By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times

A gondola and strolling musicians helped set the tone for the Brandywine Health Foundations’s 2014 Venetian-themed Garden Party.

If you consider the fact that canals surround Venice, then the rain that threatened this year’s Brandywine Health Foundation Garden Party didn’t seem out of place for the gondola-themed event – nor did it drench any enthusiasm for the festivities.

In fact, Wednesday night’s Garden Party ultimately borrowed a line from Ricky Nelson’s song of the same name: “There was magic in the air,” not precipitation. Except for an occasional spritz, the rain stayed away, allowing the approximately 450 attendees to stroll outside the elaborately decorated tents.

The annual fund-raiser, which kicks off the 2014 Strawberry Festival, brought much news to celebrate. For starters, Frances M. Sheehan, president and CEO of the Brandywine Health Foundation, explained that the foundation’s board had “launched the Campaign for Coatesville’s Kids just seven months ago with a great committee” and an ambitious goal: $1,050,000. The money was earmarked to provide a significant nest egg to the Coatesville Youth Initiative, which recently became an independent non-profit; to endow the Harry Lewis Jr. Scholarship for decades to come; and to launch a new Youth Philanthropy Program for Coatesville’s teens.

Dressed in gondola attire, Jennifer and Robert McNeil hosted the 2014 Garden Party.

“I am so proud to announce that the Campaign for Coatesville’s Kids has already raised $1,131,000, more than $80,000 over our goal – and one month early,” Sheehan said to applause. “We have had an incredible year.”

Sheehan was joined by the foundation’s chairman, James Manning, who announced the 2014 winner of the Harry Lewis Jr. Scholarship, an award named after Manning’s predecessor as board chairman. Aja Thompson, the third recipient of the scholarship, will receive $20,000 toward tuition and fees to study culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, which she’ll start in the fall.

Manning said the scholarship was established in 2011 by the Brandywine Health Foundation’s board of directors to recognize a young person who has been involved in the Coatesville Youth Initiative, and has demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of life in the greater Coatesville community. He said Thompson embodies those attributes.

“Two summers ago, Aja Thompson agreed to work as a junior camp counselor at the Brandywine Valley Association’s (BVA) day camp as part of the Coatesville Youth Initiative’s (CYI) Summer ServiceCorps,” said Manning. “She figured she could earn money and get a little more involved in her community. But for her, CYI has become so much more. Last summer, she was a ServiceCorps team leader in charge of nine peers who worked at a variety of sites, including Waste Oil Recyclers. There, with two of her team members, she helped create a mural and garden pathway and harvested 300 pounds of produce for the Chester County Food Bank.”

Thompson said she greatly appreciated those life-changing experiences, which taught her “the importance of giving back” and the importance of being an advocate rather than just a complainer. She said Coatesville has generated “a lot of negative talk,” inspiring her to take steps to reverse that perception.

Scholarship winner Aja Thompson (left) poses with Chaya Scott, who heads the Coatesville Youth Initiative.

“CYI helps us develop ourselves by transforming our minds and hearts to think of others and their needs, as well as the importance of being educated on the power of our voices and our efforts, and how our ideas enable us to create an impact far greater than what we believed could have been achieved,” she said.

Following the program, participants enjoyed a buffet dinner by John Serock Catering and the Venetian ambiance of Springbank Farm, the home of Jennifer and Robert McNeil. Last year, the property doubled as a Hawaiian paradise; this year, it was transformed into a Venetian one, complete with lavish floral arrangements, strolling musicians, even a gondola.

Attendees also played a role in establishing bragging rights for the best berry desserts, an appetizing competition among Amani’s BYOB, Bordley House Grille, Brickside Grille, Duling-Kurtz House and Country Inn, General Warren Inne, The Hunt Room at the Desmond Hotel, the Olive Tree Mediterranean Grill and Station Taproom. The “People’s Choice” awards were given to Bordley House (first), the Hunt Room (second), and the General Warren (third).

A professional tasting panel that included a veteran, County Commissioner Terence Farrell, selected the “Culinary Excellence” awards. They went to Olive Tree Mediterranean Grill (first place), the Hunt Room (second), and Amani BYOB and Bordley House Grille, which tied for third. Farrell had returned home from a trip to China hours before the event. “I wouldn’t want to miss this,” he said.

The strawberries also served as a prelude to the 2014 festival, presented by PECO and First Niagara. It will run from Thursday, May 29, to Sunday, June 1, on the grounds of the Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville.

The festivities ended with a fireworks display sponsored by the McNeils in memory of Kitty Williams, a founding Garden Party committee member and longtime participant in the Brandywine Health Foundation.

For additional information on the Brandywine Health Foundation and its mission to provide health equity, youth development, and a safe and economically viable Coatesville-area community, visit www.brandywinefoundation.org.

More details on the 2014 Strawberry Festival are available at www.brandywinestrawberryfestival.com. This year’s event will benefit the Coatesville Youth Initiative.