An Evening Under the Stars

The 7th Annual “An Evening Under the Stars” will be held on Saturday, October 3. John and Jennifer McDougal, along with family and friends, host this yearly fundraiser in honor of their daughter Mallory. Proceeds from the event benefit The Willson Heart Center at Children’s Hospital Central California.

"An Evening Under the Stars" features an exquisite meal, dancing and live and silent auctions.

An Evening Under the Stars History

“An Evening Under the Stars” began in 2003 as a way for John and Jennifer McDougal to pay tribute to the memory of their daughter Mallory.

Shortly after her birth, Mallory was diagnosed with an extremely rare congenital heart defect. Children's cardiologists Dr. Malcolm MacDonald and Dr. Kenneth Rouillard informed the McDougals that Mallory would need a minimum of three surgeries over four years to repair the defect, and immediately went to work on the infant, caring for her as if she was one of their own.

"Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Rouillard are two of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life," said Jennifer. "They were very dedicated to Mallory's survival and to us as a family. From day one Dr. Rouillard told us that he imagined Mallory and her twin sister Stephanie would one day play together in our backyard. They were very committed to that and we know they did everything they could to save her."

Unfortunately, they couldn't. During her first surgery, doctors noticed an aneurysm covering two-thirds of Mallory's heart ventricle. After eleven grueling hours of surgery, it became clear to doctors that Mallory's defect was irreparable. With hope lost, the McDougals were forced to make the toughest decision of their lives, and took Mallory off life support. She was just 7-weeks-old.

John and Jennifer were extremely touched by the care they received at Children's, and it didn't take long for them to find a way to say thanks.

"We decided that very night that we wanted to do something to give back to the Hospital and to Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Rouillard, who had just done so much for us in giving us seven and a half weeks with Mallory," said Jennifer. "We know that without them we wouldn't have had her home for Christmas and we wouldn't have had the time with her that we did."

And so "An Evening Under the Stars" was born to benefit The Willson Heart Center at Children's Hospital.

"It's giving back to the Hospital, but it also gives us so much in that every year there's a wonderful tribute to Mallory," said Jennifer. "It makes people remember her, because although we'll never forget her, we don't want other people to forget her either."