Chocolate Ball – The Arc of Howard County

The 25th annual Chocolate Ball

Posted on April 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm.

Written by Kiki Coffman

The Arc of Howard County’s 25th annual Chocolate Ball

The Peace, Love, and Inclusion Tour!

You Are Invited…

The Arc of Howard County’s

25th annual Chocolate Ball

April 22, 2023

Turf Valley Resort

7 PM – Midnight

The 25th annual Chocolate Ball is The Arc of Howard County‘s Signature Event! The 25th Annual Chocolate Ball will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 7 p.m. to Midnight at the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland. This black tie preferred gala — Tuxedos, Suits, and Gowns — Only Groovier! — is a magical evening of fine food, live music, dancing, signature beverages, silent auction, raffles, and of course, delicious chocolate!

Join us and our celebrity Chocolate Ball Judges to raise money for a wonderful cause, all the while dancing the night away to the fabulous sounds of the band, Oracle! All net funds raised support The Arc of Howard County’s programmatic efforts to support people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families in Howard County, Maryland.

Want To Sponsor the Chocolate Ball?

To sponsor The Arc of Howard County’s 25th annual Chocolate Ball: Please complete the Chocolate Ball Sponsorship Form.

NOTE: You can pay for your sponsorship in TWO ways:

Complete the sponsorship form below and agree to pay the Donors Cover Costs transaction fee. An invoice marked “PAID” will be mailed to you.
If you would like to pay by check, enter your sponsorship level and your contact information, click to the Payment Page, and click “Next”. Do not enter credit card or bank information. An invoice requesting check payment will be mailed to you.

Choose from the following sponsorship levels!

$15,000 Chocolate Indulgence Sponsor
$10,000 Chocolatier Sponsor
$7,500 Chocolate Lace Sponsor
$5,000 French Silk Sponsor
$3,500 Support the Dream Sponsor
$2,500 Death By Chocolate Sponsor
$2,500 Entertainment Sponsor
$2,500 The Arc Bag Raffle Sponsor
$2,500 Silent Auction Sponsor
$2,500 Centerpiece Sponsor
$2,500 King and Queen Sponsor
$2,500 Chocolate Souffle Sponsor
$2,500 Golden Ticket Sponsor
$1,000 Bon Bon Sponsor
$500 Chocolate Kiss Sponsor
$250 Peace Train Sponsor
$250 Ticket

Want To Sponsor the Chocolate Ball?

The Resource Development Department will contact you for the names of your guests.

Questions about event logistics? Contact Kiki Coffman, Resource Development Coordinator, kcoffman@archoward.org or call 443-534-0330.

Do you want to donate an item to the Auction or Raffles? If so, please complete the Chocolate Ball 2023 Silent Auction Donation Form.

See you at the Ball!

The 24th Annual Chocolate Ball & 60th Year Celebration: Hocus Pocus Masquerade Ball

Posted on April 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm.

Written by Jill Berry

The Arc of Howard County’s 24th Annual Chocolate Ball and 60th Year Celebration

Thank you everyone who attended, sponsored, or donated to our SOLD OUT event!

The Arc of Howard County’s

24th Annual Chocolate Ball &

60th Year Celebration

April 2, 2022

Turf Valley Resort

7 PM- Midnight

Hocus Pocus

Masquerade Ball!

Questions about sponsorships? Contact Barbara Moyer, Director of Marketing, Communications and Events bmoyer@archoward.org or call 410-730-0638 Ext. 306.

Questions about event logistics? Contact Kiki Coffman, Resource Development Coordinator, kcoffman@archoward.org or call 410-730-0638 Ext. 229.

See you at the Ball!

Special Thank You to All Our Sponsors!

