Boston Buzz: Summer Search Boston 2016 Kentucky Derby Cocktail Party

What could be better than celebrating the Kentucky Derby with 200 of your closest friends in one of Boston’s most iconic places? Doing it all in support of a great cause!

Last Saturday, the Boston chapter of Summer Search hosted an amazing cocktail party for Derby Day at the gorgeous EMC Club within Fenway Park. Besides boasting amazing views of a completely empty Fenway (how many people can say they’ve seen that?!), the party was a lot of fun including an open bar with your typical Derby cocktails, like the Mint Julep and some delish new additions, like Patron’s Derby Punch. Add in a silent auction featuring so many covetable items and a best dressed contest for all the amazing outfits (and hats!) and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect Derby Day. Oh, and did I mention this was all to support an amazing organization, Summer Search?

Summer Search works with high school students in seven cities across the U.S. (one of them being Boston) to give the students access to tap into their inner potential through mentoring and summer immersion trips. The organization was founded with the idea that every child should have a chance to realize their potential and experience life-changing opportunities, such as an immersion trip or service trip, regardless of their family circumstances. In addition to providing the students with amazing opportunities over the summer, they receive mentoring to help them prepare for college and professional life beyond. 98% of Summer Search students graduate from high school and 71% go on to graduate with their Bachelor’s degree- an amazing feat when you think about that most of their low-income peers do not finish high school. This organization is truly amazing!

The third annual Summer Search Kentucky Derby Cocktail Party took place at Fenway Park which I thought was super cool! I had never been to an empty Fenway and it was awesome to catch some pictures of the gorgeous park. I also love checking out the amazing fashion, especially the hats every year! It’s definitely an event I love dressing for- and special thanks to the ladies from Best Dressed Charlestown who helped me pick out the perfect dress for the festivities.

The best thing of all is the amount of support and awareness for Summer Search the party drives each year.  With over $80,000 in funds raised for the organization through the event, it feels pretty great to have fun in support of something that means so much to so many people!

Boston friends, stay tuned for details about next year’s event- I’ll share it here and on Facebook. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it!

xoxo, Jenna