Ten local non profits joined with the Hotel Colonnade on July 26 to raise funds for their charity and for Give Kids the World Village in the Orlando area. GKTW Village is a 70 acre resort that provides children with life threatening illnesses a free one week vacation with the entire families. Since the resort was built, they have never turned away a child.
The Hotel Colonnade has been raising money along with other hotels worldwide to support this unique nonprofit for many years. What is different about this hotel’s approach is the idea of sharing the fund raising event to also benefit our local community, something these non profits certainly appreciate. Kudos to Hotel Colonnade’s General Manager Ian McClendon, HR Director Amy Randall, Chef Chris Wadnola, Roger Vivas, and the staff for an amazing breakfast. Big thanks also to table sponsors Coral Gables Hospital, HV Designs, Roxana Zubia Canvas from Canvas to Collection, Jr. Orange Bowl Committee who also brought their royal court, and Community Newspapers’ Grant and Michael Miller for always supporting this writer’s numerous charitable causes.
Among the many non profits taking advantage of the breakfast to raise funds were Coral Gables and South Miami Rotary Clubs, A Safe Haven for Newborns, the Nail Scholarship Foundation, Miami Christian School, Coral Gables and CocoPlum Woman’s Clubs, Badges of Courage Foundation, and more.
In other service club news, on July 19, Kim Davison organized a fun night for the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club with their members and guests many of whom live in the Pinecrest area as well as all over South Florida. The group enjoyed refreshments while learning how to make mats out of recycled plastic bags to be donated to the homeless. Kim is Conservation Chair for the club and this project fit the bill for a great program meeting. Turns our lots of other folks are doing the same. Anita Jenkins and her sister club members with CocoPlum Woman’s Club have invested more than a thousand hours making these mates. In addition, according to Ellen Book, who is celebrating 30 years with Miami Dade County Libraries, she has volunteers at the Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay libraries making these mats as well where they enjoy an opportunity to make new friends, learn a new craft and help the homeless… a win-win-win. They have become so creative that their mats that look more like works of Indian art.
In other news, Profit Inc., one of the oldest business networking groups in South Florida, held a visitors day lunch at 94th Aero Squadron on July 20 welcoming lots of new faces. President Enrique Yunis welcomes a dozen or so guests while several members shared testimonials. Among the members and guests enjoying the day were Donald VanOrsdel, Mike Sutta, Jose and Stacy Alonso, Dr. Joe Briggle, LaWanda Loftus, Jerry Kavulich, Andy Gonzalez, Darryl Rosenbaum, Robert Beans, Hernando Valenzuela, Kemp Mobley, Gabriel Silva, and Rosemary Guilfoyle, to mention a few.
Last but not least, A Safe Haven for Newborns’ founder Nick Silverio was recently flown to EWTN headquarters in Nashville to be interviewed on the “At Home with Jim and Joy” Show. EWTN Global Catholic Network, now entering its 35th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. This was an amazing opportunity for Nick to share the success of A Safe Haven for Newborns with EWTN’s global audience noting that his organization has just saved their 265th baby. Since that broadcast, Nick has since received calls from all over. In fact, at a recent planning meeting for the upcoming A Safe Haven for Newborns Gala to be held October 21, Nick received a call from Hawaii from someone who wanted information after seeing that show. The calls continue coming in as A Safe Haven for Newborns spreads its programs to numerous other states and now shares its mission with the world.
Until next time, keep making each day count.
