A treasured highlight of the summer, the Eve of Janus is a beloved tradition and the longest-running fundraising event supporting the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Sponsored by the Nashville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Delta Delta, funds raised from the event directly benefit the Tri Delta Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at the hospital, enabling research, education and patient care.

The Schermerhorn was packed with finely dressed attendees, who enjoyed the relatively cool evening in the courtyard before the dinner. Big Events set the mood with soft, cool colors and beautiful floral arrangements comprised of hydrangeas, calla lilies, roses, emerus, and Oriental lilies in various hues of green, white and blue.

After a brief introduction from sisters and co-chairs Marne Mills Adams and Allison Mills Duffey, honorary chairman Harold “Bo” Lovvorn, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt, spoke to the importance of research in combating cancer in children. Fund recipient Richard Ho echoed this sentiment, and the most stirring testimony came from junior honorary chair Kelsey Towns. Kelsey, who was also presented in The Signs of the Times, was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, just before her senior year of high school. After her treatment at Vanderbilt, Kelsey is now cancer-free and recently completed her first year at Western Kentucky University.

This year, 80 young women were presented in The Signs of the Times, accompanied by 67 Marshals. Every eye in the room was fixed on these stunning young women, adorned in regal white gowns as they made their way down the aisle. Following the presentation, guests enjoyed salted caramel and chocolate ganache tartlets in the lobby. But the main attraction was in the front of the Schermerhorn, where an ice-cream truck pulled up to the curb, serving the youngsters and their families congregating in the courtyard in a celebratory fashion.

—Abby White, Photographs by Eric England