Giovanni Quintana was formerly the general manager of Mad Rose Tavern, but he’s now on a mission bigger than his work to turn around what was once a struggling Clarendon bar.
For the past couple of years years, Quintana and girlfriend Ivana Danschin have spent their spare time outside of work doing whatever they could to give their daughter Arianna the ability to hear.
Due to birth complications, Arianna — now two-and-a-half years old — was born deaf. But Quintana and Danschin successfully applied for her to be part of a clinical trial for an experimental Auditory Brainstem Implant, a technology that allows those like Arianna, who could not benefit from a cochlear implant, to hear.
Arianna was the fourth child in the United States to undergo this next-generation Auditory Brainstem Implant surgery, Quintana says.
While insurance is covering most of the cost, Quintana and Danschin have still encountered tens of thousands of dollars worth of expenses, prompting them to move out of Arlington and launch a GoFundMe page. And this coming Friday, two weeks before Arianna is set to undergo another surgery, they will be hosting a fundraiser at Bar Bao — the successor to Mad Rose — in Clarendon.
The fundraiser will run from 5 p.m. to close. On this week’s 26 Square Miles podcast, we asked Quintana about the fundraiser, about the first time he realized Arianna could hear after her initial surgery, and about why Arianna needs a second surgery.
Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.
Photo via YouTube
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At Generation Hope, we’re dedicated to supporting teen parents in college as they work toward earning their degrees. We are in need of caring child care volunteers for upcoming events on Saturday, October 21st (in Washington, DC), and Saturday, November 4th (in Arlington, VA). Join our growing volunteer community and support us at an event this fall!
At all of our events, we provide free onsite child care for the children of the teen parents we serve, creating a nurturing environment for the kiddos while their parents learn valuable life skills and build community.
If you enjoy working with children and are looking to make an immediate impact in your community, please visit https://www.generationhope.org/volunteer to learn more.

Join us for Arlington’s biggest civil rights & social justice event of the year. The banquet is back in person at the Arlington Campus of George Mason University.
Our keynote speaker this year is Symone Sanders from MSNBC and former Chief of Staff for Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The Master of Ceremonies is Joshua Cole, former state delegate, NAACP President, and local pastor.
Tickets/seating are limited. Purchase your ticket today! Sponsorship opportunities available.
The Backyard: After-School Kids Club
Join us at Church of the Covenant on Military Road every other Wednesday afternoon from 4:00-5:30pm beginning on October 18th for The Backyard: After-School Kids Club. Cost is free! The program will provide recreation, snacks, Bible stories, and other fun
Standup Comedy Showcase Starring John F. O’Donnell (Comedy Central)
Live standup comedy starring John F. O’Donnell (Comedy Central)
Friday, October 20
Headliner: John F. O’Donnell
John was a correspondent on the radical comedy news TV show, “Redacted Tonight,” for 5 years. Recently, he released his debut one-hour standup special,