday, July 8 at the Clay Center to benefit CAMC’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
It’s an outdoor beach-themed event where people are encouraged to throw on their best Hawaiian shirts and sundresses and indulge in an evening of island food and music.
CAMC Foundation spokesperson Robby Queen said that their annual fundraisers were traditionally black tie formal events before Covid-19, but the onset of the pandemic forced them to think outside the box, and the outcome was well-received.
“Last year, we came about this idea of doing an outdoor, beach-casual event and we did it, it was a great success, our guests loved the concept,” Queen said.
Being a part of the community for nearly 50 years now, CAMC Foundation is the non-profit 5013C extension of CAMC Health System that works to raise funds for the health system and all of its various individual needs.
Queen said the non-profit helps support the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in many different ways through fundraisers they host like Bora Bora Adventure.
“Things there such as our Family Resource Center, which provides education and resources to families as they may be starting a pregnancy or after birth with some training classes,” he said.
It also helps support the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit housing the newest, most vulnerable infants with some of the biggest medical problems.
Queen said that just one bed in this unit, called a Giraffe NICU bed, where they place the infants in to give them a sterile environment to get nurtured until they are up to full health, can cost upwards of $50,000. However, he said through previous fundraisers the foundation has held, they were able to meet some of those equipment needs at the hospital.
“Funds raised at an event like this help fund projects like that, and recently here within the last year we’ve been able to provide some updated beds to Women’s and Children’s Hospital through the CAMC Foundation,” he said.
Another major area the fundraisers help support is CAMC’s Children’s Cancer Center.
“When a child is successful with their treatments and have completed everything there and when it’s time to ring the bell three times, the staff over at Women’s and Children’s are able to provide a celebration for the patient including some various nice gifts, and again, that’s something the CAMC Foundation is proud to support,” said Queen.
Additionally, the fundraisers help support the CAMC Cancer Center, providing preventative services, lodging and transportation. Queen said it also helps with CAMC’s many educational programs that help train the next generation of nurses and other allied health professions, which the foundation raises about $3.5 million dollars a year for.
Saturday’s Bora Bora Adventure fundraiser will come complete with ambiance-setting steel drums from St. Mark’s Steel in Charleston that Queen said gives guests the feeling of actually being in the islands.
The headlining entertainment will be Jukebox, a group of talent out of the Northern Virginia and D.C Metro area.
CAMC Foundation is partnering with Embassy Suits to provide the tropical-themed food and drink for the event, which will include Ahi tuna wontons, spring rolls, Mahi Mahi with a pineapple relish, smoked salmon, a carving station with sirloin, tropical dessert shooters and ginger island margaritas.
The event will go on from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and tickets are still available. Interested guests can purchase their tickets until 4 p.m. tomorrow, Friday July 7 by visiting CAMC Foundation’s website or by calling their office at (304)388-9860.