The 15th Annual AFCEA Night for the Children Gala (Photos)

Avery Ayan from Florida is an energetic, fun-loving eight-year-old girl. But as a
baby, she was always getting sick. Her mother, Alyson, didn’t think too much of it
at first, but it happened so frequently that she became concerned. When Avery was
two, her doctors mistakenly diagnosed her with leukemia, and she received an emergency
bone marrow transplant. But they soon discovered it wasn’t leukemia making Avery sick,
and the doctors didn’t know what else it could be.

Last July, after six years of not getting any answers,
Alyson and Avery traveled to
the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health
(NIH)

in Bethesda, Maryland. During their very first visit, doctors
at the NIH figured it
out. Avery had a rare blood disease called RAS-Associated
Autoimmune Leukoproliferative
Disorder (RALD). Throughout Avery’s diagnosis and treatment,
Avery and her mother
stayed together at the Children’s Inn at NIH.

The Children’s Inn provides a place for seriously ill children and their families
to stay while the children are receiving treatments at the NIH. Through various activities,
such as arts and crafts and family dinners, the Children’s Inn works to keep families
together “to reduce their stress and facilitate healing through mutual support.” The
inn has kid-friendly features such as a treehouse, a pool table, and an air hockey
table.

“When you’re at the Children’s Inn, you forget why you’re even there because you’re
having so much fun,” Avery said. “I just want to stay at the Children’s Inn for 6,000
years.”

On Saturday night, Avery told her story in front of 1,200 people at the 15th annual
gala benefiting the Children’s Inn. The event, held at the Marriott Wardman Park in
DC, began at 6 with an intimate VIP reception in the Maryland Room of the hotel. The
mingling hour included an open bar and appetizers such as mini mushroom tarts and
tuna tartar, while a live classical trio played in the background. Meanwhile, the
mezzanine level featured an ongoing silent auction with items such as luxurious furs
and diamond jewelry, along with artwork made by children who stayed at the inn. This
year’s art contest theme was “what makes me thankful.” The winning painting was featured
on the cover of the evening’s program.

At 7, dinner was called, and guests poured into the large banquet room. Round tables,
a main stage with three projectors, and a dance floor took up most of the space. As
waiters came around offering wine options and dishing out the salad course, people
slowly made their way to their assigned tables, stopping to chat and pose for photos
along the way. Conversation soon died down as
Daphne Zweifel, president of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Bethesda,
took the podium to begin the evening’s speeches.

The speakers—the evening’s emcee, ABC News’s
Cokie Roberts, gala chair
Diane Pearson, and NIH director Dr.
Francis Collins, conveyed the same overall message: The Children’s Inn at NIH is a place where people
hope to find an answer. The evening was geared toward taking action to help the children
and families in need. While guests indulged in the main course—filet mignon and seared
halibut—Children’s Inn attendants
Zach Peters and Avery told their stories, and Alyson Ayan gave an overview of Avery’s rare illness.

Travel packages to Italy, Baltimore Ravens season tickets, and spa deals sold quickly and for
very high prices. For each item sold, a percentage of the proceeds goes towards sponsoring
children and their families at the inn. The live auction ended with two quilts made
by the children at the inn. The popular quilts are always a crowd favorite and generally
go for more than $10,000 a piece.

Once dessert was served and a few more short speeches were made, people discussed
their winnings and congratulated one another on a successful fundraising event. Live
music soon filled the hall as people made their way to the dance floor. On the mezzanine
level, casino tables were set up to continue the theme of bidding for a good cause.
On Saturday alone, the Children’s Inn raised more than $800,000 dollars, and since
the gala began 15 years ago, nearly $5 million has been raised.

“Hope is sometimes in the form of a prayer,” said Dr. Collins. “Tonight, at this event,
it’s an action.”