Katie McCormick lost her life to domestic violence in 2008.
"Every year, it was emotional for us. We're still blown away by the fact that she was murdered. Every year, it was hard... but we needed to keep her memory alive."
In 2008, Mary Ann Brancaccio and Maria Vanni, owners of August Restaurant, lost their friend and employee Katie McCormick to domestic violence. Katie was shot to death by her boyfriend, who then killed himself.
The community - employees and regular patrons - of August Restaurant were stunned. "There were signs and we had no idea," Mary Ann said.
In honor of Katie, and to raise funds and awareness of domestic violence, Mary Ann and Maria started to host the Katie Dinner at August Restaurant. For nearly ten years, Mary Ann and Maria organized a dinner in February - the anniversary month of Katie's death - with a raffle and a performance by jazz artist Jacqui Naylor. Proceeds from the Katie Dinner and the raffle were donated to WIT.
This year, they held the Katie Dinner for two nights in October. It was their last Katie Dinner - and their last dinner as August Restaurant. Mary Ann and Maria have closed a chapter in their lives: 14 years of running August Restaurant, and almost 10 years of Katie Dinners, in memory of their dear friend.
"We did say to people, 'This is the last dinner we're doing, but we still want people to remember to give for domestic violence resources and raise awareness for it. It still exists."
We at WIT are extremely grateful to Mary Ann and Maria for their years of support. Thank you for standing with us against domestic violence, and for the honor of remembering Katie with the community of August Restaurant.
Join Mary Ann and Maria and support WIT's lifesaving services.
Contact us at dlee@helpwomen.org or 215.564.5301 x125 about making a gift or organizing a fundraiser to benefit WIT.