Scooping For A CCMC Cause In West Hartford

You could barely walk along the sidewalk on South Main Street in West Hartford Thursday what with all the action including a band, dogs, the crowd and drippy ice cream cones.

The “inconvenience” around Ben & Jerry’s was all for a good cause though. It was “Gabriella’s Scoop Night” once again.

The event is sponsored each August by the Girodano family, whose now 9-year-old daughter, Gabriella Giordano, underwent open-heart surgery at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center several years ago. Since then, the family has hosted the evening with Ben & Jerry’s donating a portion of the money raised to the center and this year, its new Cardiovascular Care Center.

“I am hoping to scoop this year,” said Gabriella who turned 9 earlier in the week as she watched supporters arrive and the ice cream party begin. “I want to keep this going for a long time,” said the second-grader about the family’s efforts to raise money for the center. “I’m excited that people come.”

This year’s event also included live entertainment and a contingent from the West Hartford police department and its canine unit.

Among the “celebrity” scoopers who donated time to the event were West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, as well as WFSB reporter Susan Raff, fresh off a vacation in Paris and Barcelona.