Battleship Ball 2012 Highlights

All Hands Were on Deck for the Battleship Ball
to support Hasbro Children’s Hospital

19th annual hospital event sets fundraising record, energizes community

The 19^th annual gala to benefit Hasbro Children’s Hospital took place on Saturday, March 3 and raised over $1 million setting a fundraising record for the event. The theme of the night's festivities was "Battleship Ball" referring to the upcoming movie BATTLESHIP based on the popular game by Hasbro, Inc. The RI Convention Center was transformed into a battleship complete with life preservers, officers’ clubs, battleship centerpieces, and a wooden dock. Tony Petrarca, chief meteorologist for Eyewitness News WPRI 12, was the "Captain" for the night and had a crew of young sailors assisting him with the festivities. The evening also included a performance by the “World’s Greatest Party Band” The B-52s.

“Each year this gala proves how vitally important Hasbro Children’s Hospital is to our community of generous, caring supporters,” said Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital. “In the last year, nearly 80 thousand kids walked through the doors of Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and every single family who needs our services will benefit from the funds raised at this incredible event.”

In addition to live music, dinner and dancing, event participants took part in a live auction and a super silent auction. One of the popular raffles of the night included bracelets provided by the popular Alex and Ani. The live auction funded the establishment of the “All for One” Family Assistance Fund. The fund will support the countless families throughout the region who rely on Hasbro Children’s Hospital for care and who do not have the means to take care of their basic expenses during a long hospital stay or frequent hospital visits, such as child care, transportation, and groceries.

The gala featured keynote speeches by hospital leaders, as well as hospital board chairman Lawrence Aubin, Brian Goldner, Hasbro, Inc. president and CEO, and event chairs Dolph and Maureen Johnson. During the evening a video was featured of young patient Jenna Jacques, her family, and her treatment team. The video demonstrated the hospital’s “all for one” team approach to each patient’s care and the amazing strength of Jenna and her family.

The annual Hasbro Children’s Hospital gala has raised more than $9 million since its inception in 1993. The event is presented by title sponsor Hasbro, Inc. and presenting sponsor Toys‘R’Us. Other sponsors included Alex and Ani, Amgen, CVS/Caremark, KPMG, GTech and WPRI/Fox. For a full listing of event sponsors visit https://giving.lifespan.org/BattleshipBallSponsors.

Click here to view photos of the event

Click here to view the Battleship Ball Sponsors