June 5th, 2012 
Recently I had the pleasure of attending A Night for A Cure to benefit the American Cancer Society at the New England Aquarium. With full access to the aquarium, smooth, bluesy beats brought to us by John Cleary’s Philthy Phew, and an array of tasty hors d’oeuvres, this event was a fun and unique way to support an excellent cause.
New England Aquarium Interior (Photo Credit: S. Cheng via neag.org)
The aquarium was elegantly lined with small white-linen tables. Attendants made rounds with several different bite-sized treats, like mini crab cakes, bruschetta, and pulled pork on toast (my favorite). There were also buffet-style set-ups on both floors with antipasto, hummus, tabbouleh, garlic bread (the crowds’ favorite) and more.
Jon Cleary (Photo Credit: Clayton Call via joncleary.com)
The sounds of New Orleans-based band Jon Cleary’s Philthy Phew was a perfect backdrop to browse the aquarium exhibits and made the event feel all the more culturally rich. Jon Cleary is a three-time Blues Music Award nominee for Best Piano Player of the Year and certainly did not disappoint.
Of course, the best part of the night was being able to enjoy great music and food while being situated among the fish, penguins, turtles, starfish and other awe-inspiring sea creatures! When I was a little kid, I used to think about how cool it would be to “have the whole (aquarium, mall, ice rink, the list goes on…) to myself” and this event reawakened that sentiment.
Jon Cleary (Photo Credit: Keith Walker via joncleary.com)
Toward the end of the night, I had a chance to have a quick word with the event administrator, Jessica Gates. When I asked what caused her to get involved with the American Cancer Society, she told me that when she was in seventh grade, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, she was too young to fully grasp or comprehend the seriousness of the disease and the effect it has on so many lives. As Jess got older, she was motivated to make up for what she didn’t do/ wasn’t able to do as a kid. Jess became involved in fundraising and also co-chairs her Relay for Life Team.
To donate to Jess’s team, click here. To donate to the Relay for Life, click here.
