(Photo Credit: World Red Eye)
More than 400 stylish guests gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program Gala on March 4, to celebrate 19 years of mentoring in South Florida.
The evening commenced with an elegant cocktail reception, where guests had the opportunity to mingle and bid on luxury items and experiences, followed by an extravagant dinner in the ballroom and a night of dancing to the sounds of Soul Survivors – who truly know how to pack a dance floor. The most touching moment of the evening, was the candle-lit procession of young women impacted by the work of Women of Tomorrow, who joined supporters for a special moment of gratitude.
The gala was made possible by program founders Jennifer Valoppi and Don Browne; Gala & Philanthropic Chair Marisa Toccin Lucas, founder of LineaLuxe.com; Co-Vice President and Philanthropic Chair the Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade County State Attorney; Humanitarian Honoree Edie Laquer of The Laquer Foundation; Leadership Award Honorees Carol Iacovelli, Daniela Swaebe, and Suzy Buckley Woodward; Legacy Builder Honorees Randy and Gigi Whitman; Mentor of the Year, Local 10 Anchor Neki Mohan; with public relations support from TARA, Ink. Randy Whitman is the Chairman of Whitman Family, who owns Bal Harbour Shops, the site of the groundbreaking Women of Tomorrow Sculpture, located at center court.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program, a not-for profit organization with a mission to inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through a unique mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities. Women of Tomorrow positively transforms the lives of the at-risk girls. Since the program’s inception, WOT has touched the lives of more than 15,000 high school girls in South Florida, Detroit and Philadelphia. WOT’s network of over 500 professional women currently mentors more than 4,000 girls in close to 200 public high schools, with a 95% graduation rate among an at-risk population. $5.4 million in college scholarships has also been awarded.
For more information, call 305.371.3330 or visit Women of Tomorrow.org
