The Olympics are over, but the costs are not.
To celebrate the accomplishments of the U.S. Olympic team — and raise money for Olympic hopefuls — seven local restaurants have generously agreed to participate in a very special evening.
On Thursday, April 25, from 5 p.m. to closing, these restaurants will donate a portion of the evening's proceeds to a local Olympic fund. This money will help with costs for coaches and scholarships.
In attendance will be Willie Davenport, five-time Olympian from the Alexandria area. He has invited more than 35 fellow Olympians to join him and mingle with the guests at the restaurants. Each participating establishment will have an Olympic flag at its site to designate its participation.
Restaurants include Bugsy's Pizza, Bullfeathers, King Street Blues, Union Street Public House, Sizzling Express, Southside 815 and Stardust Restaurant.
Raffles will be held at each location for Olympic T-shirts, pins and the popular berets from this year's games.
The event was the brainchild of Realtor Linda Wolf. Years ago, she was a lifeguard for a city pool in an impoverished area in Providence, R.I. She saw how important it was for children to have a place to go where they could excel at something.
"I always thought sports was such a good outlet," she said.
Wolf met Davenport about a year ago, and after getting to know him and seeing how much Olympians have to go through to get where they are, she wanted to know what she could do to help. His response was to help raise money for the Olympians. Money raised will go to the Foundation for Women Athletes, which Davenport founded many years ago to help fund training.
"I have so much respect [for the Olympians]. This journey is so intense. Nobody can do it for you, but I just felt if I could do something to help, I would," said Wolf.
For more information, call 703-836-8259.