Embassy Row Turns Into Charity Row

WASHINGTON — When a charity for poor children was looking for a classy place for a fund-raiser, the Lincoln Bedroom was not an option and first-class hotel ballrooms were too pricey.

So the group turned to Embassy Row, where some of Washington’s snazziest venues go for a song.

By lending embassy foyers and function rooms, diplomats say, they show they are good neighbors and promote the image of their countries. Fees vary according to the group and the event. Some charge nothing; others ask for reimbursement for food, drink, cleanup and overtime for security guards.

In a typical event, the Sasha Bruce Youthwork Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children in the Washington metropolitan area, borrowed the elegant British Embassy residence--where Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill have stayed--to host a movie premiere last month.

“Such a setting has unusual appeal,” said Deborah Shore, the foundation’s executive director. “People get to see a place they ordinarily would not see and the embassy gets a chance to put its best foot forward.”

But dealing with diplomats can be risky because affairs of state take precedence. And sometimes there are important guests who turn up at the last minute.

The Parent-Teacher Assn. at an elementary school landed the Russian Embassy for its fund-raising auction. But at the last minute they had to find another site because the Russian foreign minister came to town unexpectedly and security people were nervous about 600 parents and students rambling about their building.

“Obviously, we were panic-stricken,” said Mia Perna, PTA co-president at Washington’s Stoddert Elementary School. “Word got out about our plight and a former parent came through” and lined up the headquarters of the Organization of American States.

Some embassies are more popular than others.

With its spare lines and dramatic cooper, green granite and wood interior, the Finnish Embassy has played host to the Red Cross twice and to the American Institute of Architects.

Last week, to the melodies of a four-piece jazz band, Rachel’s Women’s Center, which helps homeless women in the capital, took over the ground floor reception room with its sweeping wooden staircase.

David Schon, a member of the center’s board, said the embassy was “the best building in Washington, an attraction in itself because it is so spectacular.”

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest in our embassy,” said Finnish Embassy spokesman Yrjo Lansipuro, “I’ve lost count of how many people have come. But we want them to see inside of our building, not just the outside.’

British Embassy spokesman Robert Chatterton-Dickson says his ambassador decides which events to host on a case-by-case basis.

“There are obvious advantages in doing this,” he said. “We show that we are good diplomatic citizens, part of the community. And it helps us do our job because we are projecting a good image of Britain among influential people.”

It’s up to the event sponsors to price their tickets in a way that covers any embassy cost and leaves money for their coffers.

“There are a thousand factors that go into determining what the charge is,” said Pam Chappell of the Canadian Embassy, whose rooftop has a to-die-for view of the Capitol. “Is it a buffet or a sit-down dinner? Is the sponsor a profit-making group or not?”

Once the basics are taken care of, there can be a last-minute surprise.

“We really had to scramble to find a photographer when we learned Mrs. [Hillary Rodham] Clinton was coming” to a privately sponsored benefit for Korean orphans, said Korean Embassy spokesman Djun Kil Kim. “It transformed an ordinary evening into a memorable event.”