Margaritaville Resort Casino and Tia’s Hope, a foundation dedicated to providing special memories for children spending part of their childhoods in hospitals, will host the second annual “Memories in the Moonlight Masquerade” for all children with special needs Friday, Feb. 24 at the El Karubah Shriners Temple.
Special needs children from all over the area are expected to attend. The public is being asked for donations of new or gently used cocktail and formal dresses for the girls by Feb. 9.
Contact Ashley Henning at ahenning@margaritaville-bc.com or (318)698-7192 to donate.
Tickets to the event are free. Visit Eventbrite.com and search “Memories in the Moonlight Masquerade Ball” to register for your tickets.
The girls attending are able to “shop” for their favorite dress from the donated collection, and Dione Gillespie, Margaritaville’s Wardrobe Supervisor, will fit and alter to their needs. On Masquerade Day, all participating girls are invited to the “Memories Beauty Shop” at Shriners Hospital, where hair stylists from Vanity and Co. and Pro Makeup/Esthetician Ashley Henning and her Younique Presenters team will volunteer their primping services. Once at the dance, the children will be picked up by Rose Neath Funeral Home’s limo and driven to the entrance for a “Red Carpet” arrival.
Squires will again lend their tuxedos and staff to dress the boys in style for this year’s event. In addition, Azarues Formal and Bridal has donated dresses. Culinary Artist Amberly Withers will donate a beautiful 4-tiered cake, and Jessica Zylicz, with Chloe and Isabel will provide jewelry. The Masquerade will feature music, dancing, crafts, video games provided by GameOn video game truck, a photo booth provided by TapSnap, and a chance to meet favorite comic book and Disney characters from UberGeeks Cosplay Team.
Margaritaville is a sponsor of Tia’s Hope, contributing an annual donation of $75,000 for the foundation’s efforts.
The “Memories in the Moonlight Masquerade” was created in 2016 when El Karubah Shriners potentate Jerry DeFatta approached Ashley Henning, Executive Assistant of Margaritaville and Tia’s Hope Ambassador for the Shreveport-Bossier area, about hosting a dance that all children with special needs can attend. Ashley reached out to the community for formal wear donations thru social media, and they responded. Volunteers with the El Karubah Shriners, Margaritaville Resort Casino, and the 93 rd Bomb Squadron of Barksdale Air Force Base will assist with this year’s event.
