CornerHouse Benefit

On Saturday, J and I (and his parents) joined my parents for a benefit at the St. Paul Hotel. The benefit raised money for CornerHouse, a place where abused children can safely go to get help.

Children come to CornerHouse after the most violating acts imaginable are committed against them. They come here to begin the process of sorting through what happened toward the ultimate goal of healing. CornerHouse provides a safe place, where children are first and they are always listened to.

For twenty years CornerHouse has been a safe place in our community for skilled and compassionate professionals to interview child victims of sexual abuse and violence. Police, prosecutors and child protection workers come together here around the needs of the child while at the same time developing the best information to perform their duties in our system of justice. Since 1989 CornerHouse has interviewed and provided medical evaluations for hundreds of children. The evidence gathered in these has been used to provide justice for victims and their families.

A pioneer in the field of forensic interviewing, CornerHouse trains other child abuse investigators throughout Minnesota, the United States and world. The name CornerHouse is recognized as the highest standard in the field.

http://www.cornerhousemn.org/

 

 The benefit had a "Let's Dance" theme and had a "Dancing with the Stars" like competition. Local celebrities were paired with professional dancers and had fifteen hours to learn a ballroom routine. They performed at the benefit and were judged by three guest judges and the rest of the audience. The audience could purchase poker chips (proceeds went to CornerHouse, of course) and then each couple had a large vase on the bar and the audience would place their poker chips in the vase of who they thought should win. Those votes and the judges scores determined the winners! It was such a fun idea and a really great night raising money for a really great cause. 

Me and my hot date

Me, J and our parents

Not the best pic, but one of the couples performing