Rotary’s District 6990 held its annual Golf Ball Drop fund raiser at The Biltmore Golf Course on Nov. 29, raising another $40,000 for charitable works. This Golf Ball Drop event is a raffle that affords donors numbered golf balls to be dropped from a helicopter onto the golf course with the closest balls winning assorted fabulous prizes. Over the past 5 years,
MaryAnn Etkin, Susie Tilson, Vicki McGroarty and Martha Carter.
one of the event organizer’s Rotarian Chris Morrison reports that the event has raised $200,000 for charitable works including Rotary’s Polio Plus Initiative and the Rotary Foundation. District 6990 VIPs there to witness the drop included District Governor Ted Eldredge, Robin Shelley and Yoli Woodbridge, to mention a few.
The Drop was a double header again this year. Right after the helicopter drop and judging to determine the closest balls to the flag on the green, the field was cleared and golf carts lined up to begin start the Rotary Club of Coral Gables Annual Golf Tournament with proceeds this year benefiting both the Coral Gables Rotary Foundation and the Coral Gables Community Foundation.
Among the field of golfers and spectators that day were Mayor Jim Cason, former Mayor Don Slesnick, Kevin Lockwood, Jerry Santeiro, Coral Gables Past President Debbie and John Swain, George Reeves and Andrea Handley.
In other Rotary news, the South Miami and the Rotary Club of Miami-Brickell have also been a busy recently with the holidays in full swing. On Wednesday, November 21st, the two clubs hosted and catered a Thanksgiving Banquet for the women and children currently residing at the SafeSpace North Women’s Shelter.
The Miami-Brickell Club is a young club that is looking for preferred partners for community service. Already this year, the club has assisted with International Coastal Cleanup Day in Mattheson Hammock Park, painted and gardened at Carver Elementary School, participated in Coral Gables Bike Day, and helped with a Thanksgiving Basket Brigade to provide for the less fortunate. In the next few months, club president Al Pinheiro advises they will be building a trail in the Everglades National Park, painting a home as part of a community housing project, helping beautify the Lotus House Women’s Shelter and hosting a barbecue for the children there, and building a playground at SafeSpace.
Finally South Miami, Gables, Pinecrest and even Davie and Miramar members of the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club gathered for a huge charity rummage sale organized by CGWC Education Chair Susie Tilson. It offered members an opportunity to clean out their homes before Christmas and help raise charitable dollars at the same time. It was such a success that talks about doing it again next year have already begun and it looks like it may be opened up to the community vendors as well. The club’s next big fundraiser will be March 9, a Casino Night event that helps supports the Club’s free children dental clinic. Women interested in joining this group should visit www.coralgableswomansclub. org for more information.
Until next time, keep making each day count.
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