Students honored and Woman’s Clubs continue outreach

Pictured at ISSF luncheon are Coral Gables Woman’s Club members: (l-r, standing) president Linda Hartwell, Gloria Burns, ISSF executive director Dr. Teri Logan, Claire Frances Whitehurst; (seated) Barbara Lapsley and Pam Schaefer.
Pictured at ISSF luncheon are Coral Gables Woman’s Club members: (l-r, standing) president Linda Hartwell, Gloria Burns, ISSF executive director Dr. Teri Logan, Claire Frances Whitehurst; (seated) Barbara Lapsley and Pam Schaefer.

The Independent Schools of South Florida, which has a membership of more than 60 non-public accredited schools, recently conducted the organization’s annual Star Luncheon at the Doubletree during which a candidate from each schools elementary, middle and senior high classes was selected to be honored.

In addition, trophies were awarded to the schools who participated in the spelling and geography bees conducted at the clubhouse of the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club over several months.

Several members of that organization, including club president Linda Hartwell, were on hand at the luncheon to accept an appreciation plaque for generously donating their clubhouse facility allowing Dr. Teri Logan, executive director of the ISSF, and her board to make the “bees” affordable to all the schools wanting to enter students in the competitions.

In other student-related activity, for the past several years Gulliver Prep’s Interact Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Coral Gables, has been producing a most entertaining fashion show, the school’s largest student-run fundraising event of the year. This year’s affair raised several thousand dollars which the club split between three charities: Chapman Partnership, Easter Seals and a new charity this year, Give Kids the World (GKTW).

GKTW, an organization which provides children with life threatening illnesses a week-long vacation in the Orlando area with their families, is a favorite charity of the Westin Colonnade for which it holds several fundraisers during the year. On behalf of GKTW, the Westin’s general manager Mike Wurster accepted a $2,000 check from the Gulliver Interact Club’s president, Dillon Patel, and president elect Nicole Tufts, who chaired the Fashion Show.

Patel and Tufts were invited to a lunch in the Westin’s 1862 Restaurant along with fellow members Ravi Patel, Michael Pelle and Nicole Rubin as a small thank you to the group for its support of GKTW. Executive chef Thomas Russo even prepared a special dessert for the occasion. As for Give Kids the World, the Westin will hold an ice cream breakfast in July to help raise additional funds. Look for more on that in the future. It always is a kid favorite.

A recent GFWC Coco Plum Woman’s Club fundraiser raised $2,000 for Feeding South Florida. During this memorable year in which the club celebrated its 100th birthday, the club also donated $3,000 to Patches, a day care center for underprivileged and medically challenged infants and children in Homestead; $3,000 to Chapman Foundation for the Chapmen Partnership that empowers homeless men, women and children to build a positive future by providing the resources and assistance critical to growth and stability; $3,000 to Casa Valentina that helps youth transition successfully from foster care to independent living, and $1,000 to Art Spring Inc. whose mission is to use arts-based educational programming to develop self-growth and effective life skills for incarcerated woman, men and youth as well as other atrisk populations in underserved communities.

Checks in the amount of $2,000 also were sent to Children’s Home Society, $1,000 to South Florida Urban Ministries/Branches, $1,000 to Camillus House and $1,000 to Miami Rescue Mission.

For more information on this club, call 305- 665-5731 or send email to<dcpscarol@aol.com>. Finally, the Two Hundred Club of Greater Miami, an organization that supports the families of those police and firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty, held its Spring Dinner at the Riviera Country Club on Apr. 17.

One of the University of Miami’s most popular professors, Dr. Bradford R. McGuinn, gave a most informative talk on the topic of the upheaval in the Middle East and American Security. Among the many attending were the family of slain police officer Amanda Haworth, club president Katherine Ezell, president-elect Bob Gallagher J r., guests of Gulliver Schools’ Hank Langston, the vice president of Italy’s University System with his wife, Rosa, along with dozens of attorneys, judges, police chiefs and more.

For more information on this incredible organization that helps so many families, visit online at <www.200clubmiami,org>. Until next time, keep making each day count.

If you want to submit information for this column, please send your news via email to <gloria@communitynewspapers.com>.


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A graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Spanish, Burns has an extensive background in advertising, marketing and reciprocal trade, travel , non profit consulting and management. Before joining Miami's Community Newspapers as a columnist and marketing specialist, Gloria was the Executive Director of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee (6 yrs.) and first Executive Director of the Coral Gables Community Foundation (14 yrs.) and the Pinecrest Community Foundation (1 ½ yrs) . Burns' volunteer activities led her to become a columnist for Community Newspapers writing Gloria’s Gab, that focuses on the non-profit activity, and a host of an online show, Gloria's Gab LIVE. Gloria serves the board of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables as Civic and Charity Chair, and is involved in the club's International Committee. She is an active Life Member of the Jr. Orange Bowl Committee and is Secretary of the Merrick Festival. She serves on the board of directors of the Coral Gables Woman' Club as Publicity Chair and also coordinates the club's monthly fundraiser for various charities with Gringo Bingo at Clutch Burger. In addition, Gloria participates in numerous other charitable events and is a member of the Business Forum Group, Profit Inc., the Greater Miami Festival & Events Association and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. In other volunteer activity, Gloria helps Miami Christian School with fund-raising and PR; is an Ambassador and volunteers for events for A Safe Haven for Newborns. She is an active member of the Music Ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church where she enjoys singing in the choir every weekend.