Celebrity Waiter Night raises funds, awareness for Children's Place in Aiken

ERIN WEEKS, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

May 20—Restaurants across Aiken took part in Celebrity Waiter Night on Monday, an annual charity event which raises funds for Children's Place.

Children's Place is a social services organization that offers mental health treatment to young children and their families. They serve Aiken, Barnwell, Bamberg, Edgefield and McCormick counties.

Local "celebrities," including employees from the Aiken Chamber of Commerce to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, served as waiters at various establishments. All tips earned during the event will help support Children's Place. Each venue sold raffle tickets for a $3,000 pair of 14k white gold diamond earrings provided by Floyd and Green Jewelers.

For over two decades, Celebrity Waiter Night has been an annual fundraising tradition for Children's Place, helping support the organization's therapeutic child care program.

"This is year number 24," said Peggy Ford, executive director of Children's Place. "This money will fill in all the treatment cost gaps that we have. For instance, if we're serving a child, and all of a sudden their health insurance runs out, we don't have to say goodbye to them, because of this night."

Celebrity Waiter Night brought in around $140,000 last year, Ford said.

Employees at Security Federal Bank served as waiters at Casa Bella, an Italian restaurant located downtown.

"It's important as a community bank to give back to your community," said Paul Jackson, a financial counselor at Security Federal. "Children's Place is a really important agency in our community.

"I love getting out and socializing and meeting new people and seeing people in our community kind of come together and rally around a good and noble cause," he added.

At the Feed Sack, celebrity waiters were from the Savannah River National Laboratory.

"It's an opportunity for Children's Place to come out and see the community and engage in a different way than what we normally would," said Brad Pickenheim, who works for SRNL and is also a Children's Place board member. "It's an opportunity to contribute in a different way."

"It's an opportunity, also, for community to learn about Children's Place ...to learn what services they offer, what they do for kids," added Children's Place Board President and SRNL Research Support Manager Holly Hall.

Students from Aiken Scholars Academy joined in the fun as servers at Aiken Fish House. The students volunteered to participate.

Sophomore Steven McVey called celebrity waiter night a "special opportunity to be working for such a good cause."

"Even if someone doesn't donate it raises awareness of the problem, so that's good," said sophomore Amanda Counts.