Chocolate Indulgence Sponsor - Commercial Insurance Managers

French Silk- Dimensional, Turf VAlley, Giant, Annette Hinkle

French Silk - Sandy Spring, Dull Foundation, M&T Bank, Wegmans

Wine Sponsor - Axios

Graphic Design Sponsor - John Reasner

Chocolate Lace Sponsor - VSells, HoCo Gen Hospital, Kelly

Support the Dream - Lincoln Tech

Death by Chocolate - McGuireWoods, Mutual of America, First National Bank

Entertainment Sponsor - Davis Agnor Rapaport skalny, Elm Street Development, L Earl and Mary T Armiger

Arc Bag Raffle - Enterprise Fleet Management, Pam Lanman Guzzone

Silent Auction - Town Artisans Gallery, Coastal Companies, MPT

Centerpiece Sponsor - Erdman, ALFA, Harry H Witzke Funeral Home

Chocolate Souffle - Century Chrysler, Mullen Sondberg, Wimbish, Stone; Tito's

King and Queen Sponsors - Environmental Systems Assoc, Howard hughes

Golden Ticket - Blossoms of Hope,East WEst Sign Group, Kahlert Foundation

Bon Bon - Smith Mechanical, Allen + Shariff, UnitedHealthCare, Catalyst Communications

Bon Bon - Ally Legal, Columbia Association, Apple Ford Lincoln, Weymouth Group

Bon Bon - DEX imaging, Heritage housing, Smyth Jewelers, Allan and Robin Kittleman, Constellation

bon Bon - Harkins Builders, Ironmark, Havtech, Transforming Architecture

Bon Bon - WR Grace, Prop Stop Photo booth, Perfectly Wrapped Gifts, HCAR Cares, Lutheran Village at Miller's Grant

Thank you to our Donors - Chocolate Ball Donors 2022

Thank you to our Bakers - Chocolate Ball 2022 Bakers List

Download the PDF here.

Chocolate Ball Invitation-Reply Card-2022-ClickablePDF

Download the PDF here.

“Imagine” Living Life to the Fullest

Posted on June 10, 2020 at 11:44 am.

Written by Jill Berry

Imagine” living life…to the fullest. “Imagine,” a new video from The Arc of Howard County, features people with intellectual and developmental disabilities doing just that…living their best lives. The “Imagine” video was produced by Pam Long Photography featuring the vocal talents of Bach to Rock Fulton, MD‘s Carl Pfanstiehl. Thank you, Pam, Carl, and Bach to Rock! Let’s imagine the day when we can all be together again!

To learn more about The Arc of Howard County, click here. To donate to The Arc of Howard County’s COVID-19 Relief Fund for the purchase of masks, face shields, PPE, gowns, hand sanitizer, cleaning and disinfecting supplies, and more, click here.

23rd Annual Chocolate Ball

Posted on March 7, 2020 at 7:00 pm.

Written by Jill Berry

The 23rd Annual Chocolate Ball is The Arc of Howard County‘s Signature Event! This black tie preferred gala, a magical evening of fine food, live music, dancing, signature beverages, silent auction, raffles, and of course, delicious chocolate, was held at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City on Saturday, March 7th, 2020!

This year we were thrilled that Sherri Collins-Witzke, President of the Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, was the 2020 Chocolate Ball Honorary Chair! We were joined by a fabulous panel of Chocolate Ball Judges who judged the delicious confections from the Chocolate Ball Bakers! The Chocolate Ball Judges were:

Brenda von Rautenkranz of vR Growth and Learning Center and Walter von Rautenkranz of Nutkao USA
Ian Kennedy, Executive Director of the Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission
Steve Wecker, Principal of the Wecker Hospitality Group, featuring Cured: Table & Tap, 18th & 21st, and the Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Michael Teitelbaum, President of Baltimore Magazine

The image shows the logos of the 2020 Chocolate Ball Bakers. The Bakers are Lincoln Tech, Starry Night Bakery, Tous les Jours, Putting on the Ritz, Baldwin's Station, The Elkridge Furnace Inn, Debi's Cake Studio, Fiona's by The Cake Faerie, Giant, and Wilma Bakes Cakes. We were thrilled to have the Chocolate Ball Bakers serve delectable creations. The Bakers included: Elkridge Furnace Inn, Lincoln Culinary Institute, Baldwin’s Station, Tous les Jours, The Cake Faerie, Debi’s Cake Studio, Putting on the Ritz, and Starry Night Bakery. Special thanks to Wilma Bakes Cakes and Giant Food for donating desserts. Guests danced to the fabulous sounds of the band, Oracle, while raising money for a great cause! All net funds raised from the 23rd Annual Chocolate Ball go towards supporting the programmatic efforts of The Arc of Howard County in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in Howard County, Maryland.

