Beaufort Memorial Foundation Valentine Ball
This year’s event co-chairs are Patrick and Becky Cunningham, and Drs. Jennifer Wallace and Aaron Sarathy
story by EMMA JUNE GROSSKOPF photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
Mark your calendars for the Beaufort Memorial Foundation Valentine Ball on February 8, just two months away!
The event, which has become a cherished tradition for the Beaufort community, will be held at Tabby Place in downtown Beaufort. The ball will include the ever-popular features that guests have come to know and love: the pre-ball dinner parties, live music by Charlotte-based band “Color the Night,” a silent auction, cocktails, and a dessert bar.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Becky and Patrick Cunningham, alongside Drs. Aaron Sarathy and Jennifer Wallace, will co-chair this year’s Valentine Ball,” said Kim Yawn, Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation Chief Development Officer. “Their commitment to our community’s health is unwavering. As we dedicate the proceeds to expanding access to care and nurturing future health care professionals, we’re confident they’ll lead us to a successful – and perhaps record-breaking – fundraising event.”
Becky called chairing the ball a “journey back to where it all began” – while working for the Beaufort Memorial Foundation herself years ago, she ended up on Dr. Wallace and Dr. Sarathy’s doorstep, where the couple was hosting the Valentine Ball Kickoff Party. Little did they know that this chance encounter would ultimately blossom into lasting friendships and professional collaborations.
Becky and Dr. Wallace now work together at Palmetto Smiles of Beaufort: Becky is the dentistry practice’s marketing director and Dr. Wallace leads the team.
Now, Becky and her husband Patrick, a Merrill Lynch financial advisor, are pairing up with Dr. Wallace and Dr. Sarathy – an oral surgeon with Charleston Oral and Facial Surgery – to chair the event.
Each year, Beaufort Memorial Foundation’s signature event sparks generosity and forges connections that embody the spirit, purpose, and unity of our community. This year, every dollar raised will directly support Beaufort Memorial Foundation’s Vision Campaign.
THE VISION CAMPAIGN
This 5-year, $10M comprehensive campaign captures the mission of Beaufort Memorial by focusing on three essential pillars: expanding access to quality health care, establishing innovative health care delivery systems, and growing a strong workforce.
With big plans for health care in the Lowcountry, Beaufort Memorial is taking bold steps forward to make these plans a reality. There are several construction projects underway all over the County that will expand access to high-quality health care for residents from Beaufort to Hilton Head. These steps – and steps the nonprofit hospital will take in the future – are directly supported through the Vision Campaign.
Understanding that staffing these projects is just as important as building facilities, the Vision Campaign has a goal of growing community partnerships to develop affordable housing, daycare options, and career development, aiding the recruitment and retention of Beaufort Memorial employees.
“A strong workforce is essential to the success of our growth plans,” said Russell Baxley, Beaufort Memorial President & CEO. “Our employees are our number one resource, and we are working to provide every opportunity for their advancement and continued success.”
Additionally, one of the hospital’s core values is innovation – integrating advanced technology and strengthening partnerships to ensure the highest quality of care is available close to home. In recent years, Beaufort Memorial has collaborated with Publix to offer telemedicine kiosks in multiple stores throughout Beaufort County, expanding options for residents to receive health care. The Vision Campaign furthers this commitment, extending innovative health care services beyond the four walls of the hospital.
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
Wallace shared, “The Valentine Ball has become a tradition that many in the community look forward to, not only for the social impact but for the impact it has on health care access in our area. We’ve seen how projects funded by the Beaufort Memorial Foundation improve facilities and services, which in turn fosters a stronger, healthier community.”
The 2025 co-chairs are committed to the mission of Beaufort Memorial and are eager to inspire community involvement in support of a cause that promises to make a lasting impact on the entire Beaufort community.
“Being co-chairs feels like a chance to give back in a meaningful way. There’s a sense of pride in helping continue this legacy of giving and seeing firsthand how it brings people together for a cause that benefits everyone,” said Cunningham.
HAVING A BALL
The inaugural Valentine Ball was held in 1989, and now, in 2025, we’re thrilled to carry on the tradition as we celebrate its 36th year!
For decades, the black-tie ball has had a unique way of kicking off the evening: pre-ball dinner parties, held at the homes of generous community members, before guests head off to the event for a night of cocktails, connections, and music. These dinners – often a major highlight of the evening – are included in the ticket price for the event, and are a perfect way to meet new people and enjoy a catered or home-cooked meal by gracious hosts.
Every host does it differently, but one thing is certain: The generosity and festive spirit of Beaufort’s community is unrivaled.
Once guests make their way to Tabby Place, the drinks, desserts, and dancing commence – not to mention opportunities to browse and bid on silent auction items, such as artwork, trips, and more! This year’s event will spotlight an incredible Charleston-based artist, offering a live painting to be raffled off and creating personalized mini portraits for guests.
GIVING THAT SAVES LIVES
The Valentine Ball is Beaufort Memorial Foundation’s largest fundraising event, generating substantial support each year for vital hospital projects. Last year, the event brought in $217,949 to support the now-open, state-of-the-art education center at Beaufort Memorial, which has allowed the hospital to continue offering career development opportunities for current employees, as well as training the next generation of health care providers to meet the ever-evolving needs of a community that grows larger and more dynamic every day.
The Foundation’s fundraising campaigns over the last few years have gone to support many different initiatives including the renovation and expansion of the hospital’s Surgical Pavilion, which broke ground last fall and is expected to be completed in late 2025.
This year’s goal? Raising $230,000 toward the hospital’s Vision Campaign and the projects it supports.
“The Vision Campaign is a bold initiative to shape the future of health care in the Lowcountry,” Yawn said. “Support for this campaign will empower Beaufort Memorial to expand access to care through the addition of new facilities, innovative partnerships, and continuing our efforts to develop the health care workforce in our region.”
The Vision Campaign is a driving force behind several Beaufort Memorial projects currently underway that seek to expand access to quality care and strengthen the health care workforce in our growing communities.
One of these projects will be the construction of the Bluffton Community Medical Campus (BCMC), which will provide a full-service emergency department; imaging services, including X-ray, magnetic resource imaging (MRI), and CT technology; laboratory services; and an outpatient surgery center with four surgical suites.
Additionally, to address the affordable housing challenge in the Lowcountry, Livewell Terrace by BMH, Beaufort Memorial’s affordable workforce housing project in conjunction with the Town of Bluffton and Beaufort County, is just one way that the nonprofit hospital is following through on its promise to provide the region with the health care services and workforce it needs.
Through its three pillars, the Vision Campaign offers support to these projects – and many more.
“The Lowcountry as a region is growing quickly, and its residents deserve innovative health care solutions and improved accessibility to these services,” stated Baxley. “We are proud to say we’re moving forward and will continue to expand access to high quality care.”
Mark Your Calendars. Invitations to the ball will be mailed out mid-December.
