HGTV Celebrity Headlines The Final Fancy Hat Party

The Doorways provides lodging and non-medical services to families and individuals in medical crisis.

March 31, 2016; 12:17 PM • by Richard Hayes

From the Press Release:

Susie Coehlo, a celebrated entrepreneur, television host, lifestyle expert and best-selling author, will keynote the final Fancy Hat Party, a luncheon, hat contest and fashion show hosted annually to benefit The Doorways, formerly Hospital Hospitality House of Richmond.

The Doorways Fancy Hat Party was started 20 years ago to benefit its cancer-patient guests, with a goal of increasing the supply of soft, warm hats for patients staying at The Doorways who experience chills during and after their daily cancer treatments.

Over the past two decades, the event has grown from a luncheon to now include a fancy hat contest, a fashion show, a fundraising raffle, and a long list of notable celebrity guest speakers, including Deborah Norville, Jenna Hager Bush, Ann Curry, Scott Hamilton, Karen Mills, Debbie Phelps, Lee Woodruff, Steven Cojocaru and Richard Roundtree – all of whom were moved by The Doorways and its dedication to providing 40,000 – 45,000 nights of lodging to nearly 8,000 guests in medical crisis every year.

As the event grew, proceeds were able to provide much in addition to soft, warm hats. Through the Fancy Hat Party’s proceeds, The Doorways has been able to provide more than 20,000 nights of lodging, meals, transportation and emotional support to thousands of children, adults and veterans who stayed at The Doorways while they took on the fight of their lives – beating cancer.

“While we are sad to say goodbye to the Fancy Hat Party, we cannot wait to celebrate all of the wonderful volunteers who thoughtfully started this event twenty years ago, the 6,000 attendees and 400 sponsors who supported it, and the hundreds of volunteers who helped it run smoothly,” said Stacy Brinkley, president/CEO of The Doorways. “We’re also thrilled to have Susie Coehlo to Richmond to help us celebrate the Final Fancy Hat Party and give the keynote address”.

Susie Coehlo is most widely known as the host of HGTV’s primetime series, “Outer Spaces,” where she and her team surprised homeowners with beautiful outdoor living spaces. Prior to that, her hit series, “Surprise Gardener,” also on HGTV, was a forerunner in the make-over genre. She has hosted a variety of other lifestyle and entertainment shows, in addition to over ten specials for HGTV. She has also appeared regularly as a lifestyle contributor on numerous network shows including NBC’s Today Show, ABC-TV’s The View, and Oprah.

As a retail entrepreneur, Susie created “Bono’s” restaurants (with then-husband Sonny Bono) and went on to create a trendsetting retail boutique “A Star is Worn”.

The Final Fancy Hat Party featuring Susie Coehlo will be held on Friday, April 22, 2016 at The Hilton Short Pump. Tickets/table sponsorships are available at www.thedoorways.org.

About The Doorways:

The Doorways provides lodging and non-medical services to families and individuals in medical crisis. Guests are referred by physicians, staff and social workers from area hospitals. Since The Doorways opened in 1984, it has served more than 155,000 guests from across Virginia, the United States and beyond. The Doorways mission is to provide lodging and support for patients and their loved ones who need to be close to Richmond hospitals but not far from the feeling of home.