26th Annual Congressional Gala Raises Funds for The Children’s Inn at NIH

The 26th Annual Congressional Gala will be held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday September 16, 2014 to raise money for The Children’s Inn at NIH. The theme of this year’s gala is “From Every State, for Every Child,” and baskets representing all of the regions of the United States will included in the auction.

The Children’s Inn is a nonprofit “Place Like Home” where families stay together while their children participate in groundbreaking medical research at the National Institutes of Health, the world’s premier biomedical research center.

This year’s gala is emceed by newswoman Nina Totenberg and co- chaired by Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins will make remarks, and Ezmee Hutton, a young woman who is currently undergoing treatment at the NIH will talk about what a difference it has made for her to have the support and comfort of staying at The Inn.

The Children’s Inn at NIH will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015, and since opening in 1990, more than 13,500 seriously ill children and their families have stayed there. Children staying at The Inn have come from all 50 states and 84 different countries.

Establishment of The Inn took hard work, dedication and commitment, and the merging of public and private resources. Merck generously donated $3.7 million for The Inn to be built; the NIH donated 2.5 acres of land; and a group of Congressional spouses formed Friends of The Children’s Inn and raised money to furnish the facility.

“The support we receive from this event is an investment in science, in medicine, in children, and the return on that investment is the promise of a brighter, healthier future for generations to come,” said Kathy Russell.

For more information, contact Dorie Hightower, Media Relations Manager at The Children’s Inn at (301) 451-3075 or [email protected].

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The Children’s Inn at NIH is a residential “place like home” for up to 59 seriously ill children and their families who stay together while participating in groundbreaking medical treatments at the NIH, the world’s leading biomedical research center. While the NIH takes care of the child’s medical needs, The Inn tends to the child’s heart, soul and spirit. Families stay at The Inn free of charge, no matter how long.