Columbia recently celebrated another successful year with a “Fabulous Vegas Night” themed holiday party. Over 100 employees and their special guests stepped off the elevator of the Fenway Ballroom at the Hotel Commonwealth and were transported into a lively Vegas casino. Surrounded by one-of-a-kind floor-to-ceiling views of the Boston skyline and a glowing Welcome to Fabulous Vegas archway, guests traded in “Columbia Funny Money” for playing chips and tried their luck at Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Let It Ride and Texas Hold ‘Em.  

Party goers were treated to a memorable night of Vegas-style food and entertainment, including a visit from “Elvis” decked out in an authentic blue jumpsuit, gold lame belt and cape, and classic white shoes. The Elvis impersonator set the mood by mingling with guests and treating the crowd to a sweet serenade of two classics, "Suspicious Minds" and "The Wonder of You."

The entertainment kept coming with a surprise debut performance by an all employee band known as, “Columbia’s Worst Kept Secret.” Fortunately the band name was just a myth, and party goers were shocked when Pete DiStefano, Theresa McGillivray, Brian Welch, Dennis Douglas, and Matt Arsenault entered the ballroom and took center stage to entertain the crowd with a set of energetic dance songs, the ballroom was rocking.

Never one to miss a chance to give back to the community, Columbia and our generous employees took the opportunity to turn this unique party into a toy drive for the Toys for Tots Foundation. For every new, unwrapped toy donated by an employee they received additional “Columbia Funny Money” to cash in for more casino playing chips. Thanks to our employees, an impressive 150 toys were donated to this worthy cause!

We were fortunate to kick off the holiday season in style, and to spend an unforgettable evening celebrating another year of work successes while also supporting an important local charity for the holidays.