The RocDoc provided top students from nine area public and independent schools being honored recently at the Coral Gables Friends of Education annual recognition breakfast with a real treat. Dr. Stephen Eskin, a gastroenterologist by day, also is a supremely accomplished professional musician who composes and performs with a focus on using his music to educate while having fun through his non-profit RocDoc organization.
Students at the May 8 Junior/Senior Recognition Breakfast at the Westin Colonnade were entertained thoroughly by Dr. Eskin who donated his time and talent to educate and entertain a very appreciative audience. After speaking to the students about pursuing their passion, even when it does not necessarily seem to gel with their chosen career, he played guitar and sang with his digital band as backup.
On May 2, there was a similar recognition breakfast also at the Westin. That breakfast for elementary school graduates featured a few numbers from Excellent Conquest. The cast roller blades and all performed beautifully to this show with music and lyrics by Actors’ Playhouse Musical Theatre for Young Audiences Children’s Theatre’s Earl Maulding, who directs the show, and Scott Morlock.
These annual recognition events are coordinated by Joan Reitsma, owner of The Giving Tree; presented by Miami- Dade Chapter-Thrivent Financial; hosted by the Westin Colonnade, and sponsored by the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club, Claire Frances Whitehurst, Gulliver Schools, the Rotary Club of Coral Gables, and the Education Foundation of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
By the way, registration is open for the many theater camp programs offered by Actors’ Playhouse. For information, call 305-444-9293, ext. 621, or visit online at <www.actorsplayhouse.org>.
More than 300 people gathered for a beautiful lunch to benefit the most vulnerable in our world, orphaned children often left to fend for themselves on the streets, through the good works of Friends of the Orphans. This is an organization that supports a network of nine homes of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for Our Little Brothers and Sisters) and their outreach programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently care for 3,700 children. Since they started in 1954, they have helped raise and educate approximately 16,000 children.
This luncheon is the beginning of an effort to bring about awareness of their efforts to the philanthropic community of South Florida an raise money to continue their amazing work. The program included words from the CEO of the organization, Frank Donahue, and a video presentation featuring words from grateful children. On hand for the luncheon were two men who themselves were taken in at age 5 and, after graduating from college, came back to mentor and help manage the programs.
Among the many locals filling a table for this affair was Lynn Bauer of Bauer Financial. Bauer, who worked with Rod Hildebrand and Matthew Meehan to build a home for Sunil’s Home Orphanage in India, certainly identified with the incredible people who have committed their time, talent and financial resources to this charitable work. Thus, Bauer was extremely pleased that the NPH leaders were willing to meet and share their vast experience during a meeting later that same week at Season’s 52.
Rafael Bermudez Gutierrez, national director from Mexico; Kristina Fueyo, regional director for Child Sponsorship; Tomas Hauff of Paramount Planning Group, a board member, and Alfredo Benitez, NPH country liaison, Friends of the Orphans SE Region, were among those at that get-together to discuss best practices.
For more information on NPH, visit www.friendsoftheorphans.org.
Until next time, keep making each day count.
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