Bands Take to the Skye to Support Global Playground

On Friday, November 20th, nearly three hundred people packed into Skye Lounge, a new venue in Washington, D.C.'s Foggy Bottom neighborhood, to celebrate Global Playground's future technology center in Honduras and to support its cross-cultural initiatives. Throughout the evening, guests contributed more than $2000 as they partook in food and drink specials and jammed to the music of String Theory and The Perfect Substitutes.

The event was "absolutely packed," drawing a "much more diverse crowd" than previous Global Playground events, said Kirsten Gilbert, Global Playground's event planner. In addition to Global Playground fans, the event drew regulars of Skye Lounge; followers of The Perfect Substitutes, a Washington, D.C.-based band that performs '80s and '90s covers and is comprised of current and former graduate students of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); and followers of String Theory, a band with roots at the College of William & Mary whose eclectic influences include punk rock and classical music. With such a diverse mixture of people, many were exposed to the name and mission of Global Playground for the first time.

Gilbert, a recent graduate of the George Washington University who also works as an Event Associate with the New America Foundation, noted the generosity of Skye Lounge's owners in a city where many venues charge thousands of dollars to host an event. "We were able to work with a venue that was happy to have us," Gilbert commented. "And they would love to have us again!"

Skye Lounge opened in 2008, and is positioned to appeal to the martini connoisseur or the sports fan. Its owners, Daniel Allen and George Kotsoukos, provided Global Playground with use of the venue free of charge. In addition to the cover charges, Global Playground was also the beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from beverage and food specials at the event.