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A Mother’s Day Tea fundraiser for the Coral Gables Woman’s Club’s free children’s dental clinic on May 8 was an overwhelming success after a one year gap.
With a sellout crowd, the affair raised more than $6,000 to provide much needed free dental care for Miami-Dade children who fall between the cracks in our healthcare system.
Guests enjoyed an afternoon of shopping, music and a fabulous tea catered by club member Rita Tennyson, whose company, R Catering, also catered my daughter’s wedding.
Co-chairing the event were Denise Valluerca and Iris Segui with lots of help from their committee: Lorena Holguin, past president Arely Ruiz, president Ruth Martinez, treasurer Nancy Desmangles, Kristina Jackson and this writer.
Of course, lots of other club members pitched in to help as well as student volunteers from Coral Gables High School. The club was most grateful for the community support from top sponsors: Brett McKnight Lapsley (in memoriam), New York Life, and Dr Iris Torres as well as in-kind sponsors Admari Tea, HV Designs, Miami’s Community Newspapers and R Catering, and so many others who donated to the silent auction and more.
It was great to have lots of support from GFWC District 11 at the event with The Woman’s Club president Shirley Pardon; president of the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove Virginia Yermoli; Noreen Timoney; Anita Jenkins; Metris Batts; Maribel Fruitstone; GFWC District 11 past directors Elizabeth Kourtesis Fisher, Norma Cooper, Graciela de Garcia and Lynda Randolph, and current District 11 director Brenda Merrill.
In addition, among those in the crowd were former Coral Gables Mayor and CGWC past president Dorothy Thomson with her daughter, June; Dianne Superville with members of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, as well as the wife of Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors and all the women in their family.
Earlier that same week, Coral Gables Woman’s Club, with lots of support from 1st Elite Premier Financial and EZ Title Services, raised another $1,400 at the club’s Gringo Bingo fundraiser at Clutch Burger on Giralda in the Gables.
As always, it was a party with people not only playing bingo but also sometimes dancing and other times taking the microphone from emcee Steven Bradley to sing along to the music of DJ Germain, like CGWC secretary Carmen Suarez did most recently.
If you like a straight boring bingo game, go somewhere else to play. These monthly games with great prizes are so much fun that people return again and again like the sponsors Elizabeth Gamez and hubby Frank. Frank celebrated his birthday at the event. Dr. Brittany Holliday enjoys it so much she will be a sponsor for the June 1 event with Elizabeth and Frank. That June 1 Gringo Bingo will benefit two charities: National Areata Alopecia Foundation (NAAF) and the Coral Gables Children’s Dental Clinic.
Speaking of great events, Orchestra Miami recently held an in-person concert at the historic Coral Gables Woman’s Club that drew rave reviews from the crowd attending that musical night. This was part of Orchestra Miami’s “Discover Miami Through Music Series” which holds concerts in landmarks and places of historic interest with the idea of learning more about our community through music.
Elaine Rinaldi, founder and artistic director of Orchestra Miami is to be congratulated for bringing our community these wonderful concerts in such creative venues.
Until next time, keep making each day count; share an act of kindness every day and stay safe.
