It was a fine night for the city of Hope.
Black town cars rolled up in a queue as luminaries stepped onto the red carpet. Floodlights circled up to touch the heavens. The sounds of Sinatra blared inside as patrons dined on caviar and salmon tartar.
Friday night, NFL stars, CEOs, media mavens and Washington politicians adorned in tuxedos and shimmering gowns flocked to the new Westin Charlotte for the most important party this young hotel has ever hosted.
It was a party befitting a starlet. Boy, what a party it was.
It was the dream of a little girl, Hope Stout, to have this huge celebration to honor the people who would raise $1 million to grant the wishes of 155 sick children.
In four weeks, Hope's dream came true. By Friday night, the local Make-A-Wish foundation had raised over $1.1 million.
Hope, 12, who died of a rare bone cancer Jan. 4, would have loved the party she planned. People danced and told stories and made toasts and cheered her Panthers, who play this city's biggest game ever tonight.
When the live auction got so crazy that two otherwise sane grown men were willing to pay $15,000 for a Panthers-autographed football, lineman Kevin Donnalley jumped offside and found another one.
It was all to honor Hope, the red-haired princess who gave up her dream -- to be a star -- to look after the other kids first.
But it was also about us, a city growing up as we grappled with the mixed emotions of playoff fever and the profound sadness of a young girl dying.
Hope brought out the best in this region. After her story broke in the Observer on Dec. 19, she went on local radio and TV stations and gave her cause a big voice. Then, in her absence, she inspired many of us to reach deep in our hearts and wallets to make it happen.
Charlotte, portrayed in some parts (OK, Philly) as a slick, soulless mecca for Bible-thumping charlatans and clueless, high-living bankers, came together, raising the $1 million the hard way.
Pardon the sports analogy, but like the Panthers, we were a blue-collar town this month. When our best player, Stout-hearted Hope, went down, we rallied and held hands and found a way to make a fourth-and-long wish a reality.
Toddlers gave up allowances. Kids held a walkathon. A family gave up its trip to Walt Disney World. Someone bought a trip to the NFL playoff game in St. Louis and "wished" it away.
Yes, Charlotte could have done things our usual way, raising $500,000 and guilting the big banks and Duke Energy into paying the other half. But we didn't. We ground it out. On Friday afternoon, folks at Bank of America and Wachovia were passing cups and hats through the halls, trying to make sure Hope hit her goal.
She -- and we -- did it.
There's a saying, he who grieves well lives well. We're due a little joy today. Pardon one last sports cliche, but Hope reminded us winning isn't always what matters; it's how you play the game.
Charlotte, with our little star leading the way, played big.