Thank you to all of our fabulous and generous sponsors! We realize how fortunate we were to have held our event, when so many of our friends and colleagues’ foundations, and non-profits were unable to due to COVID-19. We look forward to when we can support our friends and colleagues’ events in the near future. Stay Safe Everyone!

The image shows logos of the 2020 Chocolate Ball sponsors. Chocolate Indulgence Sponsors are Commercial Insurance Managers and BB&T, now Truist. The Chocolatier Sponsor is the Maryland State Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Thank to all the businesses — local and national, the community members, the Arc of Howard County Board, The Arc of Howard County staff, and others who donated Raffle Prizes and to the Silent Auction. We are grateful for your support!

We hope to see you next year at the 24th Annual Chocolate Ball…Saturday, October 23rd, 2021. If you or your company would like to become a sponsor the Chocolate Ball or for more information on ways you can partner with The Arc of Howard County, please contact Barbara Moyer, Director of Marketing, Communications and Events, at bmoyer@archoward.org

Thank you for supporting The Arc of Howard County!

Sherri Collins-Witzke Named Honorary Chair for 2020 Chocolate Ball

Posted on November 12, 2019 at 8:20 am.

Written by Jill Berry

Sherri Collins-Witzke, Honorary Chair for Chocolate Ball 2020

The Arc of Howard County is pleased to announce that Sherri Collins-Witzke will be this year’s Honorary Chair for the 23rd Annual Chocolate Ball benefiting The Arc of Howard County. The 23rd Annual Chocolate Ball – A Benefit for The Arc of Howard County will be held Saturday, March 7, 2020 at Turf Valley Resort, from 7 p.m. – Midnight.

Sherri has a long history of supporting The Arc of Howard County, through her generous sponsorships, as well as serving on The Arc’s Leadership Development Committee. Sherri also received the Excellence in Professional Services Award for providing outstanding professional services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Howard County. Sherri is active in the Maryland State Funeral Directors Association (MSFDA), serving four terms on their Board of Directors, currently serving as President, and is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and the MSFDA Disaster Response Team.

Sherri Collins-Witzke resides in Howard County with her husband, Gus. Sherri moved to the area in 1969. After graduating from Catonsville Community College, Cum Laude, in 1995, she has been managing the Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home as a third generation licensed mortician. She is a licensed Certified Funeral Service Practitioner, Certified Cremation Services Provider, and a Certified Preplanning Consultant, completing extensive training in the funeral industry. Sherri has served on the steering committee for Gilchrist Cares Taste of Howard County to benefit the Gilchrist Center Howard County for hospice care for over 15 years. As a volunteer Sherri not only supports The Arc of Howard County but is also a board member for Blossoms of Hope… the Howard County Cherry Tree Project and serves on committees for the Business Women’s Network of Howard County, Leadership Howard County, The Howard County, Heart Ball and The Lutheran Village at MILLER’S GRANT. She is a graduate of Leadership Howard County class of 2007.

The 22nd Annual Chocolate Ball

Posted on March 2, 2019 at 7:00 pm.

Written by Dominic Vecchiollo

Three woman wearing formal evening gowns are seated at a banquet table. The Arc of Howard County’s 22nd Annual Chocolate Ball was held on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at Turf Valley Resort. The Chocolate Ball is our signature event and our biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds support our mission of achieving full community life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Howard County, Maryland.

This black tie preferred gala featured flowing champagne, chocolate from the area’s best bakers, an elegant menu, entertainment, unique Silent Auction packages, and dancing throughout the night with music from Oracle Band.

The image shows a list of Sponsors of the 2019 Chocolate Ball. Thank you to everyone who came out in a big way to support The Arc of Howard County. We appreciate all of our Sponsors, Celebrity Judges, Bakers, Entertainers, Donors, and guests! We had a wonderful time and raised a lot of money for the people we support and serve